The Lost World

The Lost World (1925) D: Harry O. Hoyt. Bessie Love, Lewis Stone, Wallace Beery, Lloyd Hughes, Alma Bennett, Arthur Hoyt, Margaret McWade. The special effects film of its time, a story based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle about an expedition to a lost world where dinosaurs rule. The version I watched was the most complete (running 93 minutes). Being a silent film, the actual plot is hard to follow but the special effects are terrific for a 77-year-old dinosaur movie. The most complete version was compiled from 8 different sources; that probably explains why the film seems very choppy and incomplete. All in all, a historically entertaining movie and certainly recommended to silent film buffs. RATING: 7 out of 10. Not rated.

Modern audience members won't exactly be scared or thrilled by the living, breathing dinosaurs in this 75 plus year old classic. They will see a visually amazing silent classic. THE LOST WORLD tells of an exhibition that finds mammoth dinosaurs on a plateau in the Amazon. A brontosaurus is brought back to London. Willis O'Brien's stop-motion animation is rather fluid, (as compared to the short animated comedies he made around 1918) There are also neat uses of matte work, rear screen and double exposures.

The recent DVD re-issue of LOST WORLD is a keeper. It even has LOST WORLD animation out-takes with single frames of O'Brien and his assistant accidently caught on film. Requied viewing for the student of cinematic special effects.

This was the first movie I ever taped when I got my first VCR back in the 1980's. I saw it was going to be on at 3:00 a.m., so I decided to try the programming to see it it worked. It did. I was so excited. The movie is so much fun. It has Wallace Beery as a borderline madman scientist leading an expedition to a far off island to find dinosaurs. There is a subplot of a reporter who is trying to talk him into letting him go along. There are scenes where Professor Challenger (Beery) chases and assaults this man because he hates reporters. Of course, we all know the story. They do bring back a dinosaur and it gets loose (ala King Kong) and leaves a path of destruction. The special effects are like Claymation, but one could only wonder how exciting and impressive these things were in their time. As a period piece, I urge people to see this. There are full length prints of it, not just the one some have commented on, which only shows the dinosaur scenes. If you have an open mind, you will have a lot of fun.

Although the existing versions all have missing portions, and although the film is obviously old-fashioned in several respects, the original "The Lost World" is still a fine film and very entertaining. It has an exciting and interesting story with some good characters and acting, and the dinosaur action, terrific for its time, is still quite watchable.

Besides the adventure story about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, there is also some decent human drama with a few interesting characters. The earnest young journalist out to prove himself, the bad-tempered but brilliant scientist, the devoted daughter searching for her missing father, and the rest, are all slightly exaggerated, but most also contain some real substance. There is a good cast to bring these characters to life.

Naturally, the animals are the big stars, and although the special effects do not compare with what is done today, the dinosaur action is still creative, entertaining and worth watching. There are also some good shots of live animals living in the Amazon area where the expedition takes place.

This is certainly recommended for those who enjoy silent films. It would also be interesting viewing for those who are more used to modern films of the genre - you'll see a lot of the ideas that were later used in films that are more familiar today.

Willis O'Brien made some early shorts utilizing his unique concept of special effects, but it was this film, The Lost World, that made his vision first come to life so to speak. O'Brien makes the lost world full of dinosaurs that seemingly do everything. They eat, fight, move, and generally live on screen. The film is a fairly good adaption of Doyle's book, with Doyle even having a cameo in the film. A raging professor named Professor Challenger, played with gusto by Wallace Beery, says that dinosaurs live on a plateau somewhere off in the Amazon. He is disbelieved by all concerned, and he, with the help and support of a rich adventurer, a cynical zoologist, a newsman, and a daughter of a lost professor on a previous journey, sets out to prove that dinosaurs do indeed exist on Earth still. The film has a nice, quick pace and is very entertaining. Beery, Lewis Stone, and Bessie Love all do fine jobs acting. The film has a new marvelous score to go with its silent action. Best of all...the film boasts the special effects of O'Brien's genius. A fine, fine film.