The Lost World (Special Edition) - 1960 & 1925 versions Reviews

• You know, for kids...

  
  By A220FJEQNGMSRN on 2007-12-28
  Irwin Allen's 1960 version of The Lost World may be shot in CinemaScope, but stylistically it fits right in with his 60s sci-fi TV shows (indeed, stock footage from the film found its way into his Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea series, as did co-star David Hedison). Originally intended to feature state-of-the-art stop-motion animation from Willis O. Brien, the special effects genius behind the groundbreaking 1925 version as well as King Kong, the ever-economical producer opted instead for the tried and trusted and, most important of all, much cheaper technique of supergluing fins and horns on real lizards and having them double for dinosaurs despite looking like nothing so much as lizards with fins and horns superglued on them. However, even had he spent the extra time and money, this modernised version was never going to be the definitive one: 'dinosaur' action is fairly thin on the ground and the novel's finale that sees a pterodactyl on the loose in London is unceremoniously dropped. Instead there's a lot of wandering around the Fox ranch and backlot, cameo appearances from the odd poisonous giant plant left over from Journey to the Center of the Earth, a tribe of natives with a yen for human sacrifice, a fortune in diamonds and the obligatory erupting volcano finale, though it retains a certain nostalgic Saturday kids matinée appeal even if most of today's kids wouldn't sit still for it. Claude Rains gets to grandstand as Professor Challenger while Michael Rennie's aristocratic big game hunter seems almost like a blueprint for George Lazenby's take on James Bond, with Jill St. John tagging along for no good reason other than Arthur Conan Doyle's thoughtless failure to provide any female roles in the original novel.
  
  Fox's new Region 1 NTSC DVD boasts a fine 2.35:1 widescreen transfer, but the stereo tracks are reversed so that the left comes from the right speaker and vice versa. Along with original trailer, brief featurette, Movietone newsreel footage of a kids charity screening and a still gallery that's irritatingly locked so you can't fast-forward or reverse but have to play at normal speed for nine minutes (!), it also comes with the original 1925 silent version (which was, coincidentally, the first ever in-flight movie). Unfortunately it's not the relatively recently restored 93-minute version that's available separately but the 75-minute version preserved by George Eastman House. For many years the longest version available after multiple cuts for reissues as the film's ownership changed hands several times over the decades, for the more casual viewer it's still a welcome addition and offers a decent tinted print.
  
  Willis O. Brien's special effects are still surprisingly good and way ahead of the 1960 version even if he was to perfect them further in King Kong (for which this film feels almost like a dress rehearsal at times), giving the film an epic scale in the volcanic eruption and stampede sequences, while Wallace Beery is a perfect choice for Professor Challenger, embodying the gruff, belligerent nature of the character to a tee. There are changes to the novel - not only is Bessie Love brought along on the expedition to search for her lost father (with none of the comic relief chauvinism from Challenger found in the 1960 version) but the pterodactyl that terrifies the streets of London has been changed to a lumbering Brontosaurus, which is certainly a change for the better - but then Doyle's book is rather light on plot to begin with. The dinosaurs aren't as well integrated into the story as you might hope - usually it's cutaways to herds of dinosaurs in their natural habitat - and the racial stereotyping from Jules Cowles' blackface routine as `Zambo' is painfully embarrassing and horribly unfunny (sample dialogue on seeing campfire smoke from the plateau: "That means our folks is still alive." "It MAY mean dat some of those cannibules dat drop dat rock down on us yistiddy am cookin' `em in dar stew-pot!"). But it's hard not to like a film with dialogue like "What are you thinking of, Paula - in this lost world of ours?" or Challenger's immortal "My brontosaurus has escaped! Keep off the streets - until I recapture it!" and where our hero's rival for his girl back home's affections is called Percy Bumberry!
  
  Although not advertised on the packaging, it also includes a surviving one-minute fragment of the original trailer and seven-and-a-half minutes of stop-motion outtakes, one including an unplanned one-frame cameo by Willis O. Brien himself!
  
  
  

• It Pales Next to Pal

  
  By A3JPPR6JT75N0E on 2006-05-23
  Although Lost World includes one of my favorite long, lost actors, Michael Rennie, it's no comparison to it's contemporary, Journey to the Center of the Earth. In fact, it's amazing they were released in the same year. Journey is so much more a classic, yet it seems more dated. Lost World is inferior, but it has a more modern touch since Irwin Allen would dominate the special effects field for the next fifteen years. George Pal, on the other hand, though he had a few good productions in the Sixties, seems more at home in the Fifties. Lost World does have its moments, even working with a lower budget, but at least they wisely spent some of their dough on getting a good cast. Claude Rains is a delightful curmudgeon, and as noted, Michael Rennie is a guy I'd take on any expedition. The lizards as dinosaurs always had a split effect on me: They LOOK big and real, but they don't look like dinosaurs. However, the fight between the monitor lizard and the caiman (or whatever) made an interesting match-up! Just don't tell PETA. But overall, I would say the best special effect was Jill St. John's bra.
  
  

• lost world 1960

  
  By A3H3Q4RDI8RZC7 on 2007-07-16
  I haven't seen this movie in 20yrs. It's an Irwin Allen film which means it's usually fun. The dinosaurs aren't. If i remember correctly there dressed up lizards. But it's a fun story with giant spiders, a lost tribe and an animal skin clad women. what more do you want from a 47yr old movie. The end of the film is the only real special effects they spent money on.The color of the film is bright and crisp. I do lean towards these types of movies so I hope you all enjoy it.
  
  

• Supreme Nostalgia

  
  By A2QRFAS6H2D63S on 2007-10-19
  Relishing this movie once again, amused by certain "Monday-Morning" condescending reviews, I'm reminded how personal a movie experience can be. Never mind the Nip/Tuck "dinosaurs," I relive again that year I turned 13, riding the bus in the rain to the other end of town! By myself! Standing in line at the single (now there's history) ticket booth , the fresh popcorn, the Milk Duds, the black cherry soda dispensed from that Rube Goldberg-like machine -- first cup, then ice, then syrup, then carbonated water (hopefully, in that order!!) Forget your sophisticated comparisons with current CGI tech. Movies like this summon one's lost youth and, therefore, are priceless.
  
  As for the 1925 version, with a bit of perspective brought on with age it provides its own fascination. The "outtakes," consisting of unused stop-motion scenes, provide a very pleasant surprise. At 6:23 into this section, a single frame of O'Brien himself, caught posing one of the figures, stands frozen like a museum display, dedicated to the long-gone notion that, if you want to film it, you have to build it first.
  
  

• AN IRWIN ALLEN MOVIE THATS FUN

  
  By AQS2OPXU1L0B2 on 2007-09-15
  you just have to love irwin allen films,and this film the lost world from 1960 is just a fun gem to watch.starring david hedison,michael rennie,claude rains,fernando lamas,jill st. john.with a cast like this what can go wrong.the so called dinosaurs are just lizards with added wardrobe horns and so on.the movie is very entertaining with the brilliant cast.all in all what makes this a special treat is the print is just absolutely gorgeous.the 1925 movie is an added bonus worthy of its version of the lost world and a damn good one for a 1925 silent movie.so treat yourself to a fun dinosaur movie the special 2 discs the lost world,it's worth the money and time to add to any irwin allen collection of pure adventure films........
  
  
• Best Sci-FI Movie for the Time
  By on 2002-12-03
  I remember seeing this movie as an early teenager and found it to be excellent for the time. Compared to movies today it seems very poor but it was a classic "B" movie for the times. I recommend it for anyone's video library
  
  
• Treasure Hunt
  By A1GHUN5HXMHZ89 on 2002-11-21
  Personally I think this is a fun movie. Great Sunday afternoon fare. Sit down with some popcorn and relax for some brainless fun. The cast does well, and the sets are great. The dinosaurs were considered pretty good until Jurassic Park came along. They'll still do. You can't compare older movies to todays special effects power houses unless you want to be bored watching only a handful of great F/X movies. You need to watch some of these old ones that can be fun. Not quite as goofy as the Mystery Science Theater movies and not quite as serious as Jurassic Park III. If you like the ones like "Valley of the Gwangi", you will like it.
  
  
• No Comparison.. just enjoy..made in 1960 not 2007
  By A1824NSTCMV57R on 2007-08-26
  When I was 7 years old I thought that this was indeed the greatest movie so far..except the 7th voyage of sinbad.How can we compare a vintage movie from 1960 to the special effects we have today. At 54 years old now. who cares that the horns are pasted on the lizards and all that. Enjoy this movie for it's escapism and adventure.I wonder sometimes how anyone can enjoy a movie picking it apart all the time. I guess you had to be there in 1960.
  
  
• COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, BUT STILL WORTH 10 BUCKS!
  By on 1999-10-28
  Irwin Allen's 1960 version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic dinosaur adventure, and the Willis O'Brien 1925 classic of the silent era. A band of explorers travel to an ancient plateu in South America, and encounter gigantic prehistoric beasts. The actors are great (to to Allen form, he made up for the poor special effects with big time actors) including Michael Rennie (THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL), Claude Rains (THE WOLF MAN) Jill St. John (DIOMANDS ARE FOREVER) Fernando Lamas, and many more! Sadly, only lizards with phony make-up aplinces are blown up on film to tremendous size. But using real lizards does have a cetain charm, and the motion is realistic because it is real! So all in all, good production values, good acting, exeptable special effects, a 4 star movie.
  
  
• Loved Lost World
  By A24JBOTN8KGAZA on 2004-07-04
  I loved this movie. I know it's been bashed a lot by today's audiences, but you have to consider that when it was made special effects were not what they are now.
  I think it's the story that counts. My two cents anyway.

  In addition, what also impresses me, is that several scenes and actors reapeared in "Voyge to the Bottom of the Sea (series)" and other Irwin allen productions. It's great to see earlier performances as well as the inevitable stock footage Irwin and Fox used.

  Especially of note are really great performances of David(Al) Hedison (later Capt. Crane in Voyage), and Ms. Marcus (the native girl) who shows up later on Voyage both as the same native girl, and also as a love interest for a ghostly u-boat captain! I think it's rather fun to see the orig. movie while picking out 'hey-that was used over there'scenes)

  As I said, the story itself is good. It's entertaining,and doesn't try too hard.

  I think it's worth the purchase and I'd like to see it released in widescreen format as it was originally shown. You miss some things in the regular format, but hey, it's not avail.in widescreen, so I'm just glad to have it at all. It hasn't been avai. for awhile at all.

  I'd suggest you just settle down in a comfy chair and just enjoy it.
  
  

• Dino Cheese
  By A1SL7CB1TZXORJ on 2000-06-10
  You can watch "The Lost World" one of two ways.

  1) A maddeningly poor version of the great Arthur Conan Doyle novel, turning memorable characters into crude stereotypes, and adding a half-dozen others so you won't notice there's only one brief sequence featuring "dinosaurs" (magnified lizards with rubber collars, tortured into listlessly attacking each other).

  2) As an early '60s camp fest, what with the babealicious cave girl, Fernando "you look mahvelous" Lamas as a vengeful native, and Claude Rains as a peppery pipsqueak Professor Challenger -- not to mention Irwin Allen's trademark colored-lights-on-styrofoam special effects. Best of all, Jill St. John (an Annette Bening without irony) in her pink boots, who announces "I can ride, fly, and shoot better than any man I know" and then spends the balance of the movie shrieking and running for the strong arms of David "Al" Hedison. Or is it Al "David" Hedison?

  Anyway, stick with the sweet, rather innocent 1925 silent version... Conan Doyle loved it and it's still miles ahead of every subsequent "Lost World" movie -- including the recent Bob Hoskins "ecologically correct" CGI fiasco.
  
  

• The Lost World 1960
  By AA5VDRO7CYUWP on 2008-03-10
  I just viewed the DVD the lost world recently.
  It's a clean,decent fantasy movie.
  The special effects aren't that great as you would expect from a movie made in this era and with the budget allowed.
  But nonetheless it's a good family movie that ends well.
  
  
• absolute fun
  By on 2001-10-14
  I enjoy this movie so much , it's a good Saturday arvo' movie with plenty fo r all to see.I have taped this movie from the TV but now want it on video to enjoy again and again. Good ole entertainment that's what I like.
  
  
• The Lost World
  By A311FFXBWCP2OM on 2008-04-15
  This is two great old classic films. Adapted from the famous novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The lost world 1960 is a famous Irwin Allen adventure film modernized to 1960 with hellicopters and giant lizards dressed up like dinosaurs. It is entertaining and classic Irwin Allen. The Lizards are great! The Lost World 1925 is a silent film with special effects by Willis H. O'Brien. It is one of the first films to be done with stop motion animation and other special effects that would later be used in the making of King Kong 1933. The dinosaurs and scenes are great, The story is excellent, This is one of the best of the silent films.
  
  
• The Lost World ( Special Edition)-1960&1925 Versions
  By A2GM16F98AAG4A on 2007-10-05
  I Have Been Waiting A Long Time For The 1960 Version To Come Out On Dvd. The Transfer To Dvd Was Good Not Great, But I Was Not Disapointed. I Remember Loving This Film Growing Up And Still Do. The Special Effects Are Not Great compared To Today, But Who Cares It Was 1960. Just Enjoy The Movie For What It Is.
  
  
• Quite enjoyable
  By on 1999-10-31
  Watched this classis many times and always enjoyed it. Many of the actors are no longer with us and it is fun to watch them play against each other. Special effects wizard, L.B.Abbott from 20th Century Fox, did fantastic things with what was available at that time. I'll keep watching it.
  
  
• The Lost World
  By A5ESF5325IKXP on 2008-05-30
  Loved both films it made movie night fun for everyone, adults and kids alike. The films contained no profanity, nudity and minimal violence.
  
  
• "A land where monsters live"
  By A5LJR6VZQS9SV on 2004-03-10
  Poor Willis O'Brien was slated to do stop-motion spx for this film
  but due budget oversights future "Towering inferno" director Irwin
  Allen handed 20th Century Fox his 1st unintentional "disaster" film

  Claude Rains who as the reknowned Professor Challenger leads the
  cast including Michael Rennie,Jill St.John,David Hendison,Fernando
  Lamas and "frosty the poodle" onto an amazon plateau where time is
  frozen and prehistoric animals still exist. Their lives are put in
  even more jeopardy when they find themselves stranded.

  Dispite it's flaws,I still love this flim for what it tries to be
  lavish epic with a supercast of characters, but will always be my
  haunt is how at the time of production (released in 1960) could a
  special effects crew STILL use the same standards from the early
  matinee days of cinema. Right down to the projected green spider
  (Bert I.Gordon) when lower case B films such as "lost contintent"
  (1951)used stop-motion animation Maybe there was a time factor.

  The tape is excellent quality this Fox series also includes the
  original trailer which is always a hoot for me but where is Fox's
  DVD version in widescreen maybe.....no definitely!
  
  

• us oldsters gotta love those old saturday matimees
  By A9JXEOFL1ZBW3 on 2008-12-27
  After reading all the review's pro and cons, I remember this film from my youth, and remember the hawking and badgering to get my parents to let me stay up late many a night to watch this over and over. Guess what, I still gratuitously enjoy it. Along with it's counterpart, JTTCOTE, and the Harryhausen films that made our youth. We didn't have the computer aided effects and the million man staffs, what we did have is something this generation has lost, imagination, sorry, it's true. Their little minds just cannot fathom having to fill things in. Four thumbs up, uh, use your imagination if you dare!
  
  
• Watchable, but crude compared to today's flicks
  By on 1999-09-28
  One of Irwin Allen's earliest cinematic works. An all-star cast, but seemingly crude and cheap special effects are used. This film was probably better received by the viewing public at its theatrical release than it would be today in its video release.
  
  
• A Favorite .......But Not Great
  By A2GL784PZKHP1Z on 2007-08-09
  A true Cinemascope film, hopefully the DVD release by Fox (unlike the VHS version) will actually be letterboxed in the correct ratio as stated in the above product details. You couldn't find a more obvious example of 'pan and scan' editing than the scene where David Hedison is dodging the lunging dinosaur while climbing the rock wall (he hugs the wall, dinosaur's head pops into view, pops out of view, back to Hedison, then to dinosaur, pops back into view, etc.) As to the movie itself, though a childhood favorite (I must have seen it 25 times between the theater and on TV) it promises more than it delivers. When you're 12 years old looking for adventure involving dinosaurs, this filled the bill, even though you knew that they weren't like the dinosaurs in your playset, books or King Kong. It was big and colorful. That probably won't be good enough for today's kids; the big won't be there on the small screen and color is taken for granted. And no CGI. I'll pass without comment on those lizard "dinosaurs" as well as Jill St. John's dog. I'll get it because of nostalgia and to finally see it again in 'scope.
  
  
• Lots of fun
  By A9RNMO9MUSMTJ on 2005-05-12
  Before computer cgi, we had these movies. So as a yound lad that
  loved dinosaur movies, and only a few titles available, we gobble
  up these movies and they were great to experience. Especially this
  movie in which i view a yearly showing of it, is still good.
  
  
• The Lost World (SE)
  By A20K28H57K75Z7 on 2008-02-27
  This is an interesting edition of one of our classic sci-fi movies, especially for anyone who is into the old black and white version and wants to make a comparison to a more "modern" version done inn 1960. While the "monsters" in the 1925 version are a little jerky, they were "state of the art" in their day, and in that context, the earlier version, in my humble opinion, is better. The dialogue in the color version was canned in too many scenes and some of the special effects looked cartoonish! Still, they are both classics, and deserve their particular place in horror film history!!
  
  
• Lost World DVD
  By A1IY36TAT143H7 on 2007-11-26
  This was a movie I have been looking for for a while with no luck. It is a movie that I watched many times when I was young. This DVD was not a let down. It was everything I remeber and it brought me back to my youth. The 1935 version included was just a bonus. I did not care for the coloring of the silent version - should have just left it B&W. Overall VERY happy with the movie and VERY happy that Amazon let me know it was available.
  
  
• A wonderful classic adventure-the old school.
  By AX36UYLJEL2IY on 1999-09-19
  Movies like this one should be the model by which all adventure movies should aspire to.
  
  
• Lost World
  By A9WILCQ5X9E3N on 2009-12-25
  the 1960 version had me sitting on the edge of my seat. But then at the very end when the dinosaur egg is broken and he calls a baby lizard a tyranosaurus rex. by no stretch of the imagination is that a baby rex. other than that, I did enjoy it!
  
  
• Love this classic!
  By A18CYLGEI7DUIE on 2009-11-22
  This movie was one of my most favorite movies to watch when I was a child. I just love putting it on and letting it take me back in time. I had a little toy helicopter I flew around the rooms of my house from one potted plant to another pretending it was the chopper in the movie and the plants were jungle. Nostogia at it's best for this ole fan.
  
  
• Highly entertaining
  By A279AU7MXJ765T on 2009-03-04
  The lost world is just a fun movie to watch. It is a fun adventure movie .
  
  
• Leapin' Lizards!
  By A3TZV5SXQ8F6ST on 2009-02-08
  The 2-for-1 includes the 1960 and 1925 silent film versions of the iconic story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about an area in the Amazon rain forest where dinosaurs still roam and riches could be had for those who can make it out alive.
  
  Director Irwin Allen handles the 1960 version, which is short on special effects, but has a solid cast: Claude Rains and Michael Rennie portraying anthropologists Prof. George E. Challenger and Lord John Roxton, respectively, David Hedison as newspaper reporter Ed Malone and Jill St. John as Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of a top newspaper executive.
  
  Challenger is in pursuit of the mysterious surrounding the land that takes the world back to millions of years ago, while Roxton is snooping around for clues concerning the mysterious disappearance of a great explorer. And their lives get real difficult when they become stranded in this land of man-eaters. The film placed fifth in the Top Action Drama category for the 1961 Laurel Awards, which were published in Motion Picture Exhibitor magazine.
  
  The silent film is a nice gem and features the genius of Willis O. Brien with special effects. The bonus material brings unique focus on Brien's cutting-edge work.
  
  There are leapin' lizards and creepin' villagers and the set is a nice look into the Hollywood vision of the Sci-Fi genre from different signposts over the years.
  
  
• OK But Not Good.
  By A1K0UT3GA4QQG5 on 2009-01-18
  Unfortunately, the movie opened with a comic relive sequence. This effectively reset the viewer's expectation from sci-fi to comedy. It has a good underline premise, but the movie moved along unevenly, like if looking for a theme or identity. It is ok, but you would not look forward to see it again.
  
  
  

• The Land That Time Forgot/The People That Time Forgot
• Lost Continent
• Mysterious Island (Widescreen)
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Global Warming Edition)
• Journey to the Center of the Earth