Lost Horizon: Frank Capra's Shangri-La

When director Frank Capra read James Hilton's best-selling fantasy adventure novel Lost Horizon, about a Utopian valley high in the Himalayas, he took it to Columbia boss Harry Cohn, as a potential vehicle for the studio. On Cohn's approval production began and the roles started to be cast. Capra wanted sophisticated and urbane actor Ronald Colman to play the lead role. From the beginning, the director felt Colman was born to play the intelligent and deep thinking Robert Conway. Indeed, just as many felt Clark Gable was the perfect fit for Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind, Colman wore the role of Conway like a glove.

Lost Horizon (1937) is an enchanting and mesmerizing film. Even if you have no idea what the film is about, the beginning sucks you in with a scene of total chaos somewhere in the Orient. Turns out all the hub bub is a revolution in the war-torn Chinese city of Baskul and the British diplomat to the area, Robert Conway is trying to evacuate all people of western origin by airplane. He and his brother, George (John Howard), board the last plane out with the remaining three refugees; a stuffy paleontologist (Edward Everett Horton), a crooked industrialist who's running from the law (Thomas Mitchell) and a tuberculosis plagued American prostitute (Isabel Jewel) who's living on borrowed time.

Little do they know they are being kidnapped until they are well on their way. They are taken higher into the Himalayas and it is there that their plane crashes, their pilot/kidnapper killed. Before they have a chance to devise a plan for survival in the snowy, frozen mountain range, a small party approaches the plane, led by an Asian fellow named Chang. He announces that he is from a valley, not too far, but a very arduous journey away. The group makes the treacherous trek and is stunned when they finally reach their destination. They literally go from the bitter, blinding wind and snow, through a chasm in the mountain, into a gorgeous valley where the sun is shining, birds fly in droves and beautiful bodies of water abound. In total amazement, they are led to a grand white building, its architecture of large scale and clean design, which they find later to be a lamasery, a place of spiritual enlightenment.

With Chang acting as their host, they are offered rich comforts in the form of exquisite foods, comfortable oriental style clothing and luxurious lodgings within the lamasery. As their mysterious circumstances for being there have yet to be revealed, all but the elder Conway, who is intrigued by the adventure, get antsy to get back to "civilization." The distinguished diplomat is then taken to see the High Lama (Sam Jaffe), the kind and aged spiritualist who oversees everything Shangri-La. Conway learns that he has been brought to the mountain Eden to take over for the ancient Lama. He also learns the Lama is more ancient than he realized being 200 years old! It seems lack of stress and the overall purity of the paradise is conducive to extremely long life there, a virtual fountain of youth.

As Robert Conway, Colman gives an elegant and poetic portrayal, one of the many highlights of his career. Young actress Jane Wyatt, best known for her role as Margaret Anderson in the popular TV series Father Knows Best (sadly, fewer and fewer know her from this show as more years go by) is cast as the enlightened young woman who is the impetus for Conway's presence in Shangri-La and his love interest once he arrives there. As one of the film's (and book's) more compelling though lesser characters is Mexican actress Margo (Mrs. Eddie Albert). She plays Maria, who by all outward appearances is a young Russian woman, no more than 20 years old, who falls for the younger Conway, George. Hers is a pivotal role in the history of the Utopian community and she does well with her part.

Lost Horizon was one of the most expensive films "poverty row" Columbia Studios had produced up to that time. But along with other Frank Capra/Columbia collaborations, it would help that organization rise above its lowly status. Alot was riding on its success, including Capra's reputation. Its anti-war sentiment got some flack by certain political view points and some of its footage hit the editing room floor upon its re-release but after all was said and done and a semi-complete restoration in more recent years, Lost Horizon has stood the test of time to become a bonafide classic in Hollywood annals.