Although the plot and pattern of THE LOST WORLD have now been absorbed in the stock-in-trade of the horror films, the film was never made nor exploited as such. When the film opened at the Astor in 1925, on a two-shows-a-day basis, it was advertised solely as a spectacular adventure story. "A Story of the Past and not of the Hereafter" was one catchline in prominent use. Another was "They sought a virgin world, untrodden by man and his passion - and even there found LOVE!"
Spectacles and novelty offerings were big boxoffice in the mid-twenties, and The Lost World (which had Quo Vadis at the Apollo for competition) was one of the year's biggest stunt attractions. The reviews were unanimous raves - nothing quite like this had ever been seen before. In many ways, it still hasn't been equaled. Comparison with King Kong of the early thirties is inevitable - both films used the same technical creator, the same type of monsters, and basically, the same plot. Despite the fact that Kong is credited to Edgar Wallace, its similarity to the earlier film is remarkable. It utilises the same plot construction, down to the smallest item ... the slow, deliberate build-up, the journey to the sinister land where the prehistoric monsters are conveniently concentrated in a small area, the sudden, hysterical change of pace when the huge beasts appear to wreak havoc, a pace that is sustained until the capture of the principal monster. Then a brief lull, followed by even greater mayhem when the savage creature bursts loose in a terrified city (New York in King Kong, London in The Lost World). Even in minor incidents was Lost World material repeated in the later film - as for example, the episode of the ape man trying to recover the annoying human dangling from a rope cast over a precipice. (Lloyd Hughes here, Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot later).
In only two aspects did King Kong differ essentially. For one thing, it introduced a strong sex angle and a beauty-and-the-beast motif. Deriving from ancient mythology, the idea of beauty (and purity) ultimately destroying evil was exploited at length in the German films of the twenties (Nosferatu etc.) and in many subsequent horror films. King Kong went so far as to stress it by an opening title (allegedly an "old Arabian proverb") which read: "The beast looked upon the face of beauty, and lo! from that day on the beast was as one dead." This angle is completely absent from The Lost World, although admittedly that might well be due to the problems of cultivating a beauty-and-the-beast relationship between Bessie Love and a brontosaurus. Lost World also differs from most of its species in that the monster escapes quite unharmed at the end, despite its sins.
Harry Hoyt, who directed, was frankly a hack. His picturesque start in movie life (he sold a script to Biograph for $5, who turned it over to Griffith as a Mary Pickford vehicle) wasn't matched by later achievements. The Lost World and The Primrose Path were probably his biggest silent successes; in the early thirties he was directing quickies like Monogram's Jungle Bride, a Charles Starrett/Anita Page vehicle. The fact that his worth as a director was negligible does not, however, affect The Lost World which is essentially a creation of technical wizard Willis O'Brien. The story, the romance and the dramatics matter not one iota -- occupying the interest and the footage to a much greater degree are the superbly created tricks of O'Brien - the savage fights between monsters (it is a matter of some amazement that any wild life has survived at all on the lost plateau, since the death rate among dinosaurs and pterodactyls is quite startling!) and the brilliantly constructed episode of the brontosaurus running amok in the streets of London. Many of the effects have never been duplicated since - particularly a wild stampede of scores of monsters, and a delightful shot of a playful family of six brontosaurus (or brontosauri!) feeding from the remains of another beast.
O'Brien later went on to King Kong, Son of Kong, The Last Days of Pompeii and of course Mighty Joe Young. A recent independent venture, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (made by a protégé of O'Brien) proved the value of the tried-and-true Lost World-King Kong formula by completely repudiating it. It introduced its monster too casually and too soon, eliminating an effective build-up and necessitating much repetition. But it was certainly several notches above the many prehistoric-type quickies now in circulation. That this species has now caught on as an established "B" program type is due largely to the existence of a film called One Million B.C. (also known as Man and his Mate and The Cave Dwellers). It was made for UA in 1940 by D.W. Griffith, although subsequently the film underwent considerable re-workings (including substitution of gibberish for the original dialogue) and D.W.'s name was removed from the film, to be replaced by that of Hal Roach jr. who actually had little or nothing to do with the film. In due time, all the footage of the fights between monsters and a volcanic eruption found their way on to the stock-shot market, and since then there has been a steady stream of about a dozen quickies (Two Lost Worlds, Untamed Women, etc.) building themselves entirely around this material. Other lamentable and cheap productions - The Lost Continent, Unknown Island - attempted to create their own special effects, but without achieving any kind of thrill or conviction. The monsters were crude and artificial - and looked it. Only The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms could be seriously considered for comparison with the original The Lost World -- and it certainly fell far short of it.
Complete prints of The Lost World do not appear to have survived through the years, but our print is a meticulously edited version which retains all the highlights and gives no evidence at all of chopping. Indeed it is hard to believe that although our print is a 70 minute version, the original ran for a full ten reels. It is, however, simple to account for the missing footage when one recalls the plot construction of King Kong, which duplicated that of the earlier film. There, Kong didn't make his initial appearance until some 44 minutes after the film had begun. Those 44 minutes consisted of, initially, by-play, and later, a tense build-up. And so it was here. The first two reels were spent entirely in London, a good deal of footage being devoted to squabbles between Lloyd Hughes and his fiancée, who doesn't figure in our print at all. All of reel three was spent at "a trading post on the Amazon," likewise eliminated from our print. Two more reels were devoted to exploratory ventures at the base of the plateau, hence the essential monster-footage and other action didn't appear until half-way through the film, in reel five. By reel three in our version, we're already in the thick of it, and the pace is sustained until the final frame, there being further cutting down en route in love scenes and straight dramatic sequences. It's always unfortunate of course, when complete versions are not available, but in this case not too serious. Possibly it is even an improvement, with the mediocre Hoyt material shortened, and the superlative O'Brien footage emphasised.
Incidentally, our print also offers some interesting contrasts. For the most part, it is a fine original two-toned print. For odd sections however, where the original was deteriorating, replacements have been made with black-and-white duped stock. Hence in one scene, one can often see two kinds of stock -- and the contrast will show you why we always make a point of avoiding, scrupulously, inferior dupes. (The dupe inserts, let it be added, are short and infrequent!)
A final point in passing ... despite unanimous raves from all the trade press, the film was severely criticised for including a shot of the London Pavilion, with a prominent neon display for another current First National epic, Milton Sills' The Sea Hawk. Advertising plugs in motion pictures at that time were quite common, and always aroused storms of protest from critics and exhibitors alike. (Rubber Tires was similarly attacked, for including a harmless scene of a small-town garage which had a sign for Goodrich Tires!!)
For those members more interested in personalities than properties, perhaps we might term this show a "Bessie Love Festival" -- the charming little player is on top form as the heroine of both films! And Lewis Stone provides a refreshing and pleasing reminder of those bygone days when screen heroes were gentlemen in the strictest sense of the word.
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