Doyle's Lost World(s)

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MikeBSG
Posts: 1777
Joined: April 25th, 2007, 5:43 pm

Doyle's Lost World(s)

Post by MikeBSG »

This weekend, I watched the 2001 BBC/A&E production of "The Lost World," based on Arthur Conan Doyle's novel about Professor Challenger.

It was a lot of fun. I've always liked Bob Hoskins ever since I saw his Iago in "Othello" and "The Long Good Friday" in the same month. He was suitably dynamic as Challenger, and the rest of the cast was very good with one exception. Whoever thought Peter Falk would be a good religious fanatic should have his head examined.

However, apart from Falk's scenes, the movie flowed well and had terrific action. The dinosaur scenes were wonderfully handled, with some of the big beasts expressing personality, and the big battle scene was quite well handled.

It seems that "The Lost World" has been filmed a great deal. I've never seen the 1925 version. I think Claude Rains played Challenger around 1960, and I think I watched that version on TV for about ten minutes once. There may be a TV version from the 90s as well.

Which one do you like?
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bryce
Posts: 166
Joined: August 18th, 2008, 9:21 am

Post by bryce »

There's a 1992 version starring John Rhys-Davies, in full-blown Sliders glory, as Challenger. It's not very good.

I'd have to take either 1925 or the BBC production. I admire the 1925 production in the same sense that I admire the original King Kong - probably because it is silent film's "King Kong" - I'm a huge fan of stop-motion and claymation (and this, claymation's precursor?) and feel that the dinosaur sequences are every bit as exciting as something done today.

As far as the overall better movie, I'd say it's probably the 2001 version, but just barely, and not because it does anything "better" than the '25 version. Sort of like comparing the two versions of The Lower Depths.

Thanks for reminding me of its existence. I only saw it (2001) once or twice and as a huge fan of Doyle's I definitely need to see it again.
klondike

Post by klondike »

Hey, Mike;

Thanks for tapping a title that I think we've pretty much missed around here.
The novel by Sir Arthur was one of those "happy spark" discoveries of mine; I found & devoured it at the age of 12, and I swear that nobody could've planned a better time-frame for me to do so . . from there I plunged into Burrough's Barsoom & Pellucidar novels with wild abandon, tearing off great chunks of Haggard, Bradbury, Howard & Poul Anderson as I went.
And largely for that reason, I have to say, I've been more than a little disappointed in every filming I've seen of The Lost World . . and I'm pretty sure I've seen every one!
In fact, rather than belabor my points of disgruntlement, I'll choose instead to recommend the best interpretation that I have watched . . which also happens, strangely enough, to be the most loosely & distantly inspired one: The Last Dinosaur, made for TV in early '77.
Now I'll be the first to concede that it wanders far enough from Doyle's seminal plot that one would need both feet bare to finish counting the differences, but still I must insist that the real improvement here is that this one is good, slick, young-adult fun, with a really admirable balance of quirky character performances and neatly-crafted gee-whiz thrills.
The lost world here is pocketed in a massive-yet-hidden volcanic crater right up near the North Pole, rather than a lofty plateau in the Amazon wilderness, and the team this time is led by this little film's secret weapon: Richard Boone, in what was likely his last really physical role, portraying the brooding, brilliant, chauvinist billionaire/oil tycoon/big-game celebrity Masten Thrust (the name alone is worth the ticket-price).
Thrust is certainly no Edward Challenger, but still manages to plunge his international team into deadly peril against stone-age tribals, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with mounting a campaign against the local King of Beasts, a ferocious & cunning Tyrannosaur.
Lots of color, lots of fun, lots of purple dialogue, some really good editing that makes the most out of modest locations & FX . . and wouldja believe, a theme song belted out by Shirley Bassey ?
8)
It's all true . . you got the Sled Dog's word on it! :wink:
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