Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 3.0 | 27/31 | Crazy Animal 3/3 | Silent
The backcountry of the Amazon contains over 50 thousand miles of unexplored waterways. Who can say what may be living in that jungle — as vast as all Europe?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the originating story, and his dog, Roy, introduce the story and declare his intent in writing it: to bring joy and a boyish sense of adventure.
We join Ed and Gladys in conversation. Gladys refuses Ed’s proposal, declaring she will only marry a man “of great deeds and strange experiences.” Dismayed, Ed rushes to his office at the London Record-Journal. Two writers discuss a controversy surrounding one writer’s recent article on Professor Challenger. Challenger is a well-known zoologist who recently returned from South America. He claims to have seen living mammoths, pterodactyls, and other dinosaurs. Alas, he lost all proof except the crude sketches in the diary of American explorer Maple White.
Ed begs his boss, Mr. McArdle, to send him on a dangerous assignment so he can impress Gladys. Ed knocks over an inkwell, spilling ink on McArdle’s papers and the floor. He slips and slides into the office of the writers. They send Ed to the Zoological Hall, where Challenger is lecturing. At the Zoological Hall, famed explorer John Roxton shows up to check the truth of Challenger’s story. Roxton expects heckling from the students in the audience, though he confides in Ed a curiosity for what undiscovered life exists in the unexplored wilderness.
Professor Summerlee reluctantly introduces Challenger. Before Challenger speaks, a student demands Challenger produce evidence. Challenger challenges anyone to join him on a trek into the Lost World, where he will show them firsthand. Summerlee accepts the challenge, intent on proving Challenger a liar and fraud. Roxton jumps in. Ed also joins, seeing a perfect opportunity to have the experiences Gladys requires of a fiance. They all convene at Challenger’s and meet Maple White’s daughter, Paula, who tells them the true nature of the trek: to rescue the missing Maple White. Ed sees sufficient human interest for the London Record-Journal to finance the expedition.
And so the team sails to South America. What they see may astound them. But will they survive to tell the tale?
The movie is a delightful adventure, featuring footage of native animals and stop-motion animation for the assorted dinosaurs. Willis O’Brien, who did the animation for King Kong, did the animation for this movie 8 years earlier. I love his style — we’ve seen it so much that it feels cozy. Reportedly, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle showed friends O’Brien’s animations for this movie and claimed it was actual footage.
As you might expect from a 20s movie in South America, we get the full spectrum of racist caricatures. Jules Cowles dons blackface to play Zambo, an Indian servant.
The version on Amazon Prime cuts 30+ minutes from the movie — you’ll get less backstory and more action if that’s your bag. The version of Wikipedia is the most complete, but it lacks audio. It’s silent anyway, so it’s not essential. Still, I listened to the album Emergency! by The Tony Williams Lifetime. “Sangria for Three” is great fighting dinosaur music.