Movie Analysis: If Lost Horizon

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Lost Horizon, the movie, was never going to be a tough sell for the audience. After all, the book of the same name, written by James Hilton was a tremendous success. The mystical Shangri-La became a symbol and icon in American culture (so much so that President Roosevelt named a Presidential country retreat “Shangri-La”—this retreat was later renamed to Camp David) (“Camp David”). Frank Capra saw an opportunity and persuaded Columbia to purchase the rights for a movie. His challenge would be to create a film with the knowledge that the audience would have read the book, and to not disappoint them with his interpretation. The production was troubled, with Capra requiring many reshoots and going way over budget (the production was reported to …show more content…

The story would then be about a lost group who finds paradise and stays there. Arguably, not the most exciting film. Instead, the film seeds discontent and doubt in several characters as soon as they reach Shangri-La (the most prominent example is George Conway). Thus, Robert’s departure is made inevitable and a required scene of the film. Now, on paper, the scene isn’t hugely impressive. A large chunk is basically just Sondra shouting “BOB!” over and over again. Everything is left to Capra to interpret as he sees fit. Capra takes advantage of that and crafts an epic and engaging scene through lighting, shadows, a large set, and quick …show more content…

This occurs right after the first dramatic beat shift in the scene—Chang walks on to observe the trio leaving. Capra only shows Chang throughout the scene from two different angles: one high shot and one low shot (and one low shot that is slightly closer to Chang). Throughout the scene, Chang is backlit, with the foreground mostly dark and the background light but soft. He does not attempt to stop Robert and although one cannot really see Chang’s face, his silhouette still signals doom. He is the silent observer. The raven flying in the sky before a death. Chang is powerless to stop the plot and Capra shows this by putting a large set behind Chang. Shortly before Sondra runs on, Capra cuts to a truly wonderful shot of the silhouettes of Robert, George, and Maria far away from Shangri-La, while the procession of fire casts shadows all over the massive set. Why is there a procession in the first place? It’s not relevant to the story, but it adds visual drama to the scene and makes it far more affecting. The chase finally starts when Sondra rushes to Chang and learns of Robert’s departure. Interestingly, Sondra is dressed in white—a contrast to Robert. She is the light attempting to bring him back from the dark. She begins to chase after Robert, her dress billowing as she runs, shouting his name. The music builds each time she shouts through a sound montage and her anxiety audibly and visibly

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