THE LOST WORLD

US, 1925, 93 minutes, Black and white.
Bessie Love, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone.
Directed by Harry O. Hoyt.

The Lost World of 1925 is one of the earliest science fiction fantasies with monster special effects. The man behind these effects was Willis O'Brien who was to make his mark most strikingly with King Kong. The story is from Conan Doyle and is similar to those by Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs, lost worlds and monsters with 20th. century investigators. The film-making is very basic, the attention is given to the effects, the characterisation and the dialogue is fairly stilted. However, there is a good cast (including Lloyd Hughes who was to come to Australia in the '30s for some films). There was a remake in 1960 by the later master of the disaster film, Irwin Allen. It was generally a matinee potboiling adventure with some good special effects.

1. The film as an example of silent technique: content, photography, captions? The special imaginative effects?

2. The world of Conan Doyle, Burroughs, Verne? Imagination, science fiction, fantasy? Harking back to the past and romanticising it - with the touch of nightmare? The presentation of such stories as plausible?

3. The emphasis on science and exploration in the early 20th. century? Expeditions, proofs? The public's desire for the exotic?

4. Humans playing God, controlling expeditions, playing with human lives and danger., destruction?

5. The style of the '20s, Britain and newspapers. expeditions, science? Conan Doyle's story updated from the early years of the century to the '20s?

6. The sketch of Professor Challenger - the accusations of fraud, the mad glint in his eye, his defying the public., his speech? His violence? The risks in leading the expedition, the dangers. the confrontations with the monsters, his final success in capturing the monster, its wreaking havoc at the end? The scientist playing God?

7. Sir John Roxton as the sportsman? His help during the expedition?

8. Paula and Malone - hero and heroine, comic touches., pathos? Their participation in the expedition, dangers, rescue etc.?

9. The professor and his reaction against scepticism.. the driving force for the success of the expedition?

10. The various racial backgrounds? The negro, the Englishman - the humour about language?

11. The apemen and their killing the humans. their confrontation? Adventure?

12. The atmosphere of Brazil, the lost world.. the introduction of the dinosaurs, the emphasis given to the special effects, the monster fights, the volcano, climbing the cliff faces, the rescues etc.? Audience response to this kind of fantasy matinee material? The success of the film in this realm?

13. The quality of the film in retrospect? The tradition of science fiction fantasy? The developments of the monster film? The direct communication of plot and adventure - and the perennial popularity with audiences over the decades?