THE MT VOID
07/22/22 -- Vol. 41, No. 4, Whole Number 2233

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Topics:
Six Lost Worlds: The Dramatic Adaptations of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle's Novel (Part 2) (film comments
by Mark R. Leeper)
SEVEN BRIEF LESSONS ON PHYSICS by Carlo Rovelli
(book review by Greg Frederick)
CONTACT and Pi (letter of comment by Keith F. Lynch)
THE LOST WORLD (letter of comment by Gary McGath)
Hugo Award Finalists, A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S
COURT, and Paradoxes (letter of comment
by John Hertz)
This Week's Reading (Agatha Christie) (book comments
by Evelyn C. Leeper)

===================================================================

TOPIC: Six Lost Worlds: The Dramatic Adaptations of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle's Novel (Part 2) (film comments by Mark R. Leeper)

[continued from last week]

THE LOST WORLD (1960)

The 1960 version of THE LOST WORLD was the first version I ever
saw, not too surprising for anyone of the Baby Boomer generation.
Most critics think that it is a totally ugly dog. I can sympathize
with that point of view, but do not agree. It certainly is a giant
step down from the 1925 version. But in the context of a 1960
film, it comes off a bit better. The 1950s had several gaudy
adventure films of much the same style, films like RUN FOR THE SUN.
In years to come the same sort of film would be a special effects
extravaganza, but in the 1950s filmmakers would use real settings.

Infusing a little bit of science fiction into that formula is a
welcome variation. One can almost reconcile oneself to the film in
that context but then one remembers how badly the "dinosaur"
effects are created. And there is Frosty the Poodle. The film
just has its good and more than its share of bad moments.

The 1960 version of THE LOST WORLD, directed by Irwin Allen (who
also produced and co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Bennett),
boasted the name of Willis O'Brien as "effects technician." Sadly
the dinosaur effects were created by the later illegal practice of
using live lizards, perhaps enhancing their looks by pasting horns
or plates on them, and then having them fight other such lizards.
It was cruel to the animals and only the least discerning audiences
could suspend disbelief and think of these things as dinosaurs.
Part of what makes dinosaurs dinosaurs is that they stand straight
upon their legs the way an elephant does. Lizards have legs that
go out to the side. Dinosaur bodies can support more weight
because their legs are like columns under them for support. The
previous year lizards were used to good effect in JOURNEY TO THE
CENTER OF THE EARTH to simulate Dimetrodons. However, Dimetrodons
were not lizards and not dinosaurs.

This version is not a very good rendering of the story, in spite of
introducing color to the adaptations. It nonetheless was my
introduction to Doyle's story and as such it has fond memories for
me. Rains is too thin to play the barrel-chested discoverer, but
otherwise he is not too bad at playing Challenger. He has the
personality approximately right. His acting is the best thing
about this adaptation. On the other hand, choosing comic actor
Richard Hayden as Summerlee was a fiasco. His performance grates
on one's nerves whenever he is on the screen. He acts as if he is
in some other movie. Michael Rennie makes a decent Roxton. He has
the self-assured quality that Doyle would have appreciated. David
Hedison is a little old to play Edward Malone and have the sort of
boyish enthusiasm and insecurities that Doyle gave that character.

Irwin Allen updates the story to roughly 1960. The film opens with
Challenger returning from the Amazon to report his discoveries of
live dinosaurs on a plateau of South America. With Challenger's
traditional hatred of reporters he clouts Ed Malone trying to
interview him. Malone is pulled from the ground by Jennifer Holmes
(Jill St. John), the daughter of his publisher.

At the geographic society Challenger reports having seen dinosaurs.
The skeptical audience suggests a return visit to verify his
findings. In return for funding, Challenger is saddled with a
reporter on the expedition, Malone. He also gets Professor
Summerlee and big game hunter Lord John Roxton. At a stop in South
America the expedition picks up two local guides, pilot Manuel
Gomez (Fernando Lamas) and lackey Costa (Jay Novello). (Manuel and
Gomez are two different characters in the novel.) Also joining the
expedition more or less by blackmail are Jennifer and her brother
David (Ray Stricklyn) as well as a poodle named Frosty. The
siblings are no invention of Doyle, but the choice of the name
Holmes is likely an allusion to Doyle.

The expedition takes helicopter to plateau, getting magnificent
views from overhead. They land the plateau but see no sign of
dinosaurs. That night they hear a large beast in their vicinity,
terrorizing them. They soon find their helicopter was crushed and
kicked over the side of the cliff. We get a glimpse of a large
lizard with a neck frill. Challenger identifies it as a
brontosaurus, but what we saw did not look anything like a
brontosaurus. In any case the explorers find they are now stranded
on the plateau. The next day they are menaced by man-eating plants
and more dinosaurs. One of the latter splits up the group and
Malone and Challenger as one subgroup finds a native girl. Malone
follows her and finds her, even at the cost of running through the
web of a four-foot-wide tarantula spider.

Malone brings her to camp where only Roxton recognizes that
capturing her could mean trouble from the rest of her tribe.
Relations are about to degenerate into a fistfight when Roxton
finds a strange diary. It was kept by Burton (not Maple) White who
discovered the plateau in partnership with Roxton. White's diary
says he is waiting for Roxton to rescue him and that he is looking
for legendary diamonds. Roxton was part of that team, but let the
others down. He never came to them. Now he has come again with
Challenger, but with of motive of looking for the diamonds.
Jennifer is deeply disappointed in the man she was hoping to catch.

David tries to comfort the native girl and in the process discovers
that she knows how to use a rifle. He is about to tell the others
when the group is attacked. The native girl escapes and Malone
follows. He loses her and Malone returning through the forest
finds Jennifer. The two are returning to camp when they find
themselves in the paths of two fighting dinosaurs. They must hide
as the two titans fight. This is a rather sadistic piece of
footage when one sees that these are live lizards pitted against
each other. Eventually they fall over the side of the plateau.

Jennifer and Mallone return to camp finding it empty. They realize
that the others have been captured. In moments they find that they
are also prisoners of the natives. Taken to the native city they
find drum-beating ceremonies in progress. They are reunited with
their fellow explorers.

Just when they realize they are to be eaten the native girl comes
along to rescue David. With a little effort she is convinced to
help the whole group escape. He takes them to find a blind Burton
White (Ian Wolfe). White tells them there is a path thought the
plateau to the base. How it got there in a volcanic plateau is
hard to understand. Why would lava take such a path? But the
expedition takes this path past deadly people-grabbing tendrils and
a graveyard of dead dinosaurs.

The entire plateau is starting to erupt and explode. They
expedition uses fire to keep back the pursuing natives. They find
the diamonds, but also more trouble and another dinosaur. As they
leave the plateau blows itself to pieces.

This version invents its own subplots, but which version does not?
The script is not great, but it would have made for at least a good
adventure film had the dinosaurs looked like dinosaurs.

For those in the audience who would recognize Willis O'Brien's
name, in the credits as "effect technician." He was reportedly
asked his opinion of the possibility of lizard special effects and
told the producers how bad those effects were. They paid him for
his opinion, ignored it, and put his name in the credits. That
probably was the plan from the beginning. The film had moments,
but overall was not very good. The plot is confused with a
previous expedition that was bungled, a treasure hunt for diamonds,
and a revenge plot. Perhaps the capper of mistakes was to have the
woman expedition member bring a poodle. There is no adventure film
so exciting that it cannot be ruined by the presence of a poodle.
The Disney film THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD made the same
grievous error. Perhaps it was supposed to be a counterpoint of
Gertrude the Duck of the previous year's far superior JOURNEY TO
THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, also from Fox. However, while the duck
worked well, Frosty the poodle served only to demonstrate how silly
this expedition was. With the exception of the dog, the writing is
not really bad--it just fails to be very interesting. It might be
best appreciated if one just does not look at the screen once the
expedition reaches the plateau.