Lost Horizon (1937)

Frank Capra’s “Lost Horizon”

Thematic Elements: 

Frank Capra’s ‘Lost Horizon’ is an ambitious film about an ideal society – a society without war, without suffering, and without time itself. At the time the film was made – 1937 – the world was gearing up for the most dramatic war in its history. There were wars and rumors of wars; chaos and hostility were bubbling under the surface of society. That is how the film opens. We see the pages of a book turning, as if to start a fairy tale or a fantasy epic. The pages of the book talk about the desire every man feels to find a utopia away from society in which war and conflict are all but forgotten. Capra presents us this idea in the form of a fairy tale or fantasy epic to drive home the notion that this ideal is in fact fantasy – as he cuts from the book to the opening shot of the film to show us absolute chaos in China: Chinese citizens running for their lives with bombs going off and soldiers firing left and right. Capra lets us know the difference between fantasy and reality between these two opening moments. After the band of British civilians arrive at the exotic destination of Shangri-La, they realize there can be such a place that only exists in fantasy – a society of peace, happiness, and togetherness. The protagonist of this bunch is Robert, a British foreign secretary who was sent to China to rescue British nationals; however, he is primarily known for his pacifist and idealist visions in his various writings. Upon arriving to Shangri-La, it seems as though the utopia Robert writes about has come to life in front of him. Chang, who appears as something of a Tibetan Yoda, tells Robert that Shangri-La is a community protect from the outside world by the surrounding Himalayan Mountains, containing all the beauty the world has to offer (like beautiful art and beautiful architecture), with none of the madness, chaos, or darkness. This beauty, according to Chang, is achieved through Shangri-La’s preaching to its community of the virtues of avoiding excesses of any kind, even of virtues themselves. This lack of excess allows the members of its community to strip away any greed or desires, for every member has just enough of what it takes to survive and be peaceful. This even allows for the process of aging to slow down all together, allowing members to live well into their old age without appearing any older. The High Llama, the leader of this community, is over two-hundred years old, and tells Robert that he was brought here to take his place. Robert appears to have fallen into a fantastical land only his own dreams could conjure. Even the fellow British nationals find salvation in this place as Mr. Lovett signs up to teach the children geology and Barnard designs plans to install an entire plumbing system for the community. The magical place gives each person an opportunity to live life in the manner of their own choosing, away from conflict and suffering. Capra presents to the audience a world that can perhaps only exist on the cinema screen, an escape to a fantastical utopia far from the chaos and suffering the current world has to offer. 

Camerawork: 

Frank Capra captured set designs that were notable for its creativity and vast scope, especially for the films at the time. Capra processes lighting against the epic set pieces to great effect. As you scale the palace and community, light seems to glimmer off everything, even some of the people. Capra uses this glimmering light effect in several of his films (like the romantic scenes in It Happened One Night) – this lighting technique can be used (such as in this film) to convey a sense of romance and magic, instilling a visual sense in the audience of something that is only happening subjectively to the characters – a feeling inside the characters of amazement and wonder, something that translated visual through a lens of magical realism. This magical realism also conveys to the viewer the understanding of the fantasy element of the film – for this utopia can only exist inside of a fantasy. Capra also uses light to convey mood. When the characters first arrive, some of the British nationals are skeptical about where they are and the intensions of those who brought them there. As Mr. Lovett conveys his anxieties to himself and to Barnard, the scene inside the palace is darker than the other scenes. This not only conveys the mood of the characters, but also instills in the viewer the same anxiety that they feel, giving the scenes more suspense. But as the characters begin to become more comfortable with their setting and start to fall in love with Shangri-La, the darker light set pieces become much brighter, with the previously mention shimmering light effect. Capra also uses darker light in the scenes with the High Llama – only this time to convey a more serious tone. This tone contrasts with the other fantastical tones presented in the film. The brightly lit glimmering scenes make the viewer feel a sense of wonder and romance, instilling a sense of openness and welcome. However, the darker scenes involving the High Llama instill more skepticism, forcing the viewer to push in more to hang on every word the High Llama says – for the High Llama’s dialogue presents us with the most important dialogue in the film and presents to us the theme of the film. 

Capra was extremely ambitious with this film, from shooting on location, creating enormous set pieces, visualizing an exotic landscape, harping on fantastical imagery and subject matter, and focusing on Tibetan themes. The mélange of these visuals correlates to the mélange between fantasy and reality. The on location shooting and meticulous set pieces present us a reality we are familiar with. The exoticness and fantastical elements present us with something other than reality that can only exist in our imaginations. Capra combines the two to create strokes of fantastical realism that convey the dream of a utopia amongst a world of chaos, suffering, and disorder. 

Best Shot: 

The most beautiful shots of the epic set pieces are most often portrayed during the scenes in which Robert and Sondra get to know and eventually fall for each other. The beauty of the world around them matches the beauty of the romance blossoming between them. This presents to Ronald the perfect world that he had been longing for all his life.