… to… stew (yeah, I decided a pork stew would be a nice change of pace today)… I thought I’d attempt a post.
Last night I watched “Lost Horizon” (the 1937 version, of course.) I love this movie… loved it ever since I first saw it at a tender age of 8.
When I bought the DVD a few years ago I wondered if it would hold the same delight as it did when I first saw it. It did. In fact, I enjoyed it even more. Probably because (apart from the idea of some sort of Utopian place like Shangri La is tucked away and hidden from the world) the plot delved into the price one had to pay to exist in such a place. So, in many ways it is a tale of cautionary idealism.
Also, there are all sorts of sneaky little political statements woven into the fabric of the story that I was obviously oblivious to as a child. The protagonist is afterall a “super diplomat” of sorts – a chosen “one” in the eyes of many. Someone who is so lionized in his country that they suspend any talks with other nations until he is found. Hmm… any correlations to a present attitude and mindset? Anyway, I found this particular snippet from Wikipedia rather amusing.
Several years after its initial release, an “edited” version was presented, which aimed to downplay the supposedly Communist themes associated with utopia, as well as to limit the sympathy shown towards the Chinese, whose relationship with the American government grew strained in the years following World War II. A total of twenty-seven minutes was cut.
For the most part the version I have is mostly restored. Aspects and elements from this movie has influenced dozens of others. Most notably the plane sequence in the start that is featured in”Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom“.
There is also Ronald Coleman who is his dashing best (playing the reluctant hero) and the alluring Jayne Wyatt in the movie. Plus I also get a kick that the set for the lamasery looks like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. If you are interested… someone has posted the entire movie on YouTube in 13 parts. HERE is part one.
It got me thinking that we all probably hold our own version of Shangri La… be it a place or state of mind. What’s yours? Where is it? What makes it your Shangri La? Has the idea evolved or changed over time?
There could be an edit or two to this post as the day goes along. Just sayin…