THE LOST WORLD
Starring Bessie Love and Wallace Beery
PICTURE PLAY MAGAZINE
May 1925
"The Lost World" has the great merit of being something new. If it falls down, at least you can only say that its worst moments are not more than commonplace movie. I think it was the idea of Mr. Watterson Rothacker to transfer this fantastic story by Conan Doyle to the screen. And it was no ordinary thing to attempt, for it is a weird tale of an inaccessible plateau near the Amazon inhabited by the animals of thousands of centuries ago.
It was up to the producers to rebuild the world as pictured by H.G. Wells in the early chapters of "The Outline of History." And, lo! the movies are now so educated that the technical department of a studio can turn out a prefect replica of a dinosaur or a brontosaur on order. The hideous pterodactyl acts as cute and playful in front of the camera as a Griffith kitten. The dinosaur is as up in his stuff as Strongheart.
The high spot of the production comes when our old friend the brontosaur runs berserk in the streets of London, breaking up poker games, scaring drunks and frightening taxicab drivers. It really is wonderful movie business and one of the most imposing novelties of the year.
It is unfortunate that it was necessary to introduce a silly love story and a lot of tiresome modern stuff into an otherwise excellent fantasy. After all the strange animals and the weirdly beautiful settings, you have small patience with the foolish explorers who found them for you. Moreover, the acting is very bad. When the explorers are first introduced to the wild animals, they show no more emotion of surprise and horror than a millionaire getting his check at a supper club. Not so much, in fact.
"The Lost World" is an ideal picture for children. There are so few pictures that are really suitable for them and still fewer pictures that they really enjoy that I feel that I can recommended this one unreservedly for the smallest fans.
I haven't said much of the technical wonders of the picture because that was all explained by Edwin Schallert last month. However, the director made the animals much more real than the humans of the story and there is lots of nice, shivery scenery and a rampageous volcano.
THE LOST WORLD
Starring Bessie Love and Wallace Beery
MOVIE WEEKLY
Marach 7, 1925
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has made a real contribution to the cinema world in his production, "The Lost World." As an example of photographic skill, it has probably not been equaled. We know that double exposure is used in a number of the scenes, but it is certainly not apparent. When the huge monsters, which we are told roamed the world in pre-historic days, the last of which are found on the Amazon plateau of "The Lost World," are shown in contrast to the pygmy figures of the men who hunt them, the effect is extraordinary. We have ceased wondering how the picture was filmed. We simply accept is as one of the cinematic phenomena of the day and give unstinted praise to the author, director, research worker and photographer. After the picture is started, there is no end to the thrills in which each sequence abounds. Our one complaint is that the love interest is superfluous, for it usurps valuable footage which might have been devoted to the prehistoric wonders. Wallace Beery runs away with most of the acting honors, in the role of Professor Challenger, who heads the expedition, while Arthur Hoyt, as the bug0hunting professor, supplies most of the numerous laughable moments. "The Lost World" is well worth seeing.
The cast includes: Bessie Love, Lloyd Huges, Lewis Stone, Wallace
Beery, Arthur Hoyt and others.
The picture was directed b W.H. O'Brien and Harry Hoyt
Review contributed by Eryn Merwart