The Lost World Flicker Alley
R**L
but that copy was a poor version mastered from only 2/3rds of the actual film
At long last this film is on Blu-ray. It is an almost complete copy of the film, long thought to have been destroyed in 1927. I had this on DVD, but that copy was a poor version mastered from only 2/3rds of the actual film. This version is complete and adds in missing footage only recently found. Alas, the preamble and the cannibal attack did not survive,, so the cannibal attack is gone, but they did edit in another depiction of Doyle talking to the audience in its place. That being said- This is a Challenger tale of a Lost World up the Amazon river where dinos and other creatures live. Challenger leads an expedition back to the plateau where this Lost World is said to exist. The adventures they have, and the sights they are beautifully captured in film and presented for the first time as close to the original as possible. I tip my hat to all of those who did this and thank then for a magnificent job. If you are into great works and love dinosaurs, this film is for you. PS It is a silent film but there is music added Enjoy!
P**N
The Lost World is a good find!
Best version of this film to date.I am a fan of the original Kong and this is an earlier work by the master Willis O'Brien. The tale is from Conan Doyle the creator of Sherlock Holmes.This tale has Professor Challenger another Doyle creation as the leader of an expedition into uncharted territories. He needs to go back to prove his tales of dinosaurs from his failed previous journey that ended badly.This is the silent version of the classic tale. Long thought lost and then rediscovered in several poor and incomplete versions. This is the most complete and best looking version to date.The story seems a bit trite and the characters a bit strange but that was the way of the silent movies. Body expressions were as important if not more so due to the need of title cards to tell what was being said.The stop motion dinosaurs and the cast of actors keep this film moving at a brisk pace. The special effects though dated holdup well even to day. Fun evening entertainment.
S**C
An amazing restoration + excellent bonus content = a MUST-BUY. Dino fans rejoice! THE LOST WORLD has never looked better!
BOTTOM LINE: Fans of sci-fi and adventure will find much to admire in this excellent release. The story is a classic and it's great to see it available in a hi-def format, along with a bevy of solid bonus material. 5 STARSTHOUGHTS: One of, if not THE granddaddy of all dino films. It was surely a daunting task to get hold of a decent copy of such an old film and properly restore it. Flicker Alley, Lobster Films, and Blackhawk Films are to be commended! THE LOST WORLD looks terrific here. The film is still scattered with scratches and print damage, but to a far, far lesser extent than any other versions I'd seen up to this point. More importantly, the tinted scenes are restored, along with several minutes' worth of 'lost' footage, which helps complete the film and flesh out some of the story & characters better. Purists may squawk at the inclusion of an all-new musical score, but I quite enjoyed it.THE BLU-RAY: Kudos to the three outfits which banded together to achieve this restoration and 2k scan transfer for movie lovers everywhere. The results are amazing, especially in comparison to all previous - incomplete - versions of the film. It looks impressive, indeed. The new musical score by Robert Israel is full and rich yet doesn't overpower the visuals, rather it compliments them - as it should. The wealth of bonus material, including 3 early shorts from Willis O'Brien are just icing on the cake. If you love movies and dinosaurs then don't hesitate to buy this Blu-ray. If you're curious but unsure, I still say get it. You're not likely to ever see this film look better than it does here. Recommended.
K**D
Simply the best version of 1925's The Lost World!
Flicker Alley, Lobster Films & Blackhawk Films have done an outstanding job bringing this beautiful restoration of 1925's The Lost World to Blu-ray. Robert Israel's score is a joy & Nicolas Ciccone's commentary is wonderfully informative. This is the version of The Lost World to own!
J**N
Fine Restoration
The best print I've ever seen of this title. The only drawback for me was that much of the film had mottling. That was a distraction, but considering that I never thought I'd see the complete film, I'm forgiving of that distraction. Glad to see that Rusty Casselton and Ted Larson finally got credit for their thirty years of work.
S**P
Atmospheric with effects that still impress...
Not a film I would recommend first timers to silent films to start with (I’d go to Chaney, Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Harold Lloyd myself), but any new restorations are very welcome. After the rather laboured opening 27 minutes in London, the film atmospherically comes to life as soon as we arrive in South America. Considering this is the first major film to use extensive stop motion, the special effects do impress – and there are lots of them! Good extras also. I do hesitate to remark on a negative considering the time and love that has gone into this (Flicker Alley and all those involved with the restoration and release of silent films are to be applauded), but as I found it incredibly irritating I do have to comment on it – and that’s the music score! My silent DVD’s and blu-rays run to over 200, but apart from some budget labels, I have to say that I can’t remember ever listening to such a randomly bitty, disjointed and tuneless score which seemed devoid of emotion and attachment to the film. The film is full of atmosphere which is lacking in the music. [SPOILER] The memorable effects of the brontosaurus raging through London are backed by a light cavalry march!!!
C**T
WOW - It is like seeing the film for the first time
WOW - It is like seeing the film for the first time. I must have watched this film dozens time before but this blu-ray makes it a whole new experience. Beautiful restoration!
D**6
Astounding!
Sooo glad I got this. I have always loved this film but damn this one is beautiful! And the booklet inside describing how they got all the footage makes you feel like you’re in film history class. I highly recommend getting this version!
P**L
The Challenger Expedition
The Classic 1925 silent Adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World finally comes To The Blu-ray format and yes it's been worth The wait. I Don't plan to give you a review of The movie here we all know The story all To well explores in search of a lost plateau filled with extinct Dinosaurs. The stage is set for some of The best Dinosaur sequences ever committed To film. as many movie buffs will know This is The movie That really gave birth To The 1933 classic King Kong. in charge of bringing The Lost World's Dinosaurs To life was special effect wizard Willis O Brien he would later breath life into King Kong. The Lost World on Blu-ray is probably now The best it will ever look admittingly scratch marks still show but come on This is 1925 film making fans will Take delight That The Blu-ray still includes The original footage of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle presumably introducing The movie silent of course. one highlight for me on The Disc's special features is excerpts from The unfinished Creation (1930) History Tells us O'Brien was working on This before he got The call To lend his Talents on Kong sadly Creation was never completed Though viewing The now scenes shot you can see where Kong came from. a full audio commentary for The movie and a short publicity gallery fleshes out a pretty Decent package for This release of The silent classic. for The adventurer in us all This comes Highly recommended.
S**E
Legendary Stop Motion
When I was a child, I was very much into dinosaurs, like most kids of that time. Films that featured animated creatures of the past were always great fun to watch, especially when the magnificent Jurassic Park came out. But of all the films, I always had a fascination with The Lost World (1925). For years I had never seen the full film. I always managed to acquired chopped up short horrible looking copies. Now for the first time, I get to see the film in its entirety and boy, it did not disappoint.This Deluxe Edition from Blachawk Films features the entire 110 minutes of footage. This lengthy special effects masterpiece very loosely follows the story of the book where an expedition of people go to this hidden land full of many extinct creatures to bring home proof that such things exist. The over all story is very easy to follow and is quite charming in its presentation. The acting for the most part is very well done, it is a bit over dramatic like a lot of silent films but holds its own compared to a lot of other films of its time. Some characters are likeable, some are not and some are fun to hate. There is one character in black face which I found a bit odd but didn't distract me from the film too much.Of course, the real highlight of this film is the stop motion dinosaurs brought to life by the legendary Willis O'Brien, the man behind the classic film King Kong. Much like his most famous work, these creatures have a specific creativity to them. Whether it's the fact that one has some very realistic looking behaviour patterns to the simple little things like their bellies moving with each breath. It is an impressive thing to do, even by today's standards. Though the scene is short, the rampaging dinosaur near the end of the film really steals the show. Crushed cars, destroyed building etc makes for a very entertaining time.For those interested in this film, there are tonnes of extras that will keep you busy after the film is finished. It is all very well put together and looks great on a big screen TV. It may be pricey, but for those like me who enjoy old time creature films, this is without a doubt a must have.
M**1
The Lost World (1925) at its finest since it appeared in theatres!
I'd first like to point out that this Blu Ray is region 0, it plays anywhere no matter the region coding.This is a very well put together presentation of a landmark in film making. The hard work that has been put into the restoration of this classic silent film is apparent from the get go. Having seen previous versions of The Lost World, I can confidently say that this is the best it has ever looked. Not only is the picture quality fantastic, for the most part, recovered footage has been carefully inserted into the correct places, telling the most plot coherent version of the film available, the closest to what it originally would have been like in the 20s.While typically black and white, the color tinting that the film originally had is back, giving it a colourful shine, far superior to many of the previous bland looking grainy releases. The new soundtrack for the film, composed by Robert Israel, is also stunning to say the least.Sadly, however, while this is the most complete cut available, some parts are still missing, seemingly lost to time. However, the film is now more that 90% complete. Although it is mostly stunning, available source material means that some shots are better than others, due to the combination of 35mm film and 16mm film being put together to include all existing footage. For films this old, though, this can only be expected. It didn't distract me from the film however. The fact that this much of The Lost World has survived is nothing short of a miracle.The bonus content is fantastic as well. Who knew a film nearing its 100th birthday would have deleted scenes! In reality, these scenes are comprised of early and alternate dinosaur animation shots of the great Willis O'Brien, famous for 1933s King Kong, who also did the stop motion effects here, 8 years earlier. Also included are 2 short films made by O'Brien: R.F.D, 10,000 B.C. (1917) made for Thomas Edison (yes, that guy!), and The Ghost Of Slumber Mountain (1918), regarded as O'Brien's warm up to The Lost World.Also included is the sole surviving test footage of Creation (1930), O'Brien's unfinished film that convinced Merian C. Cooper to hire him for King Kong. The booklet is an interesting read for details about the restoration and the audio commentary for the film fills viewers in on details of The Lost World itself, explaining differences from the 1912 novel, details of the cast and Arthur Conan Doyle himself, missing footage and sequences, how certain shots were done and more.All in all, this is a wonderful release. The hard work of Blackhawk films and Flicker Alley really shows here. It's amazing to think that a silent film made 94 years ago can still entertains viewers after all these years.
C**.
Region free
Fantastic blu ray release and it's region free and will play on UK players a little expensive but worth it.
R**N
Five Stars
Fast shipment and great product, all good!
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