Enter the Lost World of the DVD $5 Bin

The Lost World (1960)

In 1960 Irwin Allen released an adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel, The Lost World,and once again giant dinosaurs roamed the earth. Allen decided to update the Victorian era novel to the present day, and taught cinemagoers all a valuable lesson. Modern women simply will not go on an expedition to the jungles of South America without their matching luggage and pink rubber-hiking boots.

The premise of the movie is one that has been copied a million times since this story first saw print. A famous eccentric scientist leads an expedition to the unexplored jungle to bring back proof of living dinosaurs. Professor Challenger brings along a rich big game hunter, a fellow scientist, a reporter, and the son and daughter of his financial backer trick him into bringing them along. Because no Irwin Allen production is complete without unnecessary comic relief, they meet up with a stammering, cowardly Mexican guide a sexy Mexican helicopter pilot with his ever-present guitar. And a toy poodle that comes with its own matching luggage. But no one watches movies like this for the cast the audience is there for the dinosaurs.

Allen wanted stop motion animation for his terrible thunder lizards, but the budget wouldn’t allow it. Live action lizards were super imposed over the backgrounds, often with fake horns glued to them, presumably to make them seem more monstrous. It is very difficult to not giggle as a toothless lizard disguised as a dinosaur devours a tiny puppet of a man whole. While the lizards looked comical, the special affects used to make them appear gigantic were an impressive feat for 1960. And even look decent by modern standards.

Of course, drama unfolds in the adventuring party, and it’s up to a sexy native girl in a tiny leather dress to save them all from the rest of her fire god worshipping cannibal tribe. The adventurers have to brave the dangers of a river of lava, more dinosaurs, falling rocks and any underground cavern special affect the budget could afford to throw at them.

This is a movie that was meant to be seen at the drive in movie theatre, or on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It’s difficult to watch older special affects blockbusters and not compare them to the modern day computer generated images that pepper the modern science fiction film. Lost World is one of those precious few older films that could hold it’s own when compared to a modern release. If it wasn’t for the corny sexism and use of stereotypes this movie could bring in a decent box office return in the modern Cineplex. Because, who doesn’t love dinosaurs?