Lost Horizon (1937)

VHS CASE/ SIDE

Length of film:  132 Minutes

Rated: U

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Fantasy

Director: Frank Capra

Starring: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H.B. Warner.

IMDB Rank: 7.6 /10 (August 2026)

Part 1 Time:  60 Minutes

Part 2 Time:  72 Minutes

*** Released in Roadshow format with an official intermission, the title card has since been lost.

Where does the first part end? Robert Conway (Ronald Colman) finds Sondra (Jane Wyatt) bathing in a river. He takes her clothes and makes a mannequin.

Final line of dialogue on the first part: No dialogue in the final scene prior to intermission, instead a musical score is played.

First line of dialogue on the second part: “Fossils! Why? What For?” Lovett (Edward Evertt Horton) speaks to Barnard (Thomas Mitchell) teasing him about being a paleontologist.

How jarring is it when the first part ends? Minimal, there are alot of unanswered questions surrounding the Shangri-La monastery, but the characters do not seem to be in any danger. Relationships are being formed among the British nationals and residents of Shangri-La, which could make leaving the Eden-like valley more challenging.

Which part is better? Part one is full of mystery as the British nationals’ aircraft is kidnapped and seemly crashed in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the people of Shangri-La. Part two brings clarity to the mystery, the plot becomes much more serious as each character is presented with a hard choice. Part two is given the edge.

Academy Awards: 1938- Best Picture (Nominated), Best Supporting Actor (Nominated- H.B Warner), Best Art Direction (Winner), Best Sound Recording (Nominated), Best Film Editing (Winner), Best Assistant Director (Nominated- Charles C, Coleman), Best Music Score (Nominated).

National Film Registry: 2016