Lost Horizon (1937)
(Frank Capra, US 1937, 97 min., 35mm)
Capra. James Hilton’s beautiful, melancholy novel Lost Horizon introduced the world to Shangri-La, a place of peace and contentment, and it became an equally popular film under the guidance of director Frank Capra. Set in a troubled world on the brink of a cataclysmic global war, a small group of individuals are given the opportunity to lead lives rich with meaning through the extension of time. Ronald Coleman is perfectly cast as Conway, the sad-eyed and weary golden boy of the British Civil Service. A reluctant hero, Conway has seen too much; his soul bears enough sadness to last a lifetime. Shangri-La offers him a chance for emotional, spiritual, and physical renewal—and a long life of unimaginable peace and happiness—if only he can break the ties that bind him to the past.