The musical remake of "Lost Horizon" is truly one of the worst films ever made. What makes it so exceptionally awful is that so much genuine talent was assembled to create this Stinker. Take away the music and you have a servicable Technicolor remake of a moody classic. Yes, there's lots of dopey dialogue and some silliness like polar bears in the Himalayas. But it's pretty to look at and Peter Finch is a commanding presence. But Lo! Now cometh a collection of Bacharach-David tunes so hopelessly out of place that every song causes an audience reaction reminiscent of the play-goers in "Springtime for Hitler." It hurts to watch. And hurts worse to listen. The Kellerman-Kennedy duet will make your skin break out. And that goofy "Living Together" number is the only thing keeping "The World is a Circle" from being the most painful five minutes any film watcher could ever sustain. Films such as "Plan Nine from Outer Space" are generally regarded as the industry's worst. But considering the Academy Award talent and big-studio budget behind "Lost Horizon" it stands (more probably stoops) as two of the most horrific hours ever birthed by Hollywood.
Review of Lost Horizon
