The Lost World (2001 film)
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| The Lost World | |
|---|---|
| Screenplay by | Tony Mulholland Adrian Hodges |
| Directed by | Stuart Orme |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Robert Lane |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | RTL |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 25 December – 26 December 2001 |
The Lost World is a 2001 British
Plot
Part 1
While in the Amazon rainforest, Professor George Challenger shoots an animal he believes to be a pterosaur. Returning to England, Challenger crashes a lecture at the Natural History Museum held by his rival, Professor Leo Summerlee. Challenger proposes an expedition to discover the home of the pterosaur, but is dismissed by the science community. However, hunter Lord John Roxton, and Daily Gazette columnist Edward Malone both volunteer to join and finance the expedition. A sceptical Summerlee also joins.
On the voyage to
They reach the edge of the plateau and find a cave concealing a pathway to the plateau but discover a blockage. They later find a gorge leading straight to the plateau, using a tree as a substitute bridge. However, when all but Kerr make it across, he suddenly knocks the tree into the gorge and leaves Challenger and the others stranded. Venturing in the plateau's jungle, they find several species of dinosaur, a flock of pterosaurs, and a strange species of aggressive, carnivorous ape men. Malone finds a lake which he names after his fiancé Gladys. Malone and Agnes are chased by an Allosaurus, but evade it when it falls into a manmade trap.
Part 2
Escaping the trap, Edward and Agnes find Roxton at the lake, learning the apes kidnapped Challenger and Summerlee. Warriors from an indigenous tribe appear, aiding them in rescuing the professors, along with Achille, the son of their own chieftain. The ape-men are taken captive by the tribe.
Arriving at the village, the tribe are revealed to be surviving members of Mendoz's expedition and mistake Challenger for Mendoz, who taught them Christianity. The chief shows the other end of the cave and reveals it was blocked by a man who visited the tribe, trapping them within the plateau. Roxton falls in love with the chief's daughter Maree, a woman who is quite similar to him, and they eventually marry.
Later, after having buried one of their children, the ape-men howl and attract two Allosaurus who attack the village. In the chaos, the chief is killed, along with several other tribesmen before Roxton and Malone manage to kill the dinosaurs. At the same time, Summerlee reopens the cave using explosives, allowing the explorers to flee the village when Achille condemns them. Roxton is stabbed by one of the ape-men, but buys time for the others to leave. Roxton seemingly succumbs to his wounds and is mourned by the villagers.
Challenger, Summerlee, Malone, and Agnes return to the Amazon but encounter a crazed Kerr and realise he sealed the cave to prevent anyone from finding it, believing it to be forged by Satan because of the ape-men. When Kerr produces a revolver, Summerlee wrestles him for it, only for Kerr to be shot and killed by accident. The expedition porters later find the survivors. Returning to London, Malone discovers Gladys has become engaged to another man, however he is glad, as he realises that he has developed feelings for Agnes. At Challenger's press event, he unveils a juvenile Pteranodon he picked up as an egg. However, the excited crowd scare the Pteranodon out of a window. Malone and Summerlee convince Challenger to pretend the whole expedition was a lie to protect the plateau's inhabitants from destruction, sacrificing his reputation and success for the safety of the Dinosaurs and the villagers. Summerlee stays with his family, Challenger sets off to find Atlantis, while Malone and Agnes admit their love for each other, and Malone decides to pursue a career as a novelist. In a final scene, Roxton is revealed to be alive and living with Maree and the villagers in peace.
Cast
- Bob Hoskins as Professor George Challenger
- James Fox as Professor Leo Summerlee
- Tom Ward as Lord John Roxton
- Matthew Rhys as Edward Malone
- Elaine Cassidy as Agnes Clooney
- Peter Falk as Reverend Theo Kerr
- Nathaniel Lees as Chief
- Tamati Te Nohotu as Archille
- Nicole Whippy as Maree
- Inia Maxwell as Indian Leader
- Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs Summerlee
- Tim Healy as McArdle
- Joanna Page as Gladys
- Tom Goodman-Hill as Arthur Hare
- Robert Hardy as Professor Illingworth
- Malcom Shields as Lead Ape (and Ape Choreography)
Animals
The prehistoric animals were realised using computer-generated imagery, a process the BBC had used in the Walking with Dinosaurs series. The Ape Men were performed by actors in costumes.
Prehistoric animals
Dinosaurs
- theropod from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation more than 150 million years ago. It uses the same CG model from the Walking with Dinosaurs series including The Ballad of Big Al special, and eventually used in the Walking with Monstersseries.
- sauropodfrom the late Jurassic Morrison Formation 150 million years ago. It uses the same CG model from the Walking with Dinosaurs series including the Big Al special.
- Diplodocus − A huge 67 to 75 foot long sauropod from the late Jurassic Morrison Formation 150 million years ago. It uses the same CG Apatosaurus models (adult and baby) from the Walking with Dinosaurs series including the Big Al special.
- ornithopod from the early Cretaceous Europe including the Isle of Wight130 million years ago. This is the first prehistoric creature which is found by Challenger's team in the plateau.
- kangaroos on two legs and their tail kept on the ground, but this idea is debunked when he sees the quadrupedal animals. It uses the same CG model from the Walking with Dinosaursseries.
Reptiles
- Pteranodon − A large flying fish-eating pterosaur from North America during the late Cretaceous . This creature is the only proof from Challenger's very first expedition, and later he named the species as "Pteranodon sumerleensis". The same CG model is later used in Chased by Dinosaurs: Land of Giants and Sea Monsters Episode 3.
According to Christopher Hall and Stuart Orme on the DVD audio commentary, Tim Haines requested that there be a scene in the lake where prehistoric sea reptiles appeared, but this was ultimately cut due to difficulty of underwater filming and actress Elaine Cassidy not being a good swimmer.
Mammals
- primatesand humans. In the film an undiscovered species appear, and Challenger named them "Pithecanthropus challengeris".
- whales from the Oligocene and Miocene Asia. This is the only prehistoric mammal in the film besides the Pithecanthropus. One was hunted by Roxton and the natives. It uses the same CG model from the Walking with Beastsseries.
Modern day animals
- .
- Brazilian black tarantula − A venomous spider which lives in the South American jungles, but sometimes travels to the village to hunt insects or reptiles.
- subtropical forests of Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Professor Sumerlee found the moth while a Pteranodon carries away the team's dinner.
- Scarlet macaw − A large and colourful macaw from the American tropics of south-eastern Mexico to the rainforests of Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is a more than 80-centimetre-long bird with a weight of about 1 kilogram, and is one of the smartest birds on Earth.
- Brown capuchin − A small New World monkey from the tropical rainforests of the Amazon basin.
Home media
The Lost World was released on home video as
Reception
John Leonard TV critic for New York magazine praised the special effects for the time, saying "New Zealand looks like Brazil, and the beasts are the best ever on a small screen."[6] Writing for DVD Talk, Holly E Ordway described the series as "a straightforward and entertaining adventure story", praising the modernised changes made to the book's storyline but calling the characters "caricatures".[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ Orme, Stuart; Hall, Christopher (2002). The Lost World (Audio commentary). BBC Studios. Event occurs at 1:12:15.
- ^ "The Lost World [DVD] [2001]". Amazon UK. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ Khedun, Anil. "Review of Lost World, The (BBC series)". MyReviewer.com. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ a b Ordway, Holly. "The Lost World (2001)". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ John Leonard (7 October 2002). "In Brief: Making The Misfits, and more". New York magazine.
