Movie Review: "Lost Horizon"
Very flawed in many ways (questionable "cultural" attitudes, occasional lack of focus, etc.) but also very wonderful in as many ways, this is my favorite film about "utopia". And while every era has the dreams and nightmares it deserves, this couldn't have been made at a more opportune or interesting juncture: the end of the Great Depression and the cusp of WW2.
There are lots of interesting ideas and themes here as a result: is utopia an inclusive, collective ideal or a selfish retreat from an increasingly complicated world? is genuine growth and happiness possible in such a state when all your needs are met? are all members of a utopia equal, or should they be? don't all utopias fail? and so on.
Despite the beauty and hopefulness of much of the story, the film itself seems aware that something has passed -- there's a lingering sense of sadness at something lost, or about to be lost. If the utopia in this film is not real, only a reverie, is its loss any less disparaging? The notion of utopia is as important as the actuality of it, and isn't a world whose inhabitants can't imagine a better place as unfortunate as one whose inhabitants must resort to fantasy?
(For similar consideration, see Terrence Malick's grotesquely misunderstood The New World, which is not about specific historical characters as much as about the ideals we attribute to the creation of America -- ideals which are beautiful and noble but which may have never actually been allowed to flourish, not then, and certainly not now.) 8/10