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Lost Continent (1951)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:14 am    Post subject: Lost Continent (1951) Reply with quote



A synopsis of this film and a list of the cast members is bound to raise false hopes.

Sad to say, it sounds much better than is looks. Even the poster cheats by showing a T-Rex, despite the fact that there isn't one in the movie.

But the story is very ambitious. With more money and the right talent, this could have been a fine movie.

An atomic rocket crashes atop a lofty plateau on a South Sea island, a plateau where dinosaurs still survive. (Never mind the fact that South Sea islands don't have plateaus, just volcanoes. But the climax addresses this to some degree.)

Three military men and three scientists fly to the island, climb to the top of the plateau, and struggle through the savage environment to recover important data from the rocket.





The cast consist of sci-fi veterans: Cesar Romero (The Jungle), John Hoyt (Attack of the Puppet People), Hugh Beaumont (The Mole People), Whit Bissell (The Time Machine), Hillary Brooke (Invaders from Mars), Sid Melton (Captain Midnight), and a bit part by Acquanetta (Captive Wild Woman).



The jungle sets and tabletop miniatures bear a pleasing resemblance to a poor-man's Skull Island (misty and surrealistic). The rugged assent to the top of the plateau is a nice mountain-climbing adventure all by itself, and the special effects during the climactic earthquake are nicely done.

The cast does a good job with Richard Landau's competent script, with intelligent dialogue and good character interaction. Admirable music by Paul Dunlap. Directed by Sam Newfield.

In spite of these assets, the film is defeated by the poorly done animation (the credits do not name the animator). Only two triceratops, one brontosaurus, and one pterodactyl are shown.







The dinosaur models lack detail. Lost Continent came out early in the sci-fi craze of the 1950s, before any of Harryhausen's movies. The producers didn't realize how hungry the public was for rampaging stop-motion monsters.

But at least this movie primed the pump just a little bit for the sci-fi movies to come.

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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Aug 07, 2022 12:51 pm; edited 7 times in total
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 4:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

To be nitpickingly accurate, the movie is called Lost Continent (as it appears in the poster), with no The.

The Lost Continent is a 1968 Hammer production.


Last edited by scotpens on Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________________________

Many thanks, kind sir! Error eradicated! Very Happy

This movie is available on YouTube (with Spanish subtitles). The picture is fair.



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MetroPolly
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 7:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have seen both, and of the 2, the '68 is at least tolerable. The '51 is so boring, it almost broke the guys on MST3K.

Rock Climbing. Need I say more?
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Maurice
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Many thanks, kind sir! Error eradicated! Very Happy

This movie is available on YouTube (with Spanish subtitles). The picture is fair.


_____________

The link gets you a copyright takedown screen that reads: "
"Lost Continet - El Continen..." This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Wade Williams Collection."

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Thanks, Maurice. YouTube videos come and go, and it's hard to keep up with the ones that have been removed. Sad

Meanwhile, here's the MST3K version, for what's worth, and perhaps it will around for a while.

Below that is a documentary about the plateaus in South America that provided the inspiration for movies like Lost Continent and The Lost World, despite the fact that the wildlife on these plateaus is a bit disappointing
________________________________



___________________ MST3K: Lost Continent


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_________ History of Venezuela's Ancient Tepuis


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 22, 2019 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

This movie is the best argument for why well-done "enlarged lizards" like those in The Land Unknown and Journey to the Center of the Earth are far better then crappy stop motion such as what this movie inflicts on the audience! Sad

I appreciate the loyalty to stop motion that several of All Sci-Fi most valued members have for that unique art form, but the sad fact of the matter is that stop motion is just like canvas, oil paint, and brushes; if the artist himself doesn't know how to use them, the results are NOT masterpieces . . .

The movie is available on YouTube with a good print and the original green-tinted scenes. The file size is more than twice the size of the one I downloaded a few years ago! Very Happy

I've downloaded it with Savefrom.net for YouTube, in case it's removed next week. Frankly, I'd forgotten how good the cast was for this movie, and how effective the music is.

Now, if only they'd had a budget ten times larger and they'd gotten O'Brian, Harryhausen, and Pete Peterson to do the stop motion, this movie would have been magnificent! Very Happy


_______ Lost Continent 1951 DRIVE IN THEATER!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

We all agree that the amateurish stop motion wrecks any chance that discerning sci-fi fans can enjoy this early "lost world" adventure. Sad

But the cast is terrific, and if this movie hadn't inflicting so may bad choices on the audience, it could have been a highly regard fan favorite.

Consider this impressive list of actors and their Who's Who credentials. It's a shame these familiar faces weren't given a better film to star in. Rolling Eyes
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Cesar Romero

~Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
~Batman: The Movie and the serier (1966)
~Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV Series 1979)]

Hillary Brooke

~ Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
~ Invaders from Mars (1953)

Hugh Beaumont

~ Adventures of Superman (TV Series 1953)
~ Science Fiction Theatre (TV Series 1955)
~ The Mole People (1956)

Sid Melton

~ Captain Midnight (TV Series 1954)
~ The Atomic Submarine (1959)
~ The Day the Earth Moved (TV Movie (1974)

John Hoyt

~ When Worlds Collide (1951)
~ Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
~ X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1961)
~ The Outer Limits (TV Series (1964)
~ Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV Series 1964)
~ The Time Tunnel (TV Series 1967)
~ Planet of the Apes (TV Series 1974)
~ Star Trek: The Original Series (TV Series) (1966)

Whit Bissell

~ Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
~ Science Fiction Theatre (TV Series 1956)
~ I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
~ I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957)
~ The Man and the Challenge (TV Series 1959)
~ One Step Beyond (TV Series 1959)
~ Men Into Space (TV Series 1959)
~ The Time Machine (1960)
~ The Outer Limits (TV Series 1962)
~ The Time Tunnel (TV Series 1966)
~ The Invaders (TV Series 1967)
~ City Beneath the Sea (TV Movie 1971)

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

John Hoyt was also in the soft porn FLESH GORDON movie!

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Krel
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 27, 2020 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gord Green wrote:
John Hoyt was also in the soft porn FLESH GORDON movie!

It only became softcore after Agents of the Law got involved! Laughing Although it probably made more money as a softcore movie, than it ever would have if it were left hardcore.

David.
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