The Lost World (2001 film)

The Lost World is a 2001 British made-for-television film adaptation of the 1912 novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle, directed by Stuart Orme and adapted by Tony Mulholland and Adrian Hodges. It was filmed at various locations on the West Coast of New Zealand. The 145-minute film was divided into two 75-minute episodes when broadcast on BBC One on 25 and 26 December 2001, receiving 8.68 million and 6.98 million viewers respectively.^[1] Bob Hoskins played Professor Challenger and was supported by James Fox, Peter Falk, Matthew Rhys, Tom Ward and Elaine Cassidy.

The Lost World
Based on	The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
Screenplay by	Tony Mulholland Adrian Hodges
Directed by	Stuart Orme
Starring	Bob Hoskins James Fox Matthew Rhys Tom Ward Elaine Cassidy Peter Falk
Composer	Robert Lane
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Kate Harwood, Jane Tranter
Producer	Christopher Hall
Cinematography	David Odd
Editor	David Yardley
Running time	75 minutes per episode 145 minutes total
Production companies	BBC, A&E Network, RTL
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	25 December (2001-12-25) – 26 December 2001 (2001-12-26)

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 reporter Edward Malone both volunteer to join and finance the expedition. A sceptical, pompous Summerlee also joins.

On the voyage to South America, Challenger reveals a map created by a Portuguese man named Father Luis Mendoz leading to a remote Brazilian plateau where he encountered dinosaurs he mistook for dragons during a previous expedition. They travel to a Christian mission in the Amazon, meeting Agnes Clooney and her uncle Reverend Theo Kerr, who condemns Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Roxton immediately takes a liking to Agnes' tomboyish behaviour and flirts with her. Agnes volunteers to join the expedition as a translator. However, in the jungle, the expedition's porters flee out of superstition, but Kerr arrives, repeatedly trying to convince Challenger to turn back.

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 Iguanodons and Hypsilophodons, a flock of Pteranodons, and a strange species of aggressive 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 ape-mem 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 on Challenger's request. Agnes rejects Roxton, finally seeing his arrogance, his aggression, his obsession with trophy hunting, and his prejudice to non-humans.

Arriving at the village, the tribe are revealed to be descendents of surviving members from 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.

The travellers explore the plateau and see more prehistoric life including Brachiosauruses and Diplodoci. Summerlee works on many solutions of escape without success. Roxton falls in love with the chief's daughter Maree, a woman who is quite similar to him; and gains permission to marry her after killing an Entelodon for the tribe.

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 saving his daughter, along with several other tribesmen before Roxton and Malone manage to kill the dinosaurs with rifles. 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 with his hunting knife, but buys time for the others to leave. Roxton seemingly succumbs to his wounds, and Achilles sees the errors of his ways.

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 for her virtues. 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 hoax to protect the plateau's inhabitants from destruction, sacrificing his reputation and success. 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)

Home media

The Lost World was released on home video as a single 145-minute instalment.^[2] The series was released on VHS and DVD in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2002;^[3] The DVD version contains a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, audio commentary with Stuart Orme and Christopher Hall and the 29-minute documentary Inside The Lost World.^[4] An American DVD release followed on 29 October 2002, presented in 4:3 pan and scan format with a stereo soundtrack. This release also contained the 90-minute History Channel documentary Dinosaur Secrets Revealed and a 21-minute documentary on the making of the series.^[5] The UK region 2 DVD (also region 4) from 2005 has the 145 minute single episode (not two separate parts as originally broadcast on BBC1), a 2.1 surround sound mix (not 5.1 as the DVD box states) and is 16:9. It has, however, no extras, no menus or even any chapter markers in the entire film.

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] The DVD box art for the region 2 release has a quote from The Saturday Times which states “Mix one part animated dinosaurs with two parts breaches and bonnets and an instant BBC classic is born“.

See also

• List of films featuring dinosaurs