History Film / LostHorizon

* UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest: A rare instance of a film passing because of a musical sequence ("The Things I Will Not Miss").

* DuetOfDifferences: "The Things I Will Not Miss" crosses this trope with IWantSong for Sally and Maria, who agree to disagree about what they want out of life. The chorus even features the phrase "Different people look at life from different points of view".

* MoodWhiplash: Basically the film's main problem, as we'll go from a scene that's an okay (if a bit slavish) modernization of the original film, then without much warning into a musical number patterned after ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'' or ''{{Theatre/Camelot}}'', totally breaking up the film's flow.

* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations

* ShotForShotRemake: The first half-hour is tight re-enactment of the opening scenes of the Capra film, right down to the way some specific shots are framed. Even after they get to Shangri-La and the musical numbers start up, it still doesn't stray all that much from the original.

''Lost Horizon'' is a 1937 film by Creator/FrankCapra, based on [[Literature/LostHorizon the novel of the same name]] by British author James Hilton (of ''Film/GoodbyeMrChips'' fame).

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* MusicalWorldHypotheses: Mostly Alternate Universe. Not counting the TitleThemeTune performed by an offscreen singer, there are no musical numbers in the opening and closing stretches of the film, which are set in TheOutsideWorld. Only in Shangri-La do characters sing. There are two Diegetic numbers in Shangri-La, "Share the Joy" and "Living Together, Growing Together".

* WorthlessYellowRocks: There's gold in the streams of Shangri-La that's gone long untouched because it's valueless to the residents. Sam considers taking it for himself and leaving Shangri-La, but the now-enlightened Sally convinces him otherwise.

Passengers aboard a small airplane discover that they have been kidnapped by someone posing as their assigned pilot. The plane crashes in the Himalayan mountain range along the border of China. The dying pilot's last words indicate there is a lamasery near by at Shangi-La and they will find help there. The passengers go to the lamasery and uncover a mystery.

When the negative was restored in TheSeventies, it was decayed so badly that [[DeletedScene seven minutes could not be salvaged]]. However, an intact soundtrack was found. The film as it exists today uses still pictures along with dialogue to illustrated those extra seven minutes.

* TheOutsideWorld: Shangri La is hidden from the rest of the world in the Himalayan mountains. Visitors can come and go (though due to its location very few visit) but natives face a terrible price for leaving.

* StockFootage: The 1937 film borrowed a few shots of snowy mountain peaks from a documentary to make it more realistic.

* WelcomeSong: "Share the Joy", the first in-story musical number.

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* TheOutsideWorld: Shangri La is hidden from the rest of the world in the Himalayan mountains. Visitors can come & go (though due to its location very few visit) but natives face a terrible price for leaving.

* ShamgriLa: Shangri-La fits the description perfectly, a mysterious yet idyllic village nestled in the Himalayas tended to by people who have cast off the stresses and strains of the world beyond, accessible only with the help of insiders.

* DevelopmentHell: More like post-production Hell - the production went swimmingly but it turned out to be six hours long. Eventually it was cut down to feature-length after several test screenings.

* MissingEpisode: The film had a running time of 132 minutes in its first release. When restored in 1973, only 125 minutes of film could be found, but they did have the entire soundtrack. The restored version shows publicity photos and stills in place of the missing film elements.

* MightyWhitey: Featuring a modern MightyWhitey in the 1930s, when the old-fashioned version was still in vogue. The mostly Chinese and Tibetan monks there prove themselves to be wise, intelligent, competent, and well-rounded characters. However, the white Conway turns out to be better at being a monk than the best of the Tibetans, and it turns out that [[spoiler:the founder and leader of the monastery is a European who arrived in the 15th century]].

* RapidAging: Implied to happen to Maria when the Conway brothers take her with them as they attempt to return to the outside world. As they trek through the mountains after their porters have been buried in an avalanche, a horrified George screams, "Bob! Bob, look at her face!", and we see a lifeless, wrinkled old woman's face.

''Lost Horizon'' is a 1937 film by Creator/FrankCapra, based on [[Literature/LostHorizon the novel of the same name]] by British author James Hilton (of ''[[Film/GoodbyeMrChips Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' fame).

* TheChosenOne: Conway was specially selected to go to Shangri-La, and the other passengers were considered wonderful, accidental additions to the lamasery who all (excepting Mallinson) found reasons to be happy there.

* HiddenElfVillage: Shangri-La
* HurtingHero: Conway the protagonist
* MacGuffinLocation

* NoImmortalInertia
* RapidAging: [[spoiler:This may be Lo-Tsen's fate.]]
* ShamgriLa

* {{Utopia}}: Shangri-La

''Lost Horizon'' is a 1937 film by FrankCapra, based on [[Literature/LostHorizon the novel of the same name]] by British author James Hilton (of ''GoodbyeMrChips'' fame).