Burt Bacharach - Lost Horizon: Original Soundtrack (1973 Film)

Memories

This movie was a favorite of my families while growing up. I only wish I could get the movie on DVD. It didn't get good reviews but we LOVED it!!! August 30, 2008

Lost Horizon Perhaps Should Have Stayed Lost

Having read the book and seen the original black and white movie, the idea of turning it into a musical seemed silly. Listening to the music after watching the musical, I am convinced it was simply a bad idea. James Hilton's novel was a lovely fable like Camelot, but unlike Camelot it did not lend itself easily to musical form. Camelot is a failed attempt at Utopia. Shangri-La is a successful Utopia with failed characters. It is really Hilton's answer to Thomas More who wrote Utopia. It works as long it remains lovely improable philosophical rhetoric that can never be proved or disproved as in the movie of the 1930's. In the musical - characters were invented that did not exist in the book - perhaps soley for some romantic songs or interplay, and thus depreciated the story and the oringal movie. I suppose this is why the musical was a commercial and critical flop. The music does not fit the drama. August 17, 2008

I found some of the movie!

I have not seen this movie but I loved the music from the first time I ever heard it in the late seventies, when a friend gave me a cassette, recorded from his album. Now I have bought the CD and love it even more!
When searching Google for the movie I found exerpts from it in YouTube!
Just enter Lost Horizon musical Bacharach and you'll find some ten videos created by lovers of the film, who have a VHS or the laser disc.
Seeing this, I finally understand, why people thought the music too modern.
Only, seen from today, I think it's the movements in dancing that are very seventy-ish, not so much the music.
Still, I think it's ridiculous to critisize a Musical on that behalf.
Considering that The King and I is about events from the late nineteenth century and Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady from the early twentieth century, surely, the music from the sixties was too modern, too?
And today, people, especially teenagers, love and enjoy Bollywood movies.
Many of them are Musicals, where everybody dances and sings and they are all over three hours long.
I think the time has come to release this musical on DVD!
Let's write a petition to the Film Company, maybe they'll have mercy on us. It's the film's 25th birthday anyway, they should hand out a fine anniversary edition with extras like the ones that are broadcasted on YouTube.
By the way, I have read the book, too, and of course I don't expect the film to be exactly like it, which film does?
But, from what I have seen at YouTube it keeps close to the events but illustrates Shangri-La in a creative way. It has nothing to do with the real Tibet or buddhism or christianity, anyway. It is Utopia, a dreamland, and who is to critisize a dream? Even in the book it is a synthesis of both religions,leaving finally both behind and the leading idea is Temperance. And that is the opposite of any fanatism, in any direction.
At the time when I only knew the music, way back in the seventies, I was fascinated by the lyrics, I think they are very true and not idiotic like many reviewers said. But there are so many people who consider anything spiritual or esotheric idiotic that we don't have to take them too seriously, but rather pity them for their lack of understanding and fantasy. May 16, 2008

Lost Horizon Soundtrack CD

The 1973 movie musical Lost Horizon was very under-rated and received poor reviews when it was released. As a Burt Bacharach fan I thought the music was wonderful and Hal David's lyrics continued the story perfectly. On this Cd the tracks are fresh and alive and will be a must for all Bacharach enthuisiasts. May 5, 2008

Much too short

That great theme song I like to hum again, "There is a lost horizon, where the sun goes down.." I blinked and the song ended! Each song could not have been more than a minute longer than your song sample menu! Great music, but each number seemed to be cut too short. March 22, 2008

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