Caprona - Das vergessene Land

I love this movie! It proves that it is not special effects that carry a movie, but a good believable story. That is proved because most of the effects used in the film are not good. However the acting is and so is the story! None of the characters appear "cartoonish" with maybe the exception of the pre historic man. But heck, we don't know what pre historic men were like so it doesn't hamper the story. Doug McClure is a very solid lead with the submarine captain in a superb supporting role. The other German officer makes a great villain. This is one of my favorites of all time! Even it's sequel, "The People Time Forgot" wasn't bad. **** out of 5.

Fun dinosaur movie with a solid British cast headed by suitably lantern-jawed Doug McClure.

Respected SF author Michael Moorcock adds a dash of intelligence to what might have been just another Sunday matinee pot-boiler, and the downbeat ending (slightly different to the book) is a change from the norm. The decision to turn the U-Boat captain from the stereotypical dastardly Hun in the original book to a philosophical man of science is also a good one.

The submarine is suitably claustrophobic and the jungle suitably clammy, just a shame that some of the dinosaurs couldn't have looked a little more than just as if they'd been borrowed from episode of "Doctor Who". Fans of which should be suitably impressed by future 'Master' Anthony Ainley's nasty performance as the treacherous German first officer Dietz.

"Auf weidersehn, Mr Tyler!"

When I was a young boy of eight years old I saw this at my my local cinema . In those days it cost 15 pence ( A fair amount of money for an eight year old child ) to get in . I actually saw it two or three times which eat up my pocket money bit I certainly thought it was money well spent since in those days I enjoyed war films and monster films . Yesterday morning Channel 4 broadcast it at 6 am which seems a ridiculous time to broadcast anything never mind a fondly remembered fantasy adventure movie but I looked forward to seeing it again if only to see how well it stands up as entertainment today . Would my cherished memories be hurt ? Do I have nice memories about THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT simply down to nostalgia ?

To be honest I think the answer is a resounding no . Right from the opening title sequence where Douglas Gamley's score sums up the downbeat feature of the story we the audience are treated to a fantasy adventure that is a little bit different . You could point out the first half of the movie is somewhat repetitive as the Germans and Brits get one over on one another but in amongst all this is some serious debate on wartime morality , allied civilian ships carrying weapons of war for example which shows no one has a monopoly on self righteousness when the battle lines are drawn and the theories of Nietzsche are also touched upon . What'd you mean this is a childish film ?

No doubt the people who watched this at the cinema on its release where more interested in prehistoric monsters than 19th century philosophy and it's not till half way through that the U-boat reaches the ancient island of Caprona which is inhabited by rubber dinosaurs and troglodytes . Yeah okay the monsters especially the pterodactyls are not very convincing but I've seen worse . It's also interesting to that this part of the movie replaces Nietzsche with Darwinisnm and I don't know if it's deliberate but this concept fits in perfectly well with the sequel THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT . How many times have you seen a sequel that almost contradicts the original movie ? This makes THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT something of a stand out movie alongside the very pessimistic final act

I fail to see how anyone can actively dislike this movie . I agree that the special effects are far from brilliant but look beyond the FX and you'll see a very intelligent piece of fantasy adventure . The very fact that it has a sense of wonder and a truly haunting ending sets it apart from many other movies of its ilk like WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS and AT THE EARTHS CORE and nostalgia or not I certainly enjoyed seeing it again

I was too young to see 'The Land That Time Forgot' when it originally premiered in the cinemas in 1975 but I saw it several times growing up and loved it. It had everything that a young boy/teenager wanted in a fantasy movie - gargantuan monsters, pre-historic tribes, active volcanoes, punch ups and a sense of wonder and amazement.

Putting aside the rubbery monsters and glaring plot holes, ''The Land That Time Forgot' is an enjoyable romp that keeps your attention from start to finish. It takes you on a thrilling ride of danger and excitement with a potent sense of fantasy. The film doesn't overstay its welcome at a running time of 91 minutes and at no point loses it's way. It also takes some time to develop some semblance of a story before arriving at Caprona, the land that time forgot, whereas other movies would have got you there as quickly as possible. This helps to add just a little extra anticipation.

Many of the characters are there to add to the bodycount, which is high, but some of the leading characters add a little more depth. Doug McClure's hardman Bowen Tyler shows surprising pathos in one of the film's later scenes whilst John McEnery's Captain Von Schoenwarts inverts the usual German stereotype to play a fair minded man with an interest in the origins and development of life. Considering this is a British made film with an almost entirely British cast (the exception being American Doug McClure), made thirty years after WW2 ended (this is set during WW1 though), there are surprisingly good sentiments towards the Germans, although there is still room for Anthony Ainley's duplicitous Dietz to give us someone to be wary of other than the monsters and pre-historic tribes.

The film's unusual ending also gives the audience a welcome change from the banal endings that usually conclude most movies and it allows that childlike sense of wonder and amazement to stay awake a whole lot longer.

I first saw this film when I was a child, it had always stuck out in my mind and I was lucky enough to see it again recently.

Although the effects are not spectacular, they aren't terrible. In fact they are pretty good considering the era.

The characters are well written and likable, the dialogue is not over-complicated with technical terms but remains clever and enjoyable to follow.

A real empathy is established for the characters who find themselves in a seemingly fantastic but dangerous situation.

All in all I find the film enjoyable for anyone to watch and recommend it highly.