Lost Horizon (1937) -- question re: plot hole

[terentii]

Huh. I wonder if there’s any connection between Maria and Vina in The Cage? :dubious:

[jsc1953]

@jayjay

:smack:

How did I miss that you guys were discussing the 1937 version rather than the 1973 version?

So you admit to having seen the 1973 version?

I remember seeing George Kennedy on a talk show in the 70s, telling a funny story about how his friends would refuse to make eye contact after the movie was released.

[Freddy_the_Pig]

@jsc1953

I assume you’re talking about the novel? So Lo-Tsen and Mallinson in the novel became Maria and George Conway in the movie?

Correct. I assume that what I said about Lo-Tsen’s motives would also apply to Maria, but it has been too long since I saw the movie for me to speak about it with any confidence.

[grude]

@jsc1953

On that note, in addition to the casual sexism of the period noted by salinqmind, there’s the casual racism of the opening scene. Conway has been sent to China to rescue 90 “white people” at risk of being “butchered” in some piddly local revolution. Who cares what these heathens are squabbling about – let’s just get the white folks outta here.

This isn’t exactly a thing of the past, rich western nation embassies routinely evacuate their own citizens during unrest.

[jsc1953]

@grude

This isn’t exactly a thing of the past, rich western nation embassies routinely evacuate their own citizens during unrest.

Certainly, and there’s no problem with Conway’s mission. It’s with Frank Capra’s description of that mission. He wasn’t sent there to evacuate British nationals; he was sent there to evacuate white people.

[grude]

@jsc1953

Certainly, and there’s no problem with Conway’s mission. It’s with Frank Capra’s description of that mission. He wasn’t sent there to evacuate British nationals; he was sent there to evacuate white people.

Oh gotcha, never seen the movie.