SPHE Press Release: Lost Horizon (1973) MOD

LOST HORIZON DEBUTS ON DVD

Manufacture-on-Demand Service Releases the All-Star 1973 Musical Version of the Classic Tale

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (October 6, 2011) – Producer Ross Hunter’s (Magnificent Obsession, Imitation of Life, Airport) ambitious musical remake of Frank Capra’s 1937 classic film, Lost Horizon is available on DVD now on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s (SPHE) “Columbia Classics” line.  Based on the classic James Hilton novel about a group of plane crash survivors in the utopian world of Shangri-La, the newly-remastered film features music by Burt Bacharach and an all-star cast, including Academy Award^® winner Peter Finch (Best Actor, Network, 1976), two-time Best Actress Oscar^®nominee Liv Ullmann (The Emigrants, 1971; Face to Face, 1976), Oscar nominee Sally Kellerman (Best Supporting Actress, MASH, 1970), George Kennedy (Airport, Earthquake), Michael York (Cabaret, Austin Powers trilogy), Olivia Hussey (Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet), James Shigeta (Bridge to the Sun, Flower Drum Song), four-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Charles Boyer (Conquest, 1937; Algiers, 1938; Gaslight, 1944; Fanny, 1961) and Academy Award winner John Gielgud (Best Supporting Actor, Arthur, 1981).

This fully restored extended version, with a length of 149 minutes, includes deleted musical numbers not previously seen and sequences restored from the original roadshow version of the film, featuring a newly remixed 5.1 stereo soundtrack.  Also included in this sought-after DVD release are original song demos performed by Burt Bacharach (with photo gallery) and special vintage featurettes.   

Consumers can purchase this high-quality DVD with exclusive bonus features at Amazon, Warner Archive (wbshop.com) or Critics’ Choice Video (CCVideo.com). Lost Horizon (1973) will retail for $20.95 SLP, plus shipping.

Synopsis

When a group of passengers survive a plane crash in the Himalayas they end up in the mystical world of Shangri-La, an idyllic oasis where art, culture and the knowledge of the world are treasured. In Shangri-La, the survivors learn about beauty, peace and serenity – and, for some, true love.

“Academy Award^®” and “Oscar^®” are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) company.  SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation.  SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries.  Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

Many of you have been asking questions about this release throughout

this thread.  I posed those questions to Grover Crisp, Executive VP of

Asset Management, Film Restoration & Digital Mastering at Sony Pictures.

I would like to thank Mr. Crisp for taking the time to address the concerns

of the HTF membership.

Here are his responses:

Q - The new DVD was released mono, but the press release indicated a new 5.1.  What happened?

A - Quite frankly, I still don’t know how it happened, except that somewhere in the manufacturing chain there was a mix-up and the wrong audio file was encoded.   An honest mistake, but one that is obviously embarrassing and for which we apologize.  The problem has been rectified now and as of last week all new discs manufactured have the correct 5.1 and anyone who wants a replacement can exchange it at the point of sale.   All sellers should be aware of this. 

Q – Is this the stereo from the old laser disc?

A – No, this is new.

Q – Much has been made of this not being the original roadshow edition of the film.

A – Well, it isn’t the original roadshow version and there has been no claim on our part that it is.   The original press release you posted on HTF, and on the disc itself, refers to it as a “fully restored extended version” and the reason for that is that we knew it was not the most complete and original “roadshow” version.   What it is, however, is the longest version we could put together.  James Owsley on my staff oversaw this restoration and did a great job, and this is a bona fide restoration in any usual technical sense of that word, and James left no stone unturned in an effort to create the most complete version we could.   This meant finding the original negative cuts on all the footage that is now back in the film.   We did not want to replicate the previous, somewhat shorter release by using workprint.  That worked then and I know fans appreciated that at the time (and now), but we wanted it to be as authentic as we could make it and felt the film, and fans of the film, deserved that extra effort.  So, this was about a year and a half of solid research, lab work and piecing everything together to get it this complete.   We were aware of every single possible thing that could have been included, which is much discussed, and if it is not there, it is because we just didn’t have it.   Therefore, extended version, not roadshow version.

Q – Some people may claim that you do have, or should have, everything else, but didn’t use it.

A – As I’ve said, we’ve left no stone unturned.  We have no reason to hold back any material, and despite what others might think or suggest, every effort has been made to  create the longest version of the film possible.  After all, for a MOD title, I thought SPHE went well beyond what any fan of this film probably would have thought would ever happen, including all the added value content.   We were especially pleased that Burt Bacharach contributed his original demo recordings, for instance.

If you would like to make comments regarding the answers received here, please join this thread already in progress