MovieChat Forums > The Lost Continent (1968) Discussion > Wonderfully quirky film.

Wonderfully quirky film.

posted 17 years ago by Invariable Self
8 replies | jump to latest

I can understand why people might not like this film. The acting is a bit lame and the sci-fi effects are cheesy B-movie. But I think one has to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy its overall strangeness. It's sort of like "Ship of Fools" meets Jules Verne on LSD. I think repeated viewings are necessary to appreciate it's quirky charm. I'm glad there is now a uncensored dvd release.

I gave this film 8/10, but then again I remember first seeing it on late-night television years ago as a kid, so maybe I have a sentimental spot for it (as a 12 year old, I especially remember liking the big-breasted woman).

I.S. Oxford

"The books have nothing to say!"
-- Fahrenheit 451

[–] gnome-5 16 years ago

I saw this at a drive-in along with Escape From the Planet of the Apes and The Valley of Gwangi -- now there's a night of entertainment! I would have been 12 or 13 at the time. Even then it struck me just how aggressively weird it was. It's like three movies in one: the troubled voyage, the life raft adventure, and then, the Spanish Inquisition, each one wilder than the last.

[–] infinata-1 15 years ago

This is a great film ! A cult classic from long, long ago !!!

[–] onnanob2 15 years ago

I have mixed feelings for "The Lost Continent," but the good outweighs the bad. I wish I would have seen this one when I was a kid! I would have loved it, lol.

[–] Sheriff_Of_Nottingham 15 years ago

The yellow sky, man eating sea weed, Spainish pirates. Very bizarre, indeed.

[–] scotbpens 14 years ago

. . .(as a 12 year old, I especially remember liking the big-breasted woman).

Yes, Dana Gillespie had some rather prominent assets, you might say. She's better known as a singer, songwriter and musician who at one time was the girlfriend of pop-folk singer Donovan.

I had a small crush on blonde Suzanna Leigh, who played a man-hungry slut who throws herself at anything wearing pants. Sounds like my kind of girl!

All the universe . . . or nothingness. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?

[–] babettegillette 11 years ago

Retro Horror/Sci-Fi is fun, mostly campy, and escapist. Better than today's genre movies, IMHO.

[–] Wuchak (8103) 3 years ago

Actually it's not campy, unless you're referring to the short giant crab vs. scorpion sequence, which is laughable and should've been omitted or, at least, modified. The human drama, by contrast, is gritty realistic, although amped-up a bit (which most movies do, especially adventure/fantasies like this one).

[–] greenbudgie 9 years ago

I like some of the atmospheric seascapes of the film. It's a pity that this movie descended into pantomime because there is a half decent story here. Hammer weren't any good at this type of movie. But Hammer could create atmosphere, as some parts of this film show.