A remake of the Lost Horizons

[badlands]

Would this be a good idea for a remake?

[Michael]

It's been done twice and I don't think either movie (1937 or 1973) was considered great. IMDB fans seem to like the 1937 movie better.

It's not easy to do a good movie based on classic literature because you usually have to update the story in some way to make it interesting to the contemporary audience. If the original story incorporates timeless themes then adaptations have a better chance of standing the test of time.

In my opinion, if a movie looks dated when it comes out that is a sign that it won't survive the test of time very well. It's the difference between watching a movie that you know was made in the 1970s and watching a great movie that is set in the 1970s. If the story draws the audience in and makes them believe in it then it could be very successful.

Take "Little Women", which has been done on film three times and on television at least once or twice. That is a classic story that studios keep coming back to. And the 1994 movie was pretty darned good. It's still (in my opinion) very watchable today.

I'm not drawn to the whole "Shangri-La" theme. It has been lampooned and drawn into so many other stories that its value has been diluted. The last film adaptation that I can think of was "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". It had been relegated to a stopping point in the journey, far removed from being the point of the journey.