The Land That Time Forgot (film)

The Land That Time Forgot
Year	1974
Directed by	Kevin Connor
Produced by	John Dark Samuel Z. Arkoff (uncredited) Milton Subotsky Max Rosenberg
Written by	Michael Moorcock James Cawthorn Edgar Rice Burroughs (novel)
Music by	Douglas Gamley
Studio	American International Pictures Amicus Productions
Cast	John McEnery Doug McClure Susan Penhaligon Keith Barron Bobby Parr Declan Mulholland
Run time	90 minutes
Riffed in	1107 - The Land That Time Forgot

For the episode, see MST3K 1107 - The Land That Time Forgot.

The Land That Time Forgot is a 1974 science fantasy film produced by Britain's Amicus Productions. It was directed by Kevin Connor and stars Doug McClure, John McEnery, and Susan Penhaligon.

It was filmed in Technicolor, and is based on the 1918 fantasy novel The Land The Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The screenplay was written by James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock. The original music score was composed by Douglas Gamley.

The film premiered in America on the August 13, 1975.

Plot

During World War I, in an unknown location, a bottle is thrown into the sea. Floating to the coast of England, it is discovered by a sailor, who opens it and discovers a manuscript that tells of the adventures of Bowen Tyler, which he begins to read:

A German U-boat sinks a British ship with few survivors. Tyler and a woman named Lisa Clayton are found by a small group of the ship's crew. When they observe the U-boat surfacing, Tyler persuades the crew to overthrow the Germans and take the ship. Tyler takes command, hoping to sail to an American port. The ship's captain, Von Schoenvorts, has his crew steer toward a safe sea port. But German officer Dietz gets loose and smashes the sub's radio.

Off course and running out of fuel in the South Atlantic, the U-boat and its crew happen upon an uncharted sub-continent called Caprona, a fantastical land of lush vegetation where dinosaurs still roam, co-existing with primitive man. There are also reserves of oil which, if the Germans and British can work together, can be refined and enable their escape from the island.

Tyler discovers the secret of Caprona: individuals evolve not through natural selection, but by migrating northward across the island. They manage to get the submarine working again, but a sudden outbreak of volcanic eruptions across the island complicates their plans. Dietz starts a mutiny and shoots Captain von Schoenvorts to take command. Dietz abandons Tyler and Clayton in Caprona in an attempt to escape, but the U-boat cannot function in the boiling waters and the crew is killed as the ship sinks. Tyler and Clayton are stranded and, being the only survivors of their group, are forced to move northwards. With little hope of rescue, Tyler throws the bottle containing the manuscript into the sea.

Cast

• Doug McClure - Bowen Tyler
• John McEnery - Captain Von Schoenvorts
• Susan Penhaligon - Lisa Clayton
• Keith Barron - Bradley
• Anthony Ainley - Dietz
• Godfrey James - Borg
• Bobby Parr - Ahm
• Declan Mulholland - Olson

Notes

• A sequel, The People That Time Forgot was produced in 1977, also directed by Kevin Connor and starring Doug McClure.
• The cast also includes an actor named Colin Farrell (born in 1938). This is not the same person as the Irish actor Colin Farrell (born in 1976) who appeared in such films as Daredevil, SWAT, and In Bruges.
• Special effects supervisor David Meddings had previously done effects work for the Doctor Who serial "Invasion of the Dinosaurs". The dinosaur effects in it are regarded by Doctor Who fans as some of the most abysmal effects work in the show's history.
• Ostensibly set in the 1910s (the same timeframe in which the novel was published), it may be worthwhile to note that the German U-Boat crew are not Nazis.
• Burroughs' novel was adapted into a another film (produced by The Asylum) in 2009.
• The discussion that takes place between Captain Von Schoenvorts and Lisa Clayton is the same debate about the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner that a German submarine sank during World War I. The German government claimed that the sinking was justified because the Lusitania was carrying supplies that could be used in the war effort (in addition to the many civilians on board).

MST3K Connections

• Director Kevin Connor was also director for At the Earth's Core.
• Source material writer Edgar Rice Burroughs was also source material writer for At the Earth's Core.
• Doug McClure also portrayed Hank Fairbanks in SST- Death Flight and David Innes in At the Earth's Core.
• Keith Barron also portrayed Dowsett in At the Earth's Core.
• Godfrey James also portrayed Ghak in At the Earth's Core.
• Bobby Parr also portrayed a Sagoth chief in At the Earth's Core.
• Andrew Lodge (Reuther) also portrayed Grasshopper in Cosmic Princess.
• Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff was also executive producer for The Amazing Colossal Man, It Conquered the World, Earth vs the Spider, Teenage Cave Man, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, War of the Colossal Beast, Gunslinger, The Incredible Melting Man, Day the World Ended, Terror from the Year 5000, The She-Creature, and Squirm, as well as producer for Bride of the Monster, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Reptilicus, The Time Travelers, At the Earth's Core, and Circus of Horrors.
• Producer John Dark was also producer for At the Earth's Core.
• Producer Max Rosenberg was also executive producer for The Incredible Melting Man and producer for The Deadly Bees and At the Earth's Core.
• Producer Milton Subotsky was also producer for The Deadly Bees and At the Earth's Core (for which he was also writer).
• Cinematographer Alan Hume was also cinematographer for At the Earth's Core.
• Production designer Maurice Carter was also production designer for At the Earth's Core.
• Assistant makeup artist Robin Grantham was also chief makeup artist for At the Earth's Core.
• Dubbing mixer Bob Jones was also dubbing mixer for Phase IV.
• Sound mixer George Stephenson was also sound mixer for At the Earth's Core.
• Special effects supervisor Derek Meddings was also director of special effects for Invaders from the Deep and Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars.
• Special effects technician Brian Smithies was also special effects technician for Phase IV.
• Process photographer Charles Staffell also did process photography for At the Earth's Core.
• Stuntman Joe Powell was also stunt arranger for At the Earth's Core.
• Camera operator Derek V. Browne was also camera operator for At the Earth's Core.
• Camera focus Mike Frift was also camera focus for At the Earth's Core.
• Continuity supervisor Doreen Soan was also continuity supervisor for Cosmic Princess and At the Earth's Core.
• Anton Diffring (dub voice for Captain Von Schoenvorts) also portrayed Dr. Bernard Schüler in Circus of Horrors.

Critical Response

• Leonard Maltin wrote: "Two-and-a-half stars. ... not bad as adventure yarn, but special effects (dinosaurs, volcanic eruption) are not convincing."