The Lost World (1925 film)
First feature-length film with stop motion dinosaurs.
The Lost World is a 1925 American silent adventure film blending fantasy and giant monster elements. Directed by Harry O. Hoyt and penned by Marion Fairfax, it adapts Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel of the same name. The picture was produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a major Hollywood studio of the era, and stars Wallace Beery as Professor Challenger. Its groundbreaking stop-motion special effects were crafted by Willis O’Brien, whose later work would include *King Kong* (1933). In 1998, the Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Due to its age, the film is now in the public domain.
- Release year
- 1925
- Country
- United States
- Director
- Harry O. Hoyt
- Writer
- Marion Fairfax
- Star
- Wallace Beery
- Special effects
- Willis O'Brien
- Based on
- Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel
Lore & Background
The Lost World was the first feature-length film made in the United States, possibly the world, to feature model animation as the primary special effect. Willis H. O'Brien combined animated dinosaurs with live-action footage, initially using split screen and later improving his technique to combine both in the same part of the screen. The dinosaurs were based on the artwork of Charles R. Knight. For live action scenes, an open sewer behind the MGM studio in Los Angeles was used as a river. Conan Doyle appears in a frontispiece to the film, absent from some extant prints, and frequently mentioned that Professor Challenger, not Sherlock Holmes, was his favorite character among his creations.
Reader's Guide
The Lost World received acclaim and holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews. In 1922, Conan Doyle screened O'Brien's test reel to the Society of American Magicians, including Harry Houdini; the next day The New York Times ran a front-page article calling the monsters 'extraordinarily lifelike.' The film premiered at the Astor Theatre in New York City on February 2, 1925, and in April 1925 became the first film shown to airline passengers on a London-Paris flight. It is the first dinosaur-oriented film hit and led to other dinosaur films, from King Kong to the Jurassic Park series. Michael Crichton's sequel to Jurassic Park was named The Lost World in homage to Doyle's novel and film. The film entered the public domain on January 1, 1954, after its copyright was not renewed.
Did You Know?
- The film was the first feature-length film in the United States, possibly the world, to use stop motion animation as the primary special effect.
- Conan Doyle appeared in a frontispiece to the film, absent from some extant prints.
- In April 1925, The Lost World became the first film shown to airline passengers on a London-Paris flight.
- The film's copyright was renewed in 1952, so it did not enter the public domain on January 1, 1954.
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