The Land that Time Forgot *** (1974, Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon, Keith Barron) – Classic Movie Review 6222

Director Kevin Connor’s decent 1974 British World War One fantasy adventure yarn The Land that Time Forgot has the traditional obligatory minor American film star Doug McClure at the helm as the hero Bowen Tyler. It also stars John McEnery as Captain Von Schoenvorts, Susan Penhaligon as Lisa Clayton and Keith Barron as Bradley.

James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock’s screenplay is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’s 1924 fantasy novel about Germans and the Allied survivors they have picked up in a German U-boat submarine accidentally finding an unknown land called Caprona in South America. There, volcanoes, neanderthals and dinosaurs still rule the Earth.

Cue some reasonable special effects, attractive locations, handsome sets, eager performances, a workmanlike script and capable direction. The perennially likeable McClure makes an appealing hero. That is quite a good result, really.

The Land that Time Forgot is filmed on Skye, Scotland; Tenerife, on the Canary Islands, Spain; and at Shepperton Studios, Surrey, England.

This Amicus produced film was popular and a sequel was called for in 1977: The People that Time Forgot. Doug McClure returned in 1976 in a different role for Amicus’s At the Earth’s Core and again in 1977 for the direct sequel to The Land that Time Forgot, The People that Time Forgot.

Also in the cast are Anthony Ainley, Godfrey James, Bobby Parr, Declan Mulholland, Colin Farrell (born on 6 December 1938 in London), Ben Howard, Roy Holder, Ron Pember, Grahame Mallard, Andrew Lodge, Brian Hall, Peter Sproule and Steve James.

It is shot in Technicolor by Alan Hume, produced by John Dark, Samuel Z Arkoff and Max Rosenberg, and scored by Douglas Gamley, with special effects by Derek Meddings and Roger Dicken and production designs by Maurice Carter.

Connor recalled: ‘Doug was especially good in fight scenes due to his hours of American TV action films. He was always co-operative and came up with many ideas.’

McClure originally turned Amicus down, so they signed Stuart Whitman instead but, when American International Pictures came on board as co-financers, studio boss Samuel Z Arkoff agreed to finance only if it starred McClure, who then agreed to star.

John McEnery’s voice as Von Schoenvorts was dubbed in post-production by German-born actor Anton Diffring.

The dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are puppets, and the U-boat and ships are models. Connor said: ‘The reason we went for the hand puppets was for a more fluid look. Roger Dicken, who created the dinosaurs, did such fine details and had the movement down so well.’

Among the creatures are the Allosaurus, Triceratops, Styracosaurus, Polacanthus, Diplodocus, Ceratosaurus, Pterodactyl, Plesiosaurus and Mosasaurus.

Amicus’s rival studio Hammer had already had hits with One Million Years BC and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth.

Doug McClure (May 11, 1935 –February 5, 1995).

Keith Barron (1934–2017).

RIP much loved Brit acting stalwart Keith Barron, who died on 15 November 2017, aged 83.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6222

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