British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash land in the Himalayas, and are rescued by the people of the mysterious, Eden-like valley of Shangri-la. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-la provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.
Capra adapts James Hilton's Utopian novel with grace and beauty.
It's so nice to be able to see something resembling the original vision Capra had for this story, the wonders of science gives us a cracking restoration to enjoy at our want.
Robert Conway is a British diplomat who helps a group of people (one his younger brother) escape from a Chinese revolution in a passenger plane, all doesn't go to plan, though, as the plane has been skyjacked and is heading into the Himalayas, and Tibet. The plane crash lands due to the pilot becoming stricken, and after the passengers get out they are greeted by a party of people belonging to the Valley Of The Blue Moon, to which is a beautiful and peaceful world known as Shangri-La.
Shangri-La is gorgeous, there is no illness there, no war or hostility, the landscape is paradise on earth, people live far longer than is deemed possible in the outside world, it is utopia in everyone's wildest dreams. Here Conway and the group, after initial scepticism, come to love the place and have no desire to leave this haven that is shut off from the outside world. That is, all except the younger Conway (George), and as is always the case in large social communities, cracks begin to emerge and questions remain unanswered.
The film has a wonderful dreamy quality about it, it's filmed firmly with romantic fantasy intention, and the quality of the production really helps to emphasise this intriguing story. The sets are gorgeous, the music is perfectly on tempo throughout, and the acting is top notch, while the love Capra had for the topic is evident in every frame. Thankfully all of the great work on the film has the story to match, and it's the story, and the subsequent turn of events in the last third, that is ultimately the film's crowning glory. Magical. 9/10
