Enter the land of Caprona filled with dangers like dinosaurs in this B-Movie, B as in Burroughs, The Land That Time Forgot! The 1918 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs was followed The People That Time Forgot (1963) in his trilogy of Caspak novels. This was adapted into a 1977 movie which was the last film from Amicus Productions. The studio was known for low budget horror movies and also two Doctor Who films. Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) was the first time that Dr. Who appeared in color with Peter Cushing playing Dr. Who. The director, Kevin Connor, directed the three adaptations including At the Earth’s Core (1976). Connor also directed a television mini-series that adapted Frankenstein (2004).
The screenplay is by fantasy novelist, Michael Moorcock, who created the swords and sorcery anti-hero, Elric of Melniboné. The other writer is James Cawthorn and this is sole movie credit. The film was adapted into black and white comics form in Marvel Movie Premiere #1 (1975) by Marv Wolfman and Sonny Trinidad. It is streaming on Amazon Prime with a title mix up with the sequel, but just check the release date with the sequel two years later in 1977. All three movies are on Amazon Prime. There is mist as we pan down to sea with a floating capsule. It reaches a bay and then drifts to the rocky shore where the capsule is found by a bearded sailor. He removes pages that tell the story of Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure). The actor is a b-movie and cowboy icon parodied in The Simpsons.You may remember him in such Western shows as The Virginian and also as Wikiki in the surf classic Gidget (1959).
Bowen says that his experiences took place only in the span of three months. We drift to the sea and then back to the beginning. It is June 3, 1916, during World War I, and there is a ship, the S.S. Monstrose, sailing next to a submarine periscope! This is the submarine, U-33, whose crew targets the ship. Captain Von Schoenvorts (John McEnery) has two torpedos fired at the bow of the ship! McEnery played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (1968). The torpedos explode into the ship! The special effects supervisor is Derek Meddings who worked on James Bond films including The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The captain tells Dietz (Anthony Ainley) that the ship was all civilians. Ainley was menacing as The Master who went up against the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who.
There is a lifeboat that we find Bowen Tyler (McClure) with his white sweater and Lisa Clayton (Susan Penhaligon). The actress played Lucy Westenra in the tv movie adaptation, Count Dracula (1977). They hear singing and Bowen calls out them in the mist. A group of sailors including Bradley (Keith Barron) are in another life boat. Barron played Dowsett in the film, At the Earth’s Core. The sailors brings Bowen and Lisa aboard and Bradley says they are the only survivors. Captain Von Schoenvorts orders the submarine to surface. The survivors hear something in the water and Bradley discovers it is a U-Boat. Bowen says they can surprise them coming out of the hatch. It is strange that he is taking charge being familiar with the building of the submarines, he is referred to as commander, but Bradley has the highest rank.
They board the submarine, ready with improvised weapons, at the hatches. Bowen takes the captain prisoner. The group start to take out submariners one by one, but an alarm is activated! It is a struggle with fists and guns taking out the enemy. The action is good hidden by the fog. Bradley drops down the hatch to cover the submariners inside the U-Boat. Bowen is saved by Susan using a Luger on the lifeboat. I like that Susan saves Bowen and the war time action that is not too violent. She is taken aboard and Bowen takes the captain down the hatch. Captain Von Schoenvorts wants to know their plans. Bowen says he will take the sub to a British port. Dietz runs back to sabotage the radio. Bowen orders the captain to make an announcement that he is in control.
Later, at the conning tower Bowen spots a British warship, and Bradley begins signaling it. Instead, the ship fires its cannons at them! The signaling doesn’t work so Bowen orders the U-Boat to dive. The submarine is rocked by the cannon fire! The captain says the sub can only reach 65 meters. There is creaking of the hull when they reach that depth and drop lower! They finally reach the sandy bottom. Later, the U-Boat surfaces and Bowen narrates that they could only reach an American port which is neutral. He tells Bradley that they have been going west for six days with no signs of a ship. Bowen goes to Dietz and says that the compass has been changed. He realizes that they have been going south! In the hold, Bowen looks at a map to find they are near South America.
Captain Von Schoenvorts has a Luger and his men with rifles taking back the sub! He says that there is a supply ship that is close. The captain knocks at his cabin currently occupied by Susan, she wears Bowen’s sweater?, he has come to collect some of his items. Susan says she is a biologist, but admits that she doesn’t understand Captain Von Schoenvorts. He says nature can be destructive. Susan counters that the ship had women and children. The captain says that it also had weapons and ammunition. This is a great scene with some sharp dialogue. Captain Von Schoenvorts orders the periscope lowered and sees the supply ship. Susan sneaks out of the cabin to check on her friends. The submarine surfaces, closeup it looks too much like a model, but another shot moving diagonal, it looks great.
Susan has opened the cabins for Bowen and the others. After taking out a few of the crew members, Bowen looks out of the hatch to see the captain and Dietz signaling the supply ship. He goes down to whisper to Bradley that they are directly pointed to the ship and says they can give them a surprise. For some reason, he doesn’t lock the hatch. Bowen fires two of the torpedoes. Captain Von Schoenvorts is shocked as the ship explodes and then starst to sink. Bowen has a Luger pointed at the captain who says the ship carried food and water. They only have a week of supplies. Bradley says they can go on half rations and drift with the current. Later, Bowen spots icebergs through binoculars. He goes to take the captain out of his cell to meet with him in his cabin. Bowen admits that he needs his help. They have a drink and Captain Von Schoenvorts agrees to help with “No tricks.”
The captain at the conning tower has seen an icy island that he shows to Bowen with the binoculars. Captain Von Schoenvorts brings up Caproni, an Italian navigator, who in 1721, found a “new continent in the South Seas.” He called it Caprona.They have to find a place to land or as Bowen says they will die. Later, sailors pull up a bucket of warm, fresh water with a plant frond. The captain points out a cave-like entrance that holds the river with the fresh water! The submarine submerges to enter the underground tunnel. The underwater scenes are pretty good. Bowen guides them with the periscope. The captain steers them through a maze of tunnels. They grind against a rocky wall, but finally Bowen sees light from above. The U-Boat emerges from a cave covered by tropical plants. Bowen is startled by the jaws of what looks like a plesiosaur! Great effect since it sweeps past very fast.
Bowen opens the hatch and is blinded by the light of this lost world. It has mountains and a forest of prehistoric trees, probably matte painting and miniatures, but still beautiful! Lightning crackles in some clouds surrounding Caprona. The others join him and three pterodactyls, identified by Susan, screech in the sky overhead. Through the binoculars, Captain Von Schoenvorts recognizes a diploducus. Now the creatures are realized through puppets and I don’t have a problem with them since I watched the tv show, Land of the Lost. They are not the stop motion creations of Ray Harryhausen or the CGi dinos of Jurassic Park, but I can forgive these beasties. Don't let effects get in the way of enjoying the adventure. A massive dino has slipped into the river and then rises up to grab a crewmember in its jaws! Again, it is a big dino that looks to be a sculpture at a zoo, but it pulls the man down and pool of blood floats with his boot!
It heads towards the captain who is able to escape down the hatch. The Plesiosaurus turns to Susan who also makes her way into the sub. Bowen is left topside and a rifle is given to him. Olson (Declan Mulholland) joins him to pepper its throat with bullets! The Plesiosaurus collapses onto the deck. Olson brings in a dish of the Plesiosaurus to the claps of the diners! Captain Von Schoevorts suggests to Bowen that the war doesn’t apply in Caprona and that they work together. Bowen asks what happens when they escape and the captain says they will surrender at a neutral port. Then, he asks who will be in command, Captain Von Schoevorts says he will command his men, Bradley is in charge of his men, and Bowen will be a neutral leader in their triumvirate. The captain is very rational. They toast to their alliance. Later, Susan says that she thinks Caprona was a volcano, and Bradley notes that it covers 200 miles. Finally, Bowen orders the U-Boat to stop, and they take a boat to shore.
Captain Von Schoevorts is amazed that the land is like all of the geolocial ages of Earth. Hidden in tall grass are ape-like faces of Neanderthals, very greyish, that watch them! They call themselves Bo-Lu. Bradley finds water that is not full of the parasites that was examined by the captain and Susan. The others carefully watch two Allosaurus Dinos, they really look Land of the Lost here, in the trees while the Neaderthals sneak up behind them! They make their attack, but an Allosaurus’ roar drives them back! Bowen carries away one of the wounded Neanderthals. The two Allosauruses attack, they do look like museum toys, and the crew shoots them with rifles. One slumps down, it looks almost stop motion, under the gunfire. Then, the other. They look at the Kaiju sized bodies slowly twitching. Captain Von Schoevorts says that their brains can’t register the bullet hits so they keep attacking before dying. The neanderthal (Bobby Parr) revives and tries to run, Bowen catches him, and he points to himself and says, “Ahm.” He really reminds me of Chaka and the Pakuni. The Land that Time Forgot is a fun adventure, with war time struggles, a lost land with dinosaurs and a hero in Doug McClure!
Five Binoculars out of Five!
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