The People That Time Forgot (1977)

The People That Time Forgot is a 1977 adventure fantasy film based on the novel The People That Time Forgot (1963) and Out of Time's Abyss (1963) by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Filmed in Technicolor, it was produced by Britain's Amicus Productions and directed by Kevin Connor. Like Connor's other two Burroughs-derived films, The Land That Time Forgot and At the Earth's Core, the film was distributed in the United States by American International Pictures. It is the last film made by Amicus before the production company folded.

The film is a direct sequel to The Land That Time Forgot, which initiated the series in 1974. The story follows a rescue expedition, led by Patrick Wayne in search of his friend, played by Doug McClure, who had vanished many years before. The expedition lands on Caprona, the same fantastic prehistoric land where dinosaurs and barbarian tribes of men co-exist.

Plot

Major Ben McBride organises a mission to the Antarctic wastes to search for his friend Bowen Tyler who has been missing in the region for several years. A British naval survey ship takes them to Caprona. McBride's party: the paleontologist Norfolk, gunner and mechanic Hogan and photographer Lady Charlotte 'Charlie' Cunningham fly over the mountain wall of Caprona in an amphibious aircraft, but are attacked by a fierce giant pterodactylus and forced down.

They find themselves in a world populated by primitive warriors and prehistoric creatures, all of whom they must evade in order to get back safely to their ship. They meet a cave-girl, Ajor, who can speak English (she was taught by Tyler); she leads them to the land of a race of samurai-like warriors called the Nargas, who are keeping Tyler prisoner. When the volcano that the Nargas worship erupts, they must escape the cataclysm engulfing the land. Tyler sacrifices himself to cover their retreat.

Cast

Patrick Wayne as Ben McBride

Doug McClure as Bowen Tyler

Sarah Douglas as Lady Charlotte "Charly" Cunningham

Dana Gillespie as Ajor

Thorley Walters as Norfolk

Shane Rimmer as Hogan

Tony Britton as Captain Lawton

John Hallam as Chung-Sha

David Prowse as Executioner

Milton Reid as Sabbala

Kiran Shah as Bolum

Richard LeParmentier as Lieutenant Whitby

Jimmy Ray as Lieutenant Graham

Production

According to Kevin Connor, Amicus Productions wanted to follow At the Earth's Core with an adaptation of the John Carter of Mars stories, but could not afford the rights, so they made this sequel instead.

Although the film was made by Amicus Productions, the company folded before it was released, meaning AIP took sole credit.

Critical reception

Time Out commented: "A lame sequel to Connor's earlier Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation, The Land That Time Forgot, which was at least occasionally lively"; the Radio Times called it an "OK sequel," but a "constipated confection" with "ludicrous mechanised dinosaurs and hopeless acting from an interesting cast." The reviewer however, found that "A few shots, composed around celebrated fantasy illustrations, compensate for all the film's shortcomings"; and critic Derek Winnert similarly opined "the monsters and special effects are below par," but "there are effective moments, and there is some curiosity value in seeing singer Dana Gillespie playing Ajor"; while Blu-ray.com thought the film "may not be the most polished effort around, but there's fun to be had with its crazy dino encounters."

See also

List of films featuring dinosaurs

References

External links

The People That Time Forgot at IMDb

The People That Time Forgot at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

The People That Time Forgot at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Eccentric Cinema – Review