70s Films Header Image

The Land That Time Forgot

The Land That Time Forgot – 1975
Director
Kevin Connor

Writers
Edgar Rice Burroughs – novel
James Cawthorn
Michael Moorcock

Music
Douglas Gamley

 

Cast
Doug McClure, Keith Barron,
John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon,
Anthony Ainley, Declan Mulholland

Review by John Rouse Merriott Chard

The Adventure You will Never Forget!

The Land That Time Forgot is directed by Kevin Connor and adapted to screenplay by Michael Moorcock & James Cawthorn from the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel of the same name. It stars Doug McClure, Keith Barron, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon, Anthony Ainley and Declan Mulholland. Music is by Douglas Gamley and cinematography by Alan Hume. It is the first of four feature films featuring the pairing of director Kevin Connor and actor Doug McClure. Story is set during World War I and sees an uneasy alliance formed between enemies on board a German U-Boat after it drifts for miles and lands in a lost world of dinosaurs and cavemen.

Rationale goes out the window, as does any hope of quality thesping, in the sort of cheese laden creature feature that thrilled many a child back in the mid to late 1970’s. Film was enough of a success that it spawned three more films of the same ilk; At the Earth’s Core (1976), The People That Time Forgot (1977) and Warlords of Atlantis (1978). Of the four, this is the one that arguably has the most about it in terms of plotting and character development. Certainly it’s the biggest budgeted of the four. In fact for the first third of the picture it’s distinctly un-child friendly, as story focuses on characters from opposite sides of the war clashing on board the U-Boat after the torpedoing of the ship housing the allies. But once the boat reaches arctic climes and wades thru to the sunnier “other side”, it’s all prehistoric puppets, fisticuffs and square jawed heroics from McClure. Ultimately a fun boys own adventure without sensible trappings.

Not as outrageously fun as At the Earth’s Core, but a decent launching pad for the 70’s creature feature niche created by Connor and McClure. 6.5/10

Share it now

70s Films

A tour through the great and not so great films of the seventies The seventies saw a huge change in styles and genres from the advent of the slasher horror movies like Halloween and the blockbuster summers films started by Jaws. More...

Join the Discussion

Register now & join in the discussions, this will allow you to add your own comments, memories, photographs and stories to our ever growing website dedicated to the Seventies. Simply sign up using your Facebook, Twitter, Linked In or Google+ Account

Your API connection setting not working. try to change setting from module option or check your php.ini setting for (cURL support = enabled OR allow_url_fopen = On)

Like this Film ? Share it now