Search - The Land That Time Forgot/The People That Time Forgot on DVD

Two films that the public forgot.

Matthew C. Lupoli | North Haven, CT United States | 02/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"PLOT:
The Land That Time Forgot (1975): The story begins in June of 1916. World War I is raging on land as well as in the water. A German submarine controlled by Captain Von Schoenvorts (John McEnery) spots a British warship and torpedos it. Two of the survivors are Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure) and Lisa Clayton (Susan Penhaligon), civilians. Pretty soon they discover that some of the British officers survived as well, including Captain Bradley (Keith Barron). The survivors watch the submarine come out of the water and devise a plan to hijack it. They row the lifeboats over to the sub and successfully take the German crew hostage. Tyler commands the crew to sail due West to the United States. After 6 days, no land turns up. Tyler discovers that the Germans placed a magnet next to the compass, and that they had really been traveling south for 6 days. This means they are actually near South America. They find an island surrounded on all sides by ice and rock. The only way in is through an underwater cave. Captain Von Schoenvorts believes this to be a legendary island known as "Caprona". The two crews realize that on this island, the war means nothing. They decide to put their differences aside, cooperate with each other, and explore the island. Once inside the island, the crews realize that Caprona is a lost world of dinosaurs and cavemen. The biggest question is, "Will they get out alive?"

The People That Time Forgot (1977): Tyler's message in a bottle is found off of the coast of Scotland at the end of 1917. A year later, an expedition is formed to find Tyler and the island of Caprona. The expedition includes Tyler's boyhood friend Maj. Ben McBride (Patrick Wayne), Lady Charlotte Cunningham (Sarah Douglas), Dr. Edwin Norfolk (Thorley Walters), and pilot Hogan (Shane Rimmer). They take a ship to the island, then fly a plane to get inside it. The plane is attacked by a Pterodactyl and crashes. Hogan stays with the plane to fix it. The other three decide to go off and explore. The explorers see many of the dinosaurs that Tyler described in his letter. They eventually come across a cavegirl named Ajor (Dana Gillespie). Ajor speaks English and tells them that Tyler taught her how to speak it. She also says that Tyler was taken prisoner by a group of mutants. The four travelers then set out to find him, with hopes that he is still alive.

COMMENTS: These two films are based on a trilogy of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan. The storyline is awfully similar to Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World." Both films were directed by Kevin Connor and featured Doug McClure as Bowen Tyler. The special effects are ridiculous by today's standards, but the stories are pretty cool. Look out for a cameo appearance of David Prowse (Darth Vader himself) as the executioner in the second film. These films are great for anyone interested in dinosaur or adventure films. Kevin Connor also directed another Burroughs adaptation called "At The Earth's Core" (1976), the first story of the Pelucidar series. It was released between the other two films and also featured Doug McClure in the starring role. Many people mistake this film for being another sequel, but it is unrelated to the other two films."

Silly Dinos but still fun

Deborah MacGillivray | US & UK | 10/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great double-feature Drive-In fair. The monsters are hokey, but this is still great family type fun. They were done on a shoestring so what do you expect? Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs novel The Land People Forgot has sort of a Lost World premise. Americans and Brits are travelling to South America when they are torpedoed by a German U-Boat. Later the survivors manage to catch up and overtake the submarine. They end up finding a lost continent, before you can say "Is Barney Purple" there are monsters trying to make lunch out of our explorers. Instead, they make Barney Burgers. Then they find T-Tex, cavemen and all sorts of adventures. However, Doug McClure (Travis of The Virginian) and Susan Penhaligon are left behind in the final brouhaha, which leaves the opening for the second movie. The People Time Forgot.

Patrick Wayne and Sarah Douglas star in the second film. It has the feel of the second Planet of the Apes where they come to find what happened to Chuck-baby. This time Wayne and Douglas are flying into the island to see if they can find McClure and Penhaligon. There is more monster chompings, a sexy gal in a One Million Years B.C. costume that says she knows McClure and can lead them to him. It's a race of time to keep away from the bad guys and find McClure before the whole bloody isle goes BOOM!

So pop the popcorn, turn out the lights and pretend you are at a Drive-In. They play better!"

Better than you think

movie hound john | 12/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i watched these films as a kid and loved them. sure they are a little dated in the fx but these movies both have a heart and do just what a movie should do,make you enjoy them as you watch them. no they don't have a deep message,but sometimes you just need to sit back pop some popcorn and get lost in "the land that time forgot" go on and enjoy!!!!!!"

McClure...For Sure!!

Stanley Runk | Camp North Pines | 08/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Land That Time Forgot is a pretty cool movie. Sure, it may seem silly these days when everyone has seen Jurassic Park and a bunch of other CGI creatures in various flicks(not that CGI looks very real either, it's just better at showing fluid movement). So, yes, the puppet dinosaurs in this film will probably get a few chuckles from you. That's all part of the fun though. The story is pretty cool. The whole idea of a hidden island stuck in prehistoric times is an interesting one. The story takes place during WWI, where fueding British and German naval officers have to band together to survive and get off the island, which looks to be somewhere in the arctic. And what better man to have with you on an island of dinosaurs and hostile neanderthals than Doug McClure? Highly recommended and fun. Midnite Movie indeed! The People That Time Forgot follows a rescue mission to find Doug McClure(he had put a message in a bottle and thrown it into the sea where it conveniently ended up on British shores and into the hands of McClure's buddy). This search party consists of Patrick Wayne taking over hero duties(he's no McClure, that's for sure), an English professor(with cane), B movie queen Sarah Douglas(with the worst Princess Leia hairdo you've ever seen) and a supersexy cavewoman who's too hot and well groomed to be believable as a neanderthal. Basically this is all thrown together as an excuse to rehash the events of the first film. McClure's character has apparently taught the entire island how to speak english, including the villans! So now we don't have to bother with subtitles. The evil tribe of humans seems way more evolved than any kind of cro-magnon society. They wear armor, use swords and ride horses. They look like the Juns from the Beastmaster crossed with samurais. McClure gets his cameo when our heroes reach the Mountain Of Skulls(scary) and find him prisoner. They stage a jailbreak that would make Thin Lizzy proud and try to escape before the volcano erupts and destroys everything(again). More fun with rubber dinosaurs and miniatures. Well worth your time if you like your movies a little bad. See it before they remake it."