The Lost City of Z (2016) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

Based on author David Granns nonfiction bestseller, The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as savages, the determined Fawcett supported by his devoted wife (Sienna Miller), son (Tom Holland) and aide de camp (Robert Pattinson) returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925.

Storyline: The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as "savages," the determined Fawcett - supported by his devoted wife, son and aide de camp returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson, July 16, 2017 Although The Lost City of Z is the first of James Gray's six features to be set outside New York, it's actually his third period piece, following the late eighties Brooklyn crime drama We Own the Night (2007) and 1920s Ellis Island as it's represented in The Immigrant (2013). Geographically, Lost City's Amazon is far removed from the immigrant communities Gray portrayed in his films set in the upper East. Stylistically, however, Gray's latest displays the same precise use of light and dark shadows as his other work, only this time Gray relied primarily on firelight for evening shots. Lost City was initially developed back in 2010 when executive producer Brad Pitt sent Gray a copy of David Grann's 2009 nonfiction book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. Gray read it quickly and was immediately captivated by the journey of British explorer Lieut. Col. Percy Fawcett to find an ancient civilization. Pitt was going to star as Fawcett but after ongoing conversations with Gray, the two decided it should be played by a Brit. Benedict Cumberbatch tentatively agreed to play the main role but complications arose when his wife got pregnant and production was ready to start. The role eventually went to New Castle native Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, Sons of Anarchy).

The movie begins around the turn of the century with Fawcett leading a British Army Barracks across the Irish countryside in Cork for a game hunt. Here Gray foreshadows the dichotomous relationship between civility and cruelty that will ensue between Western European explorers and the indigenous peoples whose land and customs will be exploited. The British soldiers are dressed in freshly starched fatigues and appear stout if not regal on horseback. Although the shots of landscapes first seem beautiful, Gray turns the milieu into a rough and rugged terrain. The soldiers gallop their way briskly to their prey, firing on the elk. Upon returning home, Percy and his loving wife, Nina (Sienna Miller), attend a lavish gala for the archduke featuring dignitaries and statesmen. Although the Fawcetts are fairly well off, Percy yearns to move up the class ladder at least one big step. Fawcett gets his chance to gain more fame but in an unexpected way. He is invited to the the Royal Geographical Society where its President, Sir George Goldie (Ian McDiarmid), gives him the assignment of traveling to South America to discover the lost city of Zed or "Z" where an ancient tribe and gold may lie. Gray compresses Fawcett's eight expeditions into three to accommodate the film's 141-minute run time and three-act structure. Aboard the S.S. Panama vessel on the Atlantic, Fawcett meets bespectacled and bearded Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson), who becomes his aide-de-camp and confidant. Along with guides and porters, Fawcett and Costin make their first trip into Amazonia where they are ambushed on a boat by a spate of arrows fired on land by a local tribe.

The Lost City of Z is a sumptuously photographed epic that was shot on location in Belfast, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and Rio Don Diego (the latter two set in the jungles and rivers of Magdalena, Colombia.) Viewers expecting a more conventional story in which the hero reaps material glory from his quest will be disappointed. The film is essentially about Fawcett's fledgling interest to understand "the other world" and its inhabitants. While the real-life Fawcett was a racist, he was not without sympathy for the natives and sought to learn about their ways of life. Gray shows how Fawcett's growing obsession with locating the lost city takes a toll on his family. Nina scolds him for not asking her enough about how she's doing or what she's been up to. When he comes off the ship, Fawcett is confronted by his young boy Jack who asks his father if he knows that this is indeed his son. As Jack grows older, he rebukes his dad for not being there for Nina and her children. Percy Fawcett acquires a sobering outlook on life when he goes off to fight in the Great War and the cataclysmic Battle of the Somme. Using vast historical research he consulted at the Imperial War Museums in London as well as Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory as a visual template, Gray stages harrowing scenes of soldiers in the trenches and their protracted attempts to advance through enemy lines. Rather than use a Steadicam for the handheld work, Gray employs a dolly to depict the soliders' progression and movements. Instead of donning his gas mask as Costin tells him, Fawcett fights on and is exposed to chlorine gas, which renders him blind for a year. Seeing his father in a most feeble position on a hospital bed, Jack Fawcett (now a young man and played by Tom Holland) knows that his dad cannot venture out anytime soon and realizes it's time to become closer to him. Jack starts acting likes his old man, shooting rabbits with his rifle and developing a keen curiosity for the lost city. Gray uses the third act as an act of atonement for Percy. He and Jack will travel to the Amazon together along a path that will serve as a road of redemption for father and son.

The Lost City of Z is likely the most difficult film James Gray has yet to make and the New York filmmaker amply demonstrates that he is more than capable of producing movies other than crime thrillers and romantic dramas. Broad Green Pictures' transfer faithfully replicates the way I saw the picture in the cinema. The real standout is the lossless audio, which unrestrainedly recreates the way the jungles are supposed to sound in Colombia. Gray's commentary is essential listening but the rest of the extras are extremely brief featurettes. One hopes that there will be a deluxe special edition someday but this BD still comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[CSW] -1.3- This is a film well-acted, true to the period in settings, costumes and props. That's about it. While it is well known that the indigenous people were not (and still are not) highly regarded by the more "advanced" cultures, but over-glamorizes, over-romanticizes and over-politicizes indigenous people isn't the answer either. It speculates and embellishes largely on the sad fate of a lower-class British soldier-explorer, Percy Fawcett and his son Jack, obsessed with finding an ancient "advanced" lost city in the virgin Amazon jungle. With no conclusion and a subplot of unjust persecution for a variety of reasons, class, wealth, achievements, and family heritage just to name a few, this turns out to be two and a half hours struggling to survive with no reward. I just didn't get the sense of exploration from that struggle, try as I might.
[V-A] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box


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