"Lost Horizon"

Malice in Wonderland has recently been obsessed with 'Lost Horizon'. Maybe it's my general disillusionment with politics (election looming in the UK), wars in the middle east, recession etc etc etc ad infinitum.

'Lost Horizon' was written in 1933 by James Hilton, and was soon made into a tremendously moving film just four years later by Frank Capra. Usually, I find Capra's films saccharine and unbearable, but there's something incredibly pertinent and poignant about the message of this film, which was made when World War II was brewing.

The concept of finding inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La, whose inhabitants enjoy unheard-of longevity, is especially appealing today - more so than ever before perhaps.

The film was re-made in the 1970's as a musical, with songs penned by Burt Bacharach. The soundtrack is great, and contained some real gems. It's a shame the film was shunned just because musicals had lost mainstream popularity by this stage. Here's one of my favourite songs, sung by one of my favourite singers, Richard Harris: