The Lost City of Z (film)
{{Short description|2016 American film directed by James Gray}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Lost City of Z
| image = The Lost City of Z (film).png
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = James Gray
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Dede Gardner
- Jeremy Kleiner
- Anthony Katagas
- James Gray
- Dale Armin Johnson
}}
| screenplay = James Gray
| based_on = {{Based on|The Lost City of Z
2009 book|David Grann}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| music = Christopher Spelman
| cinematography = Darius Khondji
| editing = {{Plainlist|
- {{ill|John Axelrad|qid=Q132529101|short=yes}}
- Lee Haugen
}}
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Plan B Entertainment
- Sierra Pictures
- MICA Entertainment
- Northern Ireland Screen
- Keep Your Head Productions
- MadRiver Pictures
}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
}}
| released = {{Film date|2016|10|15|NYFF|2017|4|14|United States}}
| runtime = 141 minutes{{cite web |url=https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/the-lost-city-of-z |title=The Lost City of Z (2017) |publisher=AMC Theatres |access-date=June 11, 2017 |archive-date=July 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713101345/https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/the-lost-city-of-z |url-status=live }}
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $30 million{{cite web |url=http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18661234.html |title='The Lost City of Z': 5 choses à savoir sur l'aventure amazonienne de James Gray |publisher=AlloCiné |author=Laurent Schenck |date=2017-03-15 |access-date=2017-05-08 |language=fr |archive-date=2017-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318134316/http://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18661234.html |url-status=dead }}
| gross = $19.3 million{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thelostcityofz.htm |title=The Lost City of Z (2017) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=July 22, 2018 |archive-date=October 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017154820/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=thelostcityofz.htm |url-status=live }}
}}
The Lost City of Z is a 2016 American epic biographical adventure drama film written and directed by James Gray, based on the 2009 book of the same name by David Grann.{{cite magazine |first=Michael |last=Fleming |date=December 9, 2009 |title=James Gray, Brad Pitt find lost city |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997141.html |magazine=Variety |access-date=August 12, 2015}} It portrays British explorer Percy Fawcett, who was sent to Brazil and made several attempts to find a supposed ancient lost city in the Amazon.{{cite magazine |last=Biello |first=David |date=August 28, 2008 |title=Ancient Amazon actually highly urbanized |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lost-amazon-cities/ |magazine=Scientific American |access-date=February 1, 2017}} It stars Charlie Hunnam as Fawcett;{{cite magazine |first=Dave |last=McNary |date=February 3, 2015 |series=Berlin |title=Charlie Hunnam joins 'Lost City of Z' |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/charlie-hunnam-lost-city-of-z-casting-berlin-1201422661/ |magazine=Variety |access-date=February 1, 2017}} Robert Pattinson as his fellow explorer Henry Costin, Sienna Miller as his wife, Nina Fawcett; and Tom Holland as his son, Jack.{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Davis |date=December 27, 2014 |title=Sienna Miller joins James Gray's 'Lost City Of Z'; shooting may happen Summer 2015 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/12/sienna-miller-joins-james-grays-lost-city-of-z-shooting-may-happen-summer-2015-268866/ |website=IndieWire |access-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226023016/http://www.indiewire.com/2014/12/sienna-miller-joins-james-grays-lost-city-of-z-shooting-may-happen-summer-2015-268866/ |url-status=live }}
Its world premiere was on October 15, 2016, as the closing-night selection at the New York Film Festival.{{cite news |first=Kate |last=Erbland |date=August 3, 2016 |title=New York Film Festival announces James Gray's 'The Lost City of Z' as closing night selection |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/08/new-york-film-festival-james-gray-the-lost-city-of-z-nyff-1201712674/ |website=IndieWire |access-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201075701/http://www.indiewire.com/2016/08/new-york-film-festival-james-gray-the-lost-city-of-z-nyff-1201712674/ |url-status=live }} It was released in the United States on April 14, 2017 by Amazon Studios and Bleecker Street.{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Nordine |date=September 1, 2016 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/the-lost-city-of-z-amazon-studios-james-gray-charlie-hunnam-1201722405/ |title=Amazon Studios acquires James Gray's rainforest drama 'The Lost City of Z' starring Charlie Hunnam |website=IndieWire |access-date=October 14, 2016 |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018210706/http://www.indiewire.com/2016/09/the-lost-city-of-z-amazon-studios-james-gray-charlie-hunnam-1201722405/ |url-status=live }} It was praised by critics, but grossed only $19 million against a $30 million budget. Despite its lack of financial success, Time magazine listed it as one of its Top 10 Films of 2017.{{cite magazine |last=Zacharek |first=Stephanie |author-link=Stephanie Zacharek |url=https://time.com/5045566/top-10-movies-2017/ |title=The Top 10 Movies of 2017 |magazine=Time |date=December 7, 2017 |access-date=December 13, 2017}}
"Z" is pronounced "zed", as spoken in the United Kingdom, by the characters in the film. It was pronounced "zee" by the British actors in the American versions of promotional material to suit the local market.{{cite web |title=Teaser trailer from The Lost City of Z (2016) |website=IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi1865659929 |access-date=2019-02-05 |archive-date=2016-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228234718/http://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi1865659929 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=What is 'The Lost City of Z'? |series=IMDb 'On the Scene' (2015-) |website=IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi4189894937 |access-date=2019-02-05 |archive-date=2017-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429025057/http://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi4189894937 |url-status=live }}
Plot
In 1905, Percy Fawcett is a young British major who participates in a stag hunt on an Irish baronial estate for the visiting Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s benefit. A skilled horseman and marksman, he brings down the stag swiftly, but is snubbed at the after-hunt party.
A year later, Fawcett meets officials of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London, where he is informed that the governments of Bolivia and Brazil are nearly at war over the location of their mutual boundary. Directly affecting the region’s extremely lucrative rubber trade, they have asked the British government to survey it.
Fawcett leads the survey party, meeting Corporal Henry Costin, who is familiar with the Amazon rainforest, aboard the ship to Brazil. At a large rubber plantation in the jungle owned by Portuguese nobleman Baron de Gondoris, they meet Lance Corporal Arthur Manley, who tells them the British government advises against further exploration. Nevertheless, Fawcett and Costin, along with several guides and Amazonian scout Tadjui, complete the mission.
Tadjui tells him stories about a legendary jungle city covered in gold and full of people. Fawcett dismisses this as insane ravings, but he soon discovers highly advanced broken pottery and some small stone statues in the jungle, convincing him of the story’s veracity.
Upon his return, Fawcett is praised, and his wife, Nina (Sienna Miller), has given birth to their second son. In the Trinity College Library of Dublin, she discovers a conquistador text telling of a city deep in the Amazonian jungle, which Fawcett names “the Lost City of Z”. He also meets renowned biologist James Murray, who agrees to back his Amazon expedition to find that lost city. Attempting to convince RGS members for backing, he is initially ridiculed, but ultimately they concede to further exploration.
Murray, unfamiliar with the rigors of the deep jungle, greatly slows them down. Fawcett’s party is attacked along the river, but he makes peace with the natives. Murray’s leg injury becomes severely infected, and he begins to succumb to madness. Fawcett sends him off with a native guide and their last pack animal to find aid. The team must abandon the expedition after discovering that Murray poured paraffin on their supplies.
Murray survives and, in front of RGS trustees, accuses Fawcett of abandoning him in the jungle, demanding an apology. Fawcett opts to resign from the society rather than do so. When World War I breaks out in Europe, Fawcett fights in France. Manley dies in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme, and Fawcett is temporarily blinded in a chlorine gas attack whilst leading an infantry attack. His estranged eldest, Jack, who had long accused Fawcett of abandoning them, reconciles with him as he recovers.
In 1923, Fawcett is living in obscurity in Britain. American interest in exploring the Amazon has escalated, mostly due to Fawcett’s stories of the lost city. John D. Rockefeller Jr. and a consortium of U.S. newspapers finance a new Fawcett expedition. The RGS co-funds it at the last moment to maintain British pride. Fawcett shows Sir John Scott Keltie a compass, telling him that he will send it back to him once he finds the lost city.
Fawcett and his son go alone this time, travelling as light as possible for up to three years to find “Z”. Costin declines an invitation to join them. The Fawcetts are attacked by natives and run off, only to be stopped by a second tribe, who say that the Englishmen's spirits aren’t wholly of their own world. They declare their spirits “must belong” somewhere, so they will help them find their rightful place. The Fawcetts are drugged during a ceremony and carried away.
Years later, Nina Fawcett has a meeting with Keltie at the RGS, claiming she has heard that Fawcett and Jack are still alive and living with tribespeople. The RGS, having sent over a hundred people to search for Fawcett over the years, refuses to do another search; and Keltie advises Nina to accept her husband’s death, but she refuses. Instead, she shows him the compass Fawcett had promised to send once he found the lost city. As Nina leaves, her reflection in a mirror shows her walking out into what looks like the Amazonian jungle.
Cast
{{castlist|
- Charlie Hunnam as Percy Fawcett
- Robert Pattinson as Corporal Henry Costin
- Tom Holland as Jack Fawcett
- Bobby Smalldridge as 7-year-old Jack Fawcett
- Tom Mulheron as young Jack Fawcett
- Edward Ashley as Corporal Arthur Manley{{efn|name=HenryManley01|His real name was Henry Manley, but he was renamed Arthur Manley in the movie,{{cite web |title=The Lost City of Z vs. the true story of explorer Percy Fawcett |url=http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/lost-city-of-z/ |access-date=11 March 2019 |website=History vs. Hollywood |quote=Henry Manley (renamed Arthur Manley in the movie) |archive-date=18 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418045641/http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }} possibly to avoid confusion between him and Henry Costin.{{cite web |title=86: The Lost City of Z |url=https://www.basedonatruestorypodcast.com/86-the-lost-city-of-z/ |access-date=11 March 2019 |website=basedonatruestorypodcast.com |date=January 2018 |quote=... to help eliminate confusion between Henry Manley and Henry Costin. |archive-date=1 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301213010/https://www.basedonatruestorypodcast.com/86-the-lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }}}}
- Sienna Miller as Nina Fawcett
- Angus Macfadyen as James Murray
- Clive Francis as Sir John Scott Keltie
- Ian McDiarmid as Sir George Goldie
- Pedro Coello as Tadjui
- Franco Nero as Baron de Gondoriz
- Harry Melling as William Barclay
- John Sackville as Simon Beauclerk
- Adam Bellamy as Cecil Gosling
- Daniel Huttlestone as Brian Fawcett
- Murray Melvin as Lord James Bernard
}}
Production
{{quote box
| quote = "
| source = —James Gray{{cite news |first=Rodrigo |last=Perez |date=October 9, 2013 |title=James Gray may direct Jeremy Renner's Steve McQueen Biopic; calls 'Lost City of Z' epic & hallucinogenic |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2013/10/james-gray-may-direct-jeremy-renners-steve-mcqueen-biopic-calls-lost-city-of-z-epic-hallucinogenic-92815/ |website=IndieWire |access-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-date=September 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928113257/http://www.indiewire.com/2013/10/james-gray-may-direct-jeremy-renners-steve-mcqueen-biopic-calls-lost-city-of-z-epic-hallucinogenic-92815/ |url-status=live }}
| align = right
| width = 33%
}}
=Development=
In February 2009, James Gray was hired by Paramount Pictures and Plan B Entertainment to write and direct the film based on David Grann's book, but the film remained in development for six years. Based on his experience on previous projects, Gray was not initially sure why Plan B sent him the book. He explained:
When I was sent the book in the fall of 2008, it hadn’t yet been published. I didn’t know what it was and I hadn’t heard of the story at all. It takes place outside of New York, and it’s a period piece in the United Kingdom and the jungle. So I had no idea why the people at Plan B decided to send me this book, because nothing in my prior work had shown that I could do anything like this. Maybe it was an act of madness on their part.{{cite web |first=Christopher |last=McKittrick |date=April 14, 2017 |url=https://creativescreenwriting.com/lost-city-of-z/ |title=Birth of an Obsession: The Lost City of Z |publisher=Creative Screenwriting |access-date=April 17, 2017 |archive-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418011615/https://creativescreenwriting.com/lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }}In a 2015 interview with IndieWire, Gray admitted that he had developed the script for a while before moving toward production. He explained that the film was a "very complicated production and the story is amazing, but it's a complicated story. And you want to get it right. It's a very, very scary proposition to go into the jungle and all that. But at the same time it's terrific. It's why you make movies."{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Jagernauth |date=April 8, 2015 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/interview-james-gray-talks-the-immigrant-diving-into-tv-with-red-road-and-his-own-favorite-films-265293/ |title=Interview: James Gray talks 'The Immigrant,' diving into TV with 'Red Road,' and his own favorite films |website=IndieWire |access-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-date=April 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422125441/http://www.indiewire.com/2015/04/interview-james-gray-talks-the-immigrant-diving-into-tv-with-red-road-and-his-own-favorite-films-265293/ |url-status=live }}
=Casting=
The lead role underwent numerous casting changes. Brad Pitt was initially to star as Fawcett, and producing it through his company Plan B Entertainment.{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/james-gray-brad-pitt-find-lost-city-1117997141/ |title=James Gray, Brad Pitt find 'Lost City' |last=Fleming |first=Michael |date=December 9, 2008 |magazine=Variety |access-date=August 12, 2015}}{{cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/james-gray-to-direct-brad-pitt-in-the-lost-city-of-z/ |title=James Gray to direct Brad Pitt in 'The Lost City of Z' |date=10 December 2008 |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=18 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118030508/https://www.slashfilm.com/james-gray-to-direct-brad-pitt-in-the-lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }} In November 2010, Pitt withdrew from the lead role due to scheduling conflicts, but remained attached as producer.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2010/11/05/brad-pitt-drops-out-lost-city-of-z |title=Brad Pitt no longer starring in 'Lost City of Z'. Who should take his place? |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=August 12, 2015}} On September 4, 2013, Benedict Cumberbatch came on board to portray Fawcett,{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/benedict-cumberbatch-the-lost-city-of-z/ |title=Benedict Cumberbatch in negotiations to star in James Gray's 'Lost City of Z' |website=Collider |date=4 September 2013 |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907030431/https://collider.com/benedict-cumberbatch-the-lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }} along with Robert Pattinson, who joined the cast in the role of Costin.{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/robert-pattinson-joins-benedict-cumberbatch-james-grays-lost-city-z/ |title=Robert Pattinson joins Benedict Cumberbatch in James Gray's 'Lost City of Z' |last=Sneider |first=Jeff |date=July 10, 2014 |website=The Wrap |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107125622/https://www.thewrap.com/robert-pattinson-joins-benedict-cumberbatch-james-grays-lost-city-z/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/13/robert-pattinson-is-so-much-more-than-twilight-and-his-new-film-the-rover-will-prove-it-4830736/ |title=Robert Pattinson is so much more than 'Twilight', and his new film 'The Rover' will prove it |date=13 August 2014 |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=15 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815024402/http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/13/robert-pattinson-is-so-much-more-than-twilight-and-his-new-film-the-rover-will-prove-it-4830736/ |url-status=live }} In February 2015, Cumberbatch dropped out also due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced by Charlie Hunnam, while Sienna Miller was cast as Nina Fawcett.{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/hunnam-replaces-cumberbatch-in-lost-city-of-z.html |title=Charlie Hunnam will run around the Amazon with Robert Pattinson in 'Lost City of Z' |date=3 February 2015 |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204174005/https://www.vulture.com/2015/02/hunnam-replaces-cumberbatch-in-lost-city-of-z.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/charlie-hunnam-replaces-benedict-cumberbatch-in-lost-city-of-z/ |title=Charlie Hunnam replaces Benedict Cumberbatch in 'Lost City of Z' |date=3 February 2015 |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=4 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204040625/https://www.thewrap.com/charlie-hunnam-replaces-benedict-cumberbatch-in-lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }}
=Filming=
Principal photography began on August 19, 2015, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and continued for five weeks until late September.{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-spider-man-star-tom-816356 |title=New Spider-Man star Tom Holland joins Charlie Hunnam in 'Lost City of Z' |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=August 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823001737/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-spider-man-star-tom-816356 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2015/08/tom-holland-joins-lost-city-of-z-arc-acquires-garm-wars-from-ghost-in-the-shell-helmer-1201501575/ |title=Tom Holland joins 'Lost City Of Z'; ARC acquires 'Garm Wars' from 'Ghost in the Shell' Helmer |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=August 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820044948/https://deadline.com/2015/08/tom-holland-joins-lost-city-of-z-arc-acquires-garm-wars-from-ghost-in-the-shell-helmer-1201501575/ |url-status=live }} On August 28, the production shot at Greyabbey Village and Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.{{cite web |url=http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/brad-pitt-sets-pulses-racing-9950207 |title=Brad Pitt sets pulses racing in sleepy Greyabbey village as filming picks up pace |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=August 28, 2015 |archive-date=31 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831013126/http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/brad-pitt-sets-pulses-racing-9950207 |url-status=live }} Hunnam and Miller filmed scenes at Ballintoy, County Antrim, on August 31,{{cite web |url=http://www.u.tv/Entertainment/2015/08/31/Charlie-Hunnam-films-on-set-in-Co-Antrim-44074 |title=Charlie Hunnam films on set in Co. Antrim |access-date=August 31, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901154757/http://www.u.tv/Entertainment/2015/08/31/Charlie-Hunnam-films-on-set-in-Co-Antrim-44074 |archive-date=September 1, 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/news/local-news/hollywood-a-listers-filming-in-ballintoy-1-6932680 |title=Hollywood 'A' listers filming in Ballintoy |access-date=August 31, 2015 |archive-date=September 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902235216/http://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/news/local-news/hollywood-a-listers-filming-in-ballintoy-1-6932680 |url-status=dead }} and further shooting took place at Craigavon House, East Belfast on September 2.{{cite web |url=http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/brad-pitt-movie-lost-city-9976903#ICID=sharebar_twitter |title=Brad Pitt movie 'The Lost City of Z' shoots scenes in East Belfast |date=2 September 2015 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-date=2 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902221520/http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/brad-pitt-movie-lost-city-9976903#ICID=sharebar_twitter |url-status=live }}
On September 7, 2015, scenes were filmed at Belfast City Hall and on the grounds of Royal Belfast Academical Institution.{{cite web |url=http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/city-hall-takes-starring-role-10001434#ICID=sharebar_twitter |title=City Hall takes starring role in Brad Pitt film 'The Lost City of Z' amid speculation star expected in Northern Ireland this week |date=6 September 2015 |access-date=September 7, 2015 |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907222401/http://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/city-hall-takes-starring-role-10001434#ICID=sharebar_twitter |url-status=live }} Scenes were also shot at Bangor Castle leisure centre on September 13, 2015.{{cite web |url=http://www.andrewmuir.net/2015/09/bangor-to-become-another-movie.html |title=Bangor to become another movie destination - The Lost City of Z |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-date=October 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006044622/http://www.andrewmuir.net/2015/09/bangor-to-become-another-movie.html |url-status=dead }} Filming then moved to Santa Marta, Colombia, and continued through September and October.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/james-grays-the-lost-city-of-z-starts-shooting-marvels-spider-man-tom-holland-joins-the-cast-20150819 |title=James Gray's 'The Lost City Of Z' starts shooting, Marvel's Spider-Man Tom Holland joins the cast |access-date=August 12, 2015 |archive-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210061939/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/james-grays-the-lost-city-of-z-starts-shooting-marvels-spider-man-tom-holland-joins-the-cast-20150819 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/next-gen-2015-new-spider-836554 |title=Next Gen 2015: New Spider-Man Tom Holland on Jake Gyllenhaal, David Ayer, and why he won't leave London |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=4 November 2015 |access-date=November 5, 2015 |archive-date=6 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106015148/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/next-gen-2015-new-spider-836554 |url-status=live }}
Music
{{Infobox album
| name = The Lost City of Z: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
| type = film
| longtype = soundtrack album
| artist =
| cover =
| alt =
| released = March 24, 2017
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Film score
| length = 55:04{{cite web |url=http://www.soundtrack.net/album/the-lost-city-of-z/ |title=The Lost City of Z Soundtrack (2017) |website=Soundtrack.Net |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319195947/http://www.soundtrack.net/album/the-lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }}
| producer = Christopher Spelman
| chronology = Christopher Spelman
| prev_title = The Immigrant
| prev_year = 2013
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
Christopher Spelman composed the film's musical score. He had previously composed the music for Gray's 2013 film The Immigrant, and had been arranger on The Yards (2000), We Own the Night (2007), and Two Lovers (2008). George Drakoulias and Randall Poster were music supervisors.{{cite web |url=http://www.soundtrack.net/movie/the-lost-city-of-z/ |title=The Lost City of Z Soundtrack (2017) credits |website=Soundtrack.Net |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203323/http://www.soundtrack.net/movie/the-lost-city-of-z/ |url-status=live }}
The film's trailer featured "Tangled Earth" by audiomachine.{{cite web |url=http://nameofthesong.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-lost-city-of-z-uk-trailer-song.html |title=The Lost City of Z - UK trailer - song / music info |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322204436/http://nameofthesong.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-lost-city-of-z-uk-trailer-song.html |url-status=live }} The soundtrack was released digitally on March 24, 2017.{{cite web |url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/03/17/the-lost-city-of-z-soundtrack-details/ |title='The Lost City of Z' soundtrack details |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319164314/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/03/17/the-lost-city-of-z-soundtrack-details/ |url-status=live }}
{{Track listing
| total_length = 55:04
| title1 = The Lost City of Z
| length1 = 0:59
| title2= The Hunt
| length2= 2:35
| title3= The First Goodbye
| length3= 2:33
| title4= Onto the River
| length4 = 2:29
| title5 = The Letter
| length5= 2:05
| title6 = City of Gold
| length6 = 7:39
| title7 = Source of the Verde River
| length7= 5:40
| title8= The Grenedier's Welcome
| length8= 1:34
| title9= The Argument
| length9= 2:25
| title10 = The Attack
| length10= 2:20
| title11 = Crossing the River
| length11= 3:16
| title12= Delusions
| length12 = 2:51
| title13= Homecoming
| length13= 1:48
| title14= Confrontation
| length14 = 3:47
| title15 = In the Hospital
| length15 = 3:33
| title16= The Chase
| length16= 1:40
| title17= The Final Journey
| length17= 7:50
}}
Release
The film had its world premiere as the closing night film on October 15, 2016, at the 54th New York Film Festival.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/2016-new-york-film-festival-916799 |title=James Gray's 'The Lost City of Z' to close New York Film Festival |author=Kilday, Gregg |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 3, 2016 |access-date=August 3, 2016}} Prior to that, StudioCanal acquired international distribution rights to the film,{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/lost-city-of-z-studiocanal-charlie-hunnam-robert-pattinson-1201731832/ |title=Studiocanal acquires Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson's, 'Lost City of Z' for multiple territories |last=Keslassy |first=Elsa |magazine=Variety |date=March 16, 2016|access-date=March 17, 2016}} while Amazon Studios obtained U.S. distribution rights.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/amazon-to-lost-city-of-z-distribution-1201812502/ |title=Amazon negotiating to acquire rights to 'Lost City of Z' |website=Deadline Hollywood |first=Anita |last=Busch |date=September 1, 2016 |access-date=September 2, 2016 |archive-date=September 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902002357/https://deadline.com/2016/09/amazon-to-lost-city-of-z-distribution-1201812502/ |url-status=live }} Bleecker Street is partnering with Amazon on the film's theatrical release.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/charlie-hunnam-drama-lost-city-926731 |title=Toronto: Charlie Hunnam drama 'The Lost City of Z' lands at Bleecker Street |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |first=Tatiana |last=Siegel |date=September 9, 2016 |access-date=September 9, 2016}} The film was released in the United States on April 14, 2017. The film was released in France on March 15, 2017 and in the UK on March 24, 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.viva-press.com/release-dates/the-lost-city-of-z-release-dates/ |title=The Lost City of Z release dates |access-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-date=March 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325025401/http://www.viva-press.com/release-dates/the-lost-city-of-z-release-dates/ |url-status=dead }}
In February 2017, the film was presented at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival in the Berlinale Special section.{{cite web |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/programm/berlinale_programm/datenblatt.php?film_id=201719781#tab=filmStills |title=The Lost City of Z |website=Berlin International Film Festival |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212092534/https://www.berlinale.de/en/programm/berlinale_programm/datenblatt.php?film_id=201719781#tab=filmStills |url-status=live }} It also served as the opening night film of Boston International Film Festival on April 13, 2017.{{cite web |url=http://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/03/09/news/max_chicco_dal_g-local_di_torino_a_hollywood_e_new_york-160132441/ |title=Max Chicco, dal g-local di Torino a Hollywood e New York |website=torino.repubblica.it |date=9 March 2017 |access-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-date=9 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309140713/http://torino.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/03/09/news/max_chicco_dal_g-local_di_torino_a_hollywood_e_new_york-160132441/ |url-status=live }}
The film got a release date of June 2, 2017 in Mainland China, but was trimmed by 37 minutes, totaling 104 minutes. It is unclear if the move was due to a commercial decision, or a result of usual censorship by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.{{cite web |last=Ryan |first=Fergus |title='Lost City of Z' trims runtime to take on 'Wonder Woman' |url=http://chinafilminsider.com/lost-city-z-trims-runtime-wonder-woman/ |website=China Film Insider |access-date=11 June 2017 |archive-date=25 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625205206/http://chinafilminsider.com/lost-city-z-trims-runtime-wonder-woman/ |url-status=live }}
Reception
=Box office=
The Lost City of Z grossed $8.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $10.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $19.3 million, against a production budget of $30 million.
The Lost City of Z was first released in France on March 15 where it generated $770,719 on its opening weekend.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=thelostcityofz.htm |title=The Lost City of Z (2017) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=September 24, 2017 |archive-date=October 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001021308/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=thelostcityofz.htm |url-status=live }} This was followed by the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 24, earning £270,139 from 282 theatres. It debuted at number seven on the box office chart.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2017/mar/28/uk-box-office-beauty-and-the-beast-chips-life-power-rangers |title=Beauty and the Beast magic helps UK box office survive the spring sunshine |author=Gant, Charles |newspaper=The Guardian |date=March 28, 2017 |access-date=March 29, 2017 |archive-date=March 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328145709/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2017/mar/28/uk-box-office-beauty-and-the-beast-chips-life-power-rangers |url-status=live }}
In the United States, the film grossed $110,175 from four theaters in its opening weekend. It expanded to 614 theaters the following weekend and made $2.2 million, finishing 10th at the box office. In its third weekend, the film added 252 theaters, and made $1.8 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1090618881/weekend/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs|title=The Lost City of Z|access-date=2021-03-08|archive-date=2021-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803075438/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1090618881/weekend/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs|url-status=live}}
=Critical response=
According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 245 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "The Lost City of Z{{'}}s stately pace and visual grandeur hearken back to classic exploration epics, and Charlie Hunnam turns in a masterful performance as its complex protagonist."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lost_city_of_z |title=The Lost City of Z (2017) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-date=October 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028050725/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lost_city_of_z |url-status=live }} At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-lost-city-of-z |title=The Lost City of Z Reviews |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=May 21, 2017 |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421054538/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-lost-city-of-z |url-status=live }}
Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a rare piece of contemporary classical cinema."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lost-city-z-review-938278 |title='The Lost City of Z': NYFF review |first=Todd |last=McCarthy |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 15, 2016 |access-date=October 16, 2016}} Dan Callahan in his review for TheWrap said that "The Lost City of Z feels like a clear artistic advance for Gray, who proves himself here as one of our finest and most distinctive living filmmakers."{{cite web |first=Dan |last=Callahan |date=October 15, 2016 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-lost-city-of-z-review/ |title='The Lost City of Z' NYFF review: Charlie Hunnam explores the Amazon in stirring saga |website=TheWrap |access-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015225027/https://www.thewrap.com/the-lost-city-of-z-review/ |url-status=live }} Owen Gleiberman, writing for Variety, called the film "a finely crafted, elegantly shot, sharply sincere movie that is more absorbing than powerful."{{cite magazine |first=Owen |last=Gleiberman |date=February 1, 2017 |title=New York Film Review: 'The Lost City of Z' |url=https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-lost-city-of-z-review-new-york-film-festival-1201890183/ |magazine=Variety |access-date=February 1, 2017}} Joshua Rothkopf in his review for Time Out wrote that "the grandeur of this movie is off the charts ..."{{cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/us/film/the-lost-city-of-z |title=The Lost City of Z reviews |website=Timeout |access-date=March 24, 2017 |archive-date=March 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325025236/https://www.timeout.com/us/film/the-lost-city-of-z |url-status=live }} Mark Kermode of Kermode and Mayo's Film Review stated that while the film had numerous flaws, such as ineffective elliptical storytelling and Hunnam's uncharismatic performance, "it is a film which is haunting me more than I thought. ... it did feel like it was trying [to] break out of being just that narrative into something else".{{cite AV media |title=The Lost City of Z reviewed by Mark Kermode |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds3F5PP0fiQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/Ds3F5PP0fiQ |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|publisher=YouTube |date=March 24, 2017 |access-date=April 8, 2017}}{{cbignore}}
Explorer John Hemming criticized the movie's publicity for claiming that Fawcett was one of Britain's greatest explorers, arguing that this was an insult to the many true explorers, and that Fawcett was a racist, a "nutter", and a dangerous incompetent who "never discovered anything", but caused the loss of many lives.{{efn|The new film 'The Lost City of Z' is being advertised as based on the true story of one of Britain’s greatest explorers. ... Greatest explorer? Fawcett? He was a surveyor who never discovered anything, a nutter, a racist, and so incompetent that the only expedition he organised was a five-week disaster. Calling him one of our greatest explorers ... is an insult to the huge roster of true explorers. ... Fawcett casually remarked that five out of his six peons died from the effects of this five-week disaster. ... When one aimed a drawn bow at him, Fawcett shot the man with a Mauser revolver – absolutely forbidden by Brazil’s Indian Service. ... In 1925, ... Fawcett ... committed other blunders that antagonised their hosts. So it was only a matter of days before they were all dead. — John Hemming, The Spectator, 1 April 2017{{cite magazine |author=Hemming, John |author-link=John Hemming (explorer) |title=The Lost City of Z is a very long way from a true story – and I should know |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/04/the-lost-city-of-z-is-a-very-long-way-from-a-true-story-and-i-should-know/ |access-date=11 March 2019 |date=1 April 2017 |magazine=The Spectator}}}}
Joe Morgenstern, a movie critic from The Wall Street Journal, compares the book to the movie by stating "Mr. Hunnam's Fawcett is attractive, and animated when circumstances demand it, but thanks to a clumsy script, not very interesting."{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lost-city-of-z-review-where-passion-is-unexplored-territory-1492118370 |title='The Lost City of Z' review: Where passion is unexplored territory |last=Morgenstern |first=Joe |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-20 |archive-date=2019-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020235112/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lost-city-of-z-review-where-passion-is-unexplored-territory-1492118370 |url-status=live }} In contrast to the book being more interested in the facts along with David Grann's findings.
Peter Travers, a film critic for Rolling Stone, rates The Lost City of Z three and a half stars out of four stars and describes the movie as "haunting and visionary, a potent provocation that gets under your skin." He then notes the complementary elements of The Lost City of Z being "exotic adventure, and the psychological terror that brushes Gray's metaphorical heart of darkness."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-lost-city-of-z-review-charlie-hunnam-hunts-for-his-heart-of-darkness-109418/ |title='The Lost City of Z' review: Hunnam hunts for his heart of darkness |last1=Travers |first1=Peter |date=2017-04-11 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-20}}
Dan Jolin, a freelance journalist, rates The Lost City of Z a four out of five stars on Empire. He states that though Fawcett's story is "a difficult story to end. ... Gray excels, going out on an oblique but elegant note." However he does note that The Lost City of Z may "test your patience" because of the scenes being prolonged to enhance the main character, Percy Fawcett.{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lost-city-z-review/ |title=The Lost City of Z |date=2017-03-13 |website=Empire |language=en |access-date=2019-10-20 |archive-date=2019-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020235108/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lost-city-z-review/ |url-status=live }}
Neil Soan, a reviewer, rates The Lost City of Z a three and a half stars out of five stars for The Times of India. In accordance to the role of the main character, Percy Fawcett, Soan believes "Charlie Hunnam adds ample substance to Fawcett" but he also points out that some main personality traits were lackluster. He concludes in his review that though the movie falls short on important scenes, "The lost City of Z an unbalanced but fascinating watch."{{cite news |title=The Lost City of Z movie review {3.5/5} |series=Critic review |newspaper=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/movie-reviews/the-lost-city-of-z/movie-review/58857966.cms |access-date=2019-10-20}}
Manohla Dargis, a writer from The New York Times, writes that Charlie Hunnam was "mesmerizing" upon his main role of British explorer, Percy Fawcett. She believes Mr. Gray has "Effortlessly expands his reach as he moves across time and continents and in the process turns the past into a singular life." She also notes the "lapidary details" that have helped polish The Lost City of Z into something more.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/movies/the-lost-city-of-z-review-charlie-hunnam.html |department=Review |title=Hearts of darkness and light in 'The Lost City of Z' |last=Dargis |first=Manohla |date=2017-04-13 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2019-10-20 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2019-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002003318/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/13/movies/the-lost-city-of-z-review-charlie-hunnam.html |url-status=live }}
Anthony Lane, a film critic for the New Yorker, believes that the "right person for the role" is actually Robert Pattinson. The way he presents himself in the film as an "Unlikely figure, yet you still follow his every move" which is similar to how someone could think about Percy Fawcett. Despite this, Lane believes The Lost City of Z to be "beautiful, mournful, and measured."{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/17/the-lost-city-of-z-and-aftermath |title=Light shines in the dark of 'The Lost City of Z' |last=Lane |first=Anthony |magazine=The New Yorker |date=2017-04-10 |access-date=2019-10-20 |language=en |issn=0028-792X |archive-date=2019-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629075336/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/17/the-lost-city-of-z-and-aftermath |url-status=live }}
Robbie Collin, a film critic from The Daily Telegraph, describes 'The Lost City of Z' as "a film transporting, profound, and staggering in its emotional power as anything I've seen in the cinema in years. He believes Charlie Hunnam suitably carries the role of Percy Fawcett with his "persuasiveness" demonstrated in roles prior to 'The Lost City of Z'.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/lost-city-z-review-transporting-profound-piece-cinema|title=Transporting and profound, The Lost City of Z is an instant classic - review|date=23 March 2017|website=The Telegraph|access-date=21 January 2021|last1=Collin|first1=Robbie|archive-date=14 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214215502/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/lost-city-z-review-transporting-profound-piece-cinema|url-status=live}}
David Sims, a staff writer at The Atlantic, writes that "The Lost City of Z is a miraculous movie at once moving, intimidating, and gorgeous to behold."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/04/the-lost-city-of-z-review/522414/ |title='The Lost City of Z' is a mysterious, enthralling masterpiece |last=Sims |first=David |date=2017-04-14 |magazine=The Atlantic |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-20}}
=Accolades=
Notes
{{Notelist|1}}
References
{{Reflist|25em}}
External links
- {{Official website |http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/thelostcityofz}}
- {{IMDb title|1212428}}
- [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-lost-city-of-z-am129024 The Lost City of Z at AllMovie]
- {{TCMDb title|id=2065098}}
- {{Mojo title|thelostcityofz}}
- {{Metacritic film}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_lost_city_of_z}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/lost-city-of-z/ |title=The Lost City of Z |website=History vs. Hollywood}}
{{James Gray}}
{{David Grann}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lost City Of Z, The}}
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