The Italian-American film director, Frank Capra was influenced by his Catholicism to direct, and produce films that addressed the highest aspirations of the human person. Frank Capra felt compelled to film stories that revealed the best that the human person would reveal despite facing many obstacles impeding our progress we remain patient, and resilient to all that attempts to divert us from our journey in the care of God's Spirit.
Lost Horizon was written by the British author, James Hilton who would also emigrate, and reside in the United States until his death.
Shangri La is another name for the interior life, otherwise known to us as Heaven. "The Kingdom of God is Within You" is the key phrase in Luke 17:21. Jesus said, "for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" in response to the Pharisees asking when the Kingdom of God will come.
The film needs some twenty minutes to set up the characters, before arriving in Shangri La where life is well removed from the violence, and war familiar to those of us reading news outlets.
The Head Lama (played by the wonderful Sam Jaffe) of the community concealed behind the Himalayan mountains is a Belgian Catholic priest who stumbled upon this haven of peace, and tranquility many, many years earlier.
This film was a box office failure when it was released in 1937, becoming a cult classic when televised from the mid 1950s, encouraging the viewer to look within their life to discover the compass that leads us through our life's journey of self discovery.
I recommend watching with the understanding that Shangri La is metaphor for our interior life, present in the life of every human person inviting each of us to listen too, and follow His wise counselling.
https://www.pbs.org/video/lost-horizon-1937-ox0abm/
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