Shangri-la
By Daisy on March 22, 2026 4:54 pm
We at (Sandhill Slough) decided to watch two movies over the last week. They were the 1937 and 1973 versions of
The Lost Horizon. I was very accepting of the 1937 version, given that it had been rescued from oblivion and brought back to life-- and things were just different in 1937. I had high hopes for the 1973 version-- as I was a teen in 1973 and never saw this movie but I was witness to the Zeit-geist of the early 1970s. I However, THEY MADE IT INTO A MUSICAL(wince) with a score by Burt Bacharach!
Sooooooo......I wrote my Shangri-la.
The initial melody is very simple, with the Crystal Synth sounding like temple bells. Shangri-la was imagined as a utopian community in a magic valley in the Himalayas. As the story goes on there is conflict and struggles as various characters have to decide if they want to stay or go back the real world. It resolves as ever with the original simple melody. The inhabitants seemed to do many rituals involving marching up and down switch-back hillsides with torches.
I used flute, violin, crystal synth, and harp.
I'm glad I watched both movies. I believe I learned something about old black and white films from the 1937 iteration.
The 1973 with John Gielgud (can you believe it!!!) and Sally Kellerman-- I just felt sorry for the actors.
Maybe todays offering is an homage Shangri-la as I imagine it.
Audio works licensed by author under:
CC Attribution Noncommercial No Derivative Works (BY-NC-ND)