“Adventure-a-thon” THE LOST CITY OF Z

May 3, 2025

Blogathon “Adventure-a-thon”

The blogathons administered by Cinematic Catharsis and RealWeegieMidget Reviews are always fun to participate in … and the entries from talented writers make for interesting and enlightening reading. Unfortunately, my movie review schedule often prevents me from dedicating the necessary time, so I’m always excited when my lull corresponds to their next collaborative blogathon.

This time the topic is “Adventure”, and since so many movies and TV shows fall into that category, the challenge was in selecting one that I not only left me in awe, but also hasn’t received the recognition it deserves (in my opinion). On this basis, my choice became:

 THE LOST CITY OF Z (2016)

It’s been almost ten years since this film from director James Gray was released, and I’ve recommended it many times to folks who were unfamiliar or unaware. The film is expertly photographed by cinematographer Darius Khandji (a two-time Oscar nominee) and is based on the book by the absurdly talented David Grann, whose books also include one of my personal favorites, “Killers of the Flower Moon”. The screen is filled with green and golden hues (similar to OUT OF AFRICA), providing a sense of realism and a touch of romanticism to the true adventures of the bold explorer, Percy Fawcett.

Charlie Hunnam (fresh off his “Sons of Anarchy” run) portrays military man and explorer Fawcett (often) through quiet strength and a doggedness to discover what is ahead. Helping us to understand this man’s heroic actions, director Gray divides the presentation into three areas: the stuffy, poorly lit backroom of London’s power brokers; the 1916 WWI front line where Fawcett’s courage is on full display; and the Amazon jungles where Fawcett strives for glory and redemption. No matter that we viewers would be satisfied with a film focusing only on those last two circumstances of action, Gray wisely recognizes that it’s the debates and conversations within the backrooms that motivate Fawcett to never give up the fight.

With a run time of 2 hours and 21 minutes, the film is quite long, yet it never seems so thanks to the three main Fawcett expeditions of focus. In 1906 the Royal Geographic Society enlisted Fawcett for a “mapping” journey to distinguish boundaries around Bolivia in what had become a commercially important area to the abundance of rubber. It’s on this adventure where Fawcett cracks wise about overcoming his “poor choice in ancestors”. He’s joined on this expedition by the great Franco Nero, and it’s also the one that lights Fawcett’s lifelong obsession with proving the existence of Z (Zed), an earlier advanced society.

1912 brings the second Amazonia expedition – the one in which renowned Antarctic explorer James Murray (played her by a snarling Angus Macfayden) joins Fawcett and his loyal and expert travel companion, Henry Costin (a terrific Robert Pattinson). The trip proceeds as one might expect when an ego-driven, unqualified yet wealthy passenger hitches a ride for glory alone. Murray’s history is well documented, and the film treats him just as we’d expect.

It’s the third trip (1925) that Fawcett makes with his son that will not only prove to be his last, it’s also the one that left unanswered questions which writer Grann felt compelled to research for his book. What possesses a man to hop into a wooden canoe on unchartered waters and trek through lands and jungles with no known back story? The spirit and mettle of such a man defines the legacy of Percy Fawcett. The film also offers us glimpses of life at home for Fawcett with his wife Nina (Sienna Miller), who flashes signs of early feminism. One of their kids is played by Tom Holland (giving us a future Spider-Man and future Batman – Pattinson in the same movie).

The film leaves an impact for many reasons: it looks stunning, Fawcett’s life was fascinating, the adventures are dangerous and breathtaking, we gain a sense of the courage required for such explorers. This was also the year of LA LA LAND – and the MOONLIGHT mess on stage – and James Gray’s film was overlooked for awards, but even all these years later, it still offers an movie-watching experience like few others.

Trailer: THE LOST CITY OF Z

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE LOST CITY OF Z (2017)

April 20, 2017

DALLAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2017

 Greetings again from the darkness. We aren’t likely to watch a more beautiful or expertly photographed film this year. Director James Gray’s (The Immigrant, We Own the Night) project looks and feels like a throwback to days of epic filmmaking, and cinematographer Darius Khandji (Se7en, Evita, The Immigrant) fills the screen with green and gold hues (similar to Out of Africa) that deliver both a sense of realism and a touch of romanticism. The minor quibble here is with the emphasis on the biographical rather than the more interesting and compelling and adventuresome expeditions to the “new” world.

Our true to life hero (and the film’s portrayal provides no other description) is military man and explorer Percy Fawcett played by Charlie Hunnam. Based on the book by David Grann, the film divides focus into three areas: the stuffy, poorly lit backrooms of London power moguls; the 1916 WWI front line where Fawcett proves his mettle; the jungles of Amazonia wherein lies Fawcett’s hope for glory and redemption. It’s the latter of these that are by far the most engaging, and also the segments that leave us pining for more detail.

The three Fawcett expeditions form the structure for the quite long run time (2 hours, 21 minutes). In 1906 the Royal Geographic Society enlisted Fawcett for a “mapping” journey to distinguish boundaries around Bolivia in what had become a commercially important area due to the black gold known as rubber. Fawcett was not just a manly-man, he was also obsessed with overcoming his “poor choice in ancestors” and gaining a position of status within society. Using his military training and personal mission, that first expedition (with help from a powerful character played by the great Franco Nero) was enough to light Fawcett’s lifelong fixation on proving the existence of Z (Zed) and the earlier advanced society.

Back home, Fawcett’s wife Nina (Sienna Miller) shows flashes of turn-of-the-century feminism, though lacking in judgment when she suggests a ridealong with her husband on his next expedition. Although the couple spends little time together, given the years-long trips, they do manage to produce a hefty brood of kids, the eldest played by Tom Holland (the new Spider-Man).

1912 brings the second Amazonia expedition, the one in which renowned Antarctic explorer James Murray (a snarly Angus Macfayden) joins Fawcett and his by now loyal and expert travel companion Henry Costin (a terrific Robert Pattison). The trip proceeds as one might expect when an ego-driven, unqualified yet wealthy passenger is along for only the glory. Murray’s history is well documented and here receives the treatment he earned.

It’s the third trip in 1925 that Fawcett makes with his son that will be his last, and the one that dealt the unanswered questions inspiring Mr. Grann to research and write his book. It’s also the segment of the film that leaves us wanting more details … more time in the jungle. With the overabundance of information and data available to us these days, the staggering courage and spirit of those willing to jump in a wooden canoe on unchartered waters and trek through lands with no known back story, offer more than enough foundation for compelling filmmaking. It’s this possibility of historical discovery that is the real story, not one man’s lust for medals and confirmation. More jungle could have elevated this from very good to monumental filmmaking.

watch the trailer:

 

1 Comment | Drama, Thriller, World Cinema/Foreign | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson