The Lost World (1925)

The Lost World, 1925,
Window Card American, 14x22 inches
First National Pictures

THE “ORIGINAL” LOST WORLD

The silent version of The Lost World was the first full length motion picture featuring dinosaurs. The story was based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel of a prehistoric world located on a remote South American plateau. The dinosaurs were completely accurate in representing what was known to science at that time. More than fifty miniature models of dinosaurs were constructed based on restorations created by museum artist Charles R. Knight. Willis O’Brien used his stop-motion photography technique, so watching this movie was the closest thing to seeing living prehistoric animals. It had a very great influence on the public’s knowledge and perception of dinosaurs.

--First National Pictures, 1925