The Lost City of Z

Dir: James Gray

2017

****

I can't say I've been enamoured by James Gray's previous films but his 2017 adaption of David Grann's 2009 novel The Lost City of Z, the story of the famous British explorer Percy Fawcett, is a remarkably mature adventure story and a contemporary classic. Although not all the facts are given and explored, there is something extraordinarily realistic about the film, from the performances and attitudes to the era and circumstances. Percy Fawcett has been the inspiration behind many a fictional adventurer, Indiana Jones being the most obvious, and many a character has followed in his steps, such as Biggles (The Cruise of the Condor), Tintin (Tintin and the Broken Ear) and Arthur Conan Doyles' Professor Challenger, as seen in his classic novel The Lost World. The Lost City of Z is nothing like any of the adventures seen in these fictitious stories, although they are as equally exciting. Fawcett made several expeditions into the South American Jungle but only the more important ones are featured, including the first where he first met Corporal Henry Costin (who would become his aide-de-camp on several trips) and found evidence of an ancient civilization. A later trip that included James Murray (who accompanied Shackleton on the Nimrod expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole) who became gravely ill during the trip and caused much trouble for his fellow explorers, and Fawcett's last trip, that he would take with his eldest son, which is explored with a huge slice of speculation and mystery. The character study is quite impressive, I don't think the Amazon rain forest is even mentioned in the first twenty minutes, instead we see what makes Fawcett tick, his ambition and the relationship he has with his wife and with the army in which he serves. His famous ambition led many not to believe his initial claims that he had found evidence and that the so called 'savages' of the amazon had learned cultivation methods and sustained a civilized life, such was the ignorance and arrogance of even the most intelligent of Europeans at the time. This is all explored rather well in the film without usual clichés or stereotypical manner. The overall direction is beautiful, with rich yellow tints and blue-gray tones during the World War One scenes. It has 'epic' potential all over it but instead Gray makes the characters themselves the main focal point and not the landscape. I'm not sure Charlie Hunnam would have been my third or even thirty choice of actor after both Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch dropped out of the lead role but he turns out to be rather perfect as Fawcett. Robert Pattinson has proven his worth since Twilight and once again impresses as Henry Costin. Tom Holland joins the film fairly later on in the story but is good in his short but sweet performance and Sienna Miller is her perfect self as always, giving what could have been a fairly overlooked character a memorable tribute. The pace of the film is surprisingly steady, which works perfectly, and I didn't once feel uncomfortable during the whole 140 minute run time.  Certain characters are left out and certain events skipped over but the majority of the film is incredibly realistic. However, because the end of Fawcett's life is a complete mystery, Gray combines many different theories and comes up with what is a beautifully open visual eulogy, that works as a great tribute to Fawcett and pays respect to his family and reclaims the wonder and passion of what consumed him. The last scene is both subtle and stunning and says a million and one things in just one whisper. This switch from realism to fantasy made the film for me and reminded me of Breaking the Waves in many respects. It amazes me that Gray has gone from We Own the Night to this in just ten years. It's traditional but contemporary, an intelligent adventure full of intrigue, mystery and good old fashioned grit.