The Apeman stalks the Challenger Expedition from a higher vantage.
Lost World” by Rudolph Friml and James Bradford and a peek at the cue sheets. The “Publicity” sec­ tion (3m 5s on VHS) offers an eye-catching gal­ lery of stills, posters, and ad mats. All three editions of LUMI also feature excerpts
from three of O’Brien’s clay-animation Edison “Manniken Comedy” shorts: PREHISTORIC POUL­ TRY (1917; 2m 18s out of a complete running time of 3m 59s), R.F.D. 10,000 B.C. (1917; 4m 27s distilled from the 9m original), and THE DI­ NOSAUR AND THE MISSING LINK (1915; 3m 20s from 5m 25s complete). The prints are in fair condition, graced with acceptable uncredited pi­ ano scores, but are fascinating nonetheless; the prehuman star of the latter is a compelling pre­ cursor to both THE LOST WORLD S Apeman and KING KONG himself, while R.F.D. 10,000 B.C. culminates in a gruesome sight gag (a caveman postman torn into two halves that scramble to reunite) worthy of Tex Avery.6 MacQueen further sweetens the pot with a silent curio, PATHÉ RE­ VIEW Voi. 40, No. 27: MONSTERS OF THE PAST (1923; 4m 50s) featuring rather ungainly clay di­ nosaurs (a Brontosaurus, Triceratops, and T. rex) sculpted by Virginia May and animated via stop- motion by uncredited hands; the expected show­ down between the hopping T. rex and squat Triceratops is surprisingly bloody. The laser and DVD alone offer an untitled 1925 promo item (running time 3m 23s; the closest
thing to a title reads, “United States Puzzle Mad!”) concerning a LOST WORLD novelty puzzle that features Bessie Love, Milton Sills, director Lam­ bert Hillyer, and puzzle inventor Bob Sherman. The extras on IMG are also worthwhile. The
quality of IMG’s restoration and transfer is impec­ cable, and the dual scores the viewer can choose from on the DVD edition—The Alloy Orchestra’s marvelous, evocative contemporary score, and Robert Israel’s fine “traditional” orchestral score (recorded with a 10-piece ensemble)—offer ample audio enhancement on either 5.1 Surround or 2.0 Stereo Dolby Digital tracks. Image’s VHS edition opts for a Hi-Fi Stereo Surround rendering of the Alloy Orchestra accompaniment. Both DVD and VHS also offer a magnificent
assemblage of “Animation Outtakes” (12m 35s) of O’Brien’s unused animation test and rejected footage, brimming with the multitude of Delgado- sculpted dinosaurs that populate the film. This extraordinary collection was discovered, compiled, and rescued by Pierce Rafferty, and subsequently preserved by LUMI restoration supervisor Scott MacQueen in 1992-93. This preservation was funded by a private group of interested contribu­ tors under the moniker “The Friends of the Chal­ lenger Expedition”—a select group (including Yours Truly) who were the only previous viewers of this unique material. For IMG, a precious few frames in which the animator(s) and production
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