i can imagine what happen for this film to come into be represent a bunch of studio guy be sit around and drink gin and tonic and maybe a joint and and one of them come up with the idea that it would be great if they could find a film that would bridge the generation gap and which at that time be about a far apart a archie bunker and mick jagger . something that both college age rebel and their parent would find equally interest for different reason and perhaps and but still and a ticket be a ticket . what interested hippy . asia and philosophy and pacifism and and wild set and costume . what interest their parent . musical and eye candy and a feel good script and and nostalgia . very well and then and lose horizon and the old classic and a a musical and in color . can not miss and right . it be a bomb . lose horizon and by james hilton and be perhaps less than a classic and but not a bad novel . in broad term and he sketch out a utopian society in shangri la and the valley of the blue moon and near tibet and inhabit by peacefully content villager who serve an abbey of < i > very < or i > long lived monk . intrude into paradise be a gilligan island like planeful of outsider ( a veteran of wwi and a missionary and etc . ) each with their own spin on the situation what plot there be concern the reaction of each of them to be present with a choice to live in paradise and or try to return to the tumult of the twentieth century . take on it own term and it gentle and pop lit fluff and present hilton own conservative british view in oriental dress and a exotic and as familiar a a fortune cookie . a captive honored guest of the monk and the castaway be forbidden to leave the valley and but never press into work or prayer ( not that the monk do too much of that themselves ) and treat royally and and give simple and yet luxurious accomodations who would want to escape . in this middle american heaven on earth and the monk be both cultured and wise and the climate be warm and the food be plentiful and tasty and the villager be picturesque nonentity and nothing ever change . the nun be chaste and but encourage to look pretty and and even flirt a bit ( the reason give be one of the most hilariously inaccurate explanation of tantric sex i have ever read ) . even their religion be nonthreatening represent reveal a a best of both world blend of christianity and buddhism and there little to offend any but the staunch fundamentalist or the oddball out there who actually know something about tibet ( which in the early thirty be a very small number ) . a a capra film focussing on the adventure or character interplay angle it be enchant while and perhaps steven spielburg could have make it fly and if he would be around . a an early seventy hollywood product and the adventure be over too quickly and and the updated roster of character too bland and to make much of an impression . deprive of the sketchy and suggestive quality of classic b and w and the monastery resemble a de luxe beauty spa in white and pale blue and and while at least some of the monk rob try for historical accuracy and most of the rest of the inmate look a if on their way to a morning massage and fango bath and with a couple of hole of golf in the afternoon . maybe stephan sondheim could have restore some grit to the story and play up the very real conflict inside each character reaction while just five year afterwards and brian eno would have capture the tranquil atmosphere to a t while instead and bert bacherach and hal david be give the job of write the song and which marry muzak like melody with some of the clunkiest new agey lyric ever pen . quite naturally for the time and every song call for a dance number and which range from the merely forgettable to the completely boring and and so be the script and which have not one line worth quote . tie ins with this movie be legion there be everything from cookbook to poster plan to promote this film and and such be the hype that i actually go out and buy the sountrack album . just about the only thing good i can say about it be that it make enough of an impression on me to write this review completely from memory nearly thirty year after the next month i read aldous huxley and buy a copy of the bardo thadol and and hence learn about real tibetan culture . moan .