Shangri-La It may be used in this context alongside other mythical and famous examples of somewhat similar metaphors such as El Dorado, The Fountain of Youth, and The Holy Grail. Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon" by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise, particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia – a permanently happy land, isolated from the world. In the novel, the people who live at Shangri-La
Lost Horizon (1973 film) Lost Horizon (1973 film) Lost Horizon is a 1973 American musical film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Peter Finch, John Gielgud, Liv Ullmann, Michael York, Sally Kellerman, Bobby Van, George Kennedy, Olivia Hussey, James Shigeta and Charles Boyer. It was also the final film produced by Ross Hunter. The film is a remake of Frank Capra's film of the same name, with a screenplay by Larry Kramer. Both the 1937 version and this one adapted their story from James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon". "Lost Horizon" was lambasted by critics at the time of its 1973 release, and its reputation