‘Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend’ on Blu-ray
Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend is a 1985 movie with a kind of cult following. With a wonderful score by Jerry Goldsmith, this film is a sci-fi drama with heart.
Susan (Sean Young) has been in the Ivory Coast looking for fossils. She is a paleontologist working with Dr. Eric Kiviat (Patrick McGoohan) and his assistant Nigel Jenkins (Julian Fellows). Susan’s husband George (William Katt) is also there. He’s a supportive husband but is excited to return to the U.S.A. when offered a job.
Before they leave Africa, Susan discovers a rare fossil: a bone from a Brontosaurus. She’s excited yet her find is dismissed by Kiviat as being from a giraffe. He knows what she found but wants to keep the discovery to himself, also knowing that the Brontosauruses are still living deep in the jungle.
Susan takes off on her own in search of what she believes is a rare discovery, with George on her trail. They end up in an adventure that could change the world and history.
A Brontosaurus family is alive and well. The father, mother, and hatchling are living in the jungle but with humans on their trail their lives are in danger. The couple soon realizes that Kiviat is not the good guy they thought he was. He intends on capturing a dinosaur for his own glory. What happens is that the father is killed, the mother is captured, and the baby ends up in the secret care of Susan and George.
This sci-fi tale predates Jurassic Park by eight years and the technology we are used to today had not been invented so modern viewers might think this is a bit hokey, but the story hits to the heart of humanity. Man cannot leave nature alone.
The story is bittersweet in that there is a lot of tragedy and darkness in the film, yet the sweetness of the mother/child bond is endearing.
There are two discussions as bonus features on this new Blu-ray release, one with director Bill Norton and one with William Katt. Katt’s stories are entertaining and enlightening. He tells viewers how difficult the shoot was and how hard it was to work in that environment. The baby dinosaur was not CGI – obviously – and was a rubber suit with a man inside. In the heat of Africa, this was an arduous role for the man inside. Imagine being inside a rubber dinosaur in 100-degree heat. Katt’s other stories are fascinating and add a lot to the understanding of the production of the film.
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend is rated PG. It definitely has some sad scenes but for viewers who remember the film from the 80s, it is a nice nostalgic movie that brings back memories.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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