Lost Horizon (1937)

H.B. Warner: Chang

Photos 

Quotes 

• Chang : Age is a limit we impose upon ourselves. You know, each time you Westerners celebrate your birthday, you build another fence around your minds.

• Alexander P. 'Lovey' Lovett : We'd better make arrangements to get some porters immediately - some means of getting us back to civilization

  Chang : Are you so certain you are away from it?

• Chang : There is a tribe of porters some 500 miles from here. That is our only contact with the outside world. Every now and again, depending on favorable weather of course, they make the journey.

  George Conway : How do we get in touch with them?

  Chang : Well, in that respect, you are exceedingly fortunate. We are expecting a shipment from them almost any time now.

  Barnard : Just want to do mean by, almost any time now?

  Chang : Well, we've been expecting this particular shipment for the past two years...

• Chang : It is very common here to live to a very ripe old age. Climate, diet - the mountain water you might say. But we like to believe it's the absence of struggle in the way we live. In your countries, on the other hand, how often do you hear the expression, "He worried himself to death," or "This thing or that killed him"?

  Robert Conway : Oh, very often.

  Chang : And very true. Your lives are, as a rule, shorter. Not so much by natural death, as by indirect suicide.

• Chang : You shouldn't be looking at the bottom of the mountain. Why don't you try looking up at the top, some time.

• Chang : We rule with moderate strictness and in return we are satisfied with moderate obedience. As a result, our people are moderately honest, moderately chaste, and somewhat more than moderately happy.

• Robert Conway : You have no disputes over women?

  Chang : Only very rarely. You see, it would not be considered good manners to take a woman that another man wanted.

  Robert Conway : Supposed somebody wanted her so badly that he didn't give a hang if it was good manners or not?

  Chang : Well, in that event, it would be good manners on the part of the other man to let him have her.

• Chang : [referring to Maria]  Charming, isn't she?

  Robert Conway : Ah, yes, charming.

  Chang : Your brother seems quite fascinated by her.

  Robert Conway : Well, why not? She's an attractive young woman.

  Chang : Young? She arrived here in 1888. She was 20 at the time. She was on her way to join her betrothed, when her couriers lost their way in the mountains. The whole party would have perished without for meeting with some of our people.

  Robert Conway : Amazing. She still doesn't look over 20. When is she likely to grow old in appearance?

  Chang : Oh, not for years. Shangri-La will keep her youthful indefinitely.

  Robert Conway : Suppose she should leave?

  Chang : Leave Shangir-La? Ha ha, that's not likely, you couldn't drive her out.

  Robert Conway : No, I mean about her appearance. If she should leave the valley, what would happen?

  Chang : Oh... she'd quickly revert in appearance to her actual age.

  Robert Conway : Huh... Ah, it's weird.

• Chang : [Visiting Gloria in her room; she is ill]  Please calm yourself. You'll soon be well if you do.

  Gloria : I don't need any advice from you. Get me a doctor!

  Chang : [unperturbed]  I'm sorry, we have no doctors here.

  Gloria : "No doctors"... Well, that's fine. That's just fine!

  Chang : Please let me help you.

  Gloria : Sure you can help me. You can help me jump over that cliff! I've been lookin' and lookin' at the bottom of that mountain, but I haven't got the nerve to jump.

  Chang : You shouldn't be looking at the bottom of the mountain. Why don't you try looking up at the top sometime?

  Gloria : Don't preach that cheap secondhand stuff to me! Go on, beat it! BEAT IT!

  Chang : [unperturbed]  Peace be with you, my child.

• Robert Conway : By the way, what religion do you follow here?

  Chang : To put it simply, I should say that our general belief was in, uh, moderation. We preach the virtue of avoiding excesses of every kind. Even including excess of virtue itself.

  Robert Conway : Well, that's intelligent.

  Chang : We find in the valley that it makes for better happiness among the natives. We rule with moderate strictness, and in return we are satisfied with moderate obedience. As a result, our people are moderately honest, moderately chaste, and, uh, somewhat more than moderately happy.

  Robert Conway : How about law, and order? You have no soldiers, or police?

  Chang : [chuckling]  Oh, good heavens, no!

  Robert Conway : Well, how do you deal with incorrigibles? Criminals?

  Chang : Why, we have no crime here. What makes a criminal? Lack, usually. Avariciousness. Envy. The desire to possess something owned by another. There can be no crime where there is a sufficiency of everything.

• Robert Conway : [seats Mr. Chang in a chair and confronts him]  Mr. Chang, you have been very kind to us, and we appreciate it. But for some reason we are being held prisoners here, and we want to know why. Personally, I don't mind at all. I'm enjoying every minute of it. But my brother is not of the same opinion. Nor are the others. It's time we were told what it's all about! We want to know why we were kidnapped, why we are being kept here, but most important of all: do we get the porters, and when?

  Robert Conway : [continues, a bit more ominously]  Until we get this information, my dear Mr. Chang, I am very much afraid we cannot permit you to leave this room.

  Chang : You know, it's very, very strange, but when you saw me in the corridor, I was actually on my way to you. I bring the most amazing news...

  Chang : [arises, looks calmly at Conway]  The High Lama wishes to see you.

• Robert Conway : Mr. Chang, all these things - books, instruments, sculpture... Do you mean to say they were all brought in over those mountains by porters?

  Chang : They were.

  Robert Conway : Well, that must've taken...

  Chang : Centuries.

  Robert Conway : Centuries.

  Robert Conway : Where did you get the money to pay for all these treasures?

  Chang : Well, of course we have no money as you know it. We do not buy or sell or seek personal fortunes, because.. well, because there is no uncertain future here for which to accumulate it.

  Robert Conway : That would suit me perfectly. I'm always broke. How *did* you pay for them?

  Chang : Our valley is very rich in a metal called gold, which, fortunately for us, is valued very highly in the outside world. So we merely, uh...

  Robert Conway : Buy and sell.

  Chang : Buy and sell.. uh, no, no, pardon me: exchange.

  Robert Conway : I see. Gold for ideas.