Produced a few years back is a film many of us waited for, the story of Col Percy Fawcett. I was not as disappointed as I expected I would be, considering that the book of the title takes the anthropological cop-out. Yes, I am among those who are convinced that Fawcett found something more substantial than a native village, however complex that village may have been. The inconveniently complex and advanced ruins found around the world argue for something more. So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was that the film does not insist that Fawcett’s fate involved a hidden native village complex nor attempt to depict his suspected lost city of ancient advanced technology. I’m OK with the ending because the rest of the film is an engaging enough cinematic depiction of Fawcett’s story which, frankly, is long overdue.
Readers of my nonfiction will be familiar with Secret Missions 2: The Lost Expedition of Sir Richard Francis Burton in which I argue — and present evidence — that Fawcett’s search for ‘Z’ was a direct result of the eponymous Burton expedition in South America in the 1860s. I even present the very likely full name of Fawcett’s lost city he referred to as only ‘Z’. You can purchase my book at walterbosley.com, if you’re interested. But if you’re not familiar with Fawcett’s story, I recommend you find a copy of Lost Trails, Lost Cities (aka Expedition Fawcett) edited by Brian Fawcett from his father’s own journals. I also recommend watching this film, The Lost City of Z
With Fawcett finally introduced dramatically to film audiences maybe next we’ll see a great adventure movie depicting Fawcett’s post-disappearance exploits according to the legend.
— Walter Bosley