Island of Lost Souls

This fantastical horror movie based on "The Island of Dr. Moreau" is not necessarily scary by today's graphic standards. However, it still manages to touch on the terror of "humanity's inhumanity." It also provides a classic mad-scientist performance which still gives me the creeps. The makeup isn't perfect, but it is far superior to typical fare of the time.

Sometimes a movie enters you while you watch it. These days a movie often enters you well before you pay to see it, the soul of the thing having been conveyed to you by too-long trailers and saturation advertising. But is sometimes the case that a movie — especially one with an engineered ending — enters you well after you have seen it, during a period of mental digestion. This movie doesn't have a well done ending, but it enters you afterward — at least it did me. During the watching, what you see is a combination of movie trends: jungle movies, often with savage women or women in savage contexts, magical island movies, and movies where a mad doctor perverts science. All of these were part of the great experiment of film stories in the thirties and any combination of them is done much, much better elsewhere. What makes this memorable, even useful, is the notion behind it, introduced in the title. What we have here is a doctor who has learned to accelerate "evolution" if that word can be used in the context of a single being. He starts with animals and accelerates them toward what is shown to be a perfect state: human. All beasts strive to evolve to the human state. That's the first shocking notion behind this. Its almost Biblical in its assumption, that man is the form of God. But what we see of the "real" humans here are hardly admirable. Going further, it assumes that the beast in each of us can only be temporarily mollified. Oh, what we see is hairy foam rubber, but what we remember is what Wells imputed. And there's no magic in the conundrum. So where is the soul? Does sex play a role in the setting of soul — as the doctor absolutely believes? (Oh gosh, how perfect Natashi Kinski's cat woman would do here for the wan girl playing the supposedly sexy woman derived from a panther.) Laughton doesn't know what he is doing, so plays a suave nitwit instead of the true genius Wells imagined. Brando's later Moreau was in a catastrophe of a project, but he knew the true Moreau — was. See this movie with no soul, and let it evolve into you. Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Despite the fact that all subsequent remakes have garnered AWFUL reviews, this "granddaddy" of all Island of Dr. Moreau/ Island of Lost Souls film is a wonderful thriller. It's genuinely creepy and chilling--probably one of the scariest films of the era (aside from FREAKS). I think one of the reason this film succeeds while follow-ups have not is that it is filmed in mega-creepy black and white AND because the movie isn't bogged down with special effects or bloated, over-paid actors. In fact, its the simplicity of this film that make it work. Charles Laughton as the evil doctor and Bela Lugosi as the Sayer of the Law are terrific.

Exceedingly grisly for its day, and still pretty frightening, the movie is an adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel The Island Of Dr. Moreau, about a mad scientist who experiments with evolution in his island laboratory, leading to shocking results, half-human half-beast creatures for whose predicament the term identity crisis would be a gigantic understatement. Their lives are hell, as Laughton's sadistic treatment of them makes their existence sheer pain. Filmed like a horror movie, which is how it's often classified, the film is more like a precursor of the nature-gone-wild science fiction pictures of the fifties, minus the usual military heroics. It also, thanks to Wells, has the courage of its convictions, and the pessimistic implications of its ideas are not glossed over or simplified in the least. Science, in other words, is not used as an excuse for showing us horror but is rather,--and there's no beating around the bush here--the cause of it. It is a very dark and gloomy film, and it is impossible for any intelligent person not to ponder the year of its release, 1933, as the reason for this as much as the story itself. This was the year Hitler came to power in Germany; also, Franklin Roosevelt in the U.S. We knew what Hitler was about, or at least his ideas, while FDR was still an unknown quantity. The Depression was at its worst, and millions were unemployed and starving. Without going too far out on a limb it is easy enough to see the lost, tortured souls in the film as victims of the Depression. They are men twisted out of shape by those in power,--like the wicked, white-suited Dr. Moreau--and their future looks grim, their prospects few. "Is this what the world is coming to?", the movie seems to ask. In 1933 it was hard to come up with a glibly optimistic reply. As one of the leaders of the beastly mob asks at one point, "Are We Not Men?". This was a question that at the time had no easy answer. That it had to be raised in the first place is as frightening to contemplate as anything we have actually seen.

This is an eerie, strange movie that has since been re-made several times, most notably in 1996 with "The Island Of Dr. Moreau." I liked the latter better than this, mainly because of great color and, of course, much better special-effects. You would expect that for a film made 60 years after this one! However, this isn't bad. They still did a nice job on the special-effects, in fact better-than-good considering it's the early '30s. Charles Laughton plays the famous "Dr. Moreau," a man who almost makes humans out of animals. It was interesting to see Bela Lugosi, too, in a role other than "Dracula," and a role in which he sounds like a quite proper Englishman! This movie holds up well but I would still take the '96 re-make over it. Best of all would be to own both movies.

The Island of Lost Souls has such a great characterization of Dr. Moreau by Charles Laughton that Laughton was probably extremely lucky his career did not take the turn of Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi. He might have wound up playing all kinds of mad scientists instead of the rich and varied collection of people he did portray. As it was, he returned only once to the horror genre arguably and that was in The Strange Door 18 years later, co-starring with Boris Karloff. As the exiled and disgraced Dr. Moreau, he's discovered a way to speed up the evolutionary process if you accept that all animal life is merely a stepping stone towards mankind. That it involves a particularly brutal form of surgery on them without anesthetic is of no concern to him. He's created his own Devil's Eden in which he is Almighty God. A quarrel with a drunken sea captain strands Richard Arlen on his island which does not have too many visitors except for cargo deliveries of supplies and more animals for experimentation. Laughton decides to make use of Arlen to see if his most perfect creation, Lota the Panther Woman, played by Kathleen Burke has any sexual drives or will he need further experiments. Arlen's fiancé Leila Hyams is also looking for him and she arrives on the island setting up a not to be forgotten climax as Laughton's creations discover he's not God after all. Island of Lost Souls, based on an H.G. Wells novel, is entertainment, but it also makes one think about the limits of science and what happens when scientific advances outrace similar advances in mankind's sense of ethics. Anyway, I'm sure Dr. Moreau will not be PETA's man of the year.

After watching HG Wells adaptation of his novel THINGS TO COME it is something of a blessing that he wasn't able to write the screenplay of this version of THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU . It has dated somewhat but at least screenwriters Waldemar Young and Philip Wylie have made a cinematic story that appeals to an audience . There some flaws to the film but at least characters being used as a mouth piece for the author's opinion isn't one of them . It goes without saying Wells hated this movie The flaws centre around what could and couldn't be shown on film in the 1930s . Bare this in mind and perhaps the most remarkable thng you'll notice how close the screenwriters and director Erle C Kenton sail close to the wind at some points . The subplot of Moreau wanting Edward Parker to mate with a woman who was born a panther does get one's head spinning and it's not disguised in an overly sophisticated way either . Also interesting is how disturbing Moreau's fate is as he screams in the house of pain but no doubt the censors let this pass as he's the villain who has tampered with the fundamentals of nature and The Hays Code stated that in a cinematic film any immorality must be punished on screen . There's a consistency and logic in that case . Moreau has been an exceptional baddie changing the very fundamentals of nature therefore must suffer an exceptional on screen death . Interestingly this film was banned from British cinema until the 1950s The cast are very good . Richard Arlen as Edward Parker makes for a good hero . He isn't given much character development but he' there to function as a manly matinée hunky hero which he does very well . Arlen also has an on screen chemistry with Kathleen Burke as the much hyped " Panther Woman " which is just as well because much of the film succeeds or fails with this chemistry . Even the supporting players like Lugosi , Hohl and Hurst make an impression . There is a slight flaw to Laughton's portrayal . Not in his performance but the fact that he seems to have a mustache and beard that has been painted on . It is rather distracting and puzzling since the other make up effects are very good All in all this is a fairly impressive film . You have to be slightly forgiving and view it with a 1930s mindset rather a 2010 one but if you do it's a rather impressive film . Even the title sequence has some thought put in to it and one can't help wondering why it isn't better regarded . It could that the 1930s was something of a golden age where horror movies were concerned , or it could be that the subject matter caused it to be banned in some countries until a time when Hammer horror movies with their technicolor blood hit the cinema . Nevertheless it remains a pretty good atmospheric horror

The basic plot:Edward Parker is picked up by a ship, and then thrown off by a drunk captain along with the ships cargo,the cargo being a ship of animals. The cargo arrives at an uncharted island with strange natives . He makes the acquaintance of Dr. Moreau , who turns animals into the natives which we see ..... The praise: Actually very creepy ,intelligent and entertaining .Charles Laughton gives an excellent, silky performance as Dr. Moreau, the perfect villain . All of it is perfect entertainment, and all of the scenes in the woods are still frightening, including the superb " What is the law?" sequence. Bela also turns in a fine performance as the keeper of the law. Creepy, simple makeup. All finely staged, structured , with a terrific script . The intelligent subtext about the line between man and beast and disturbing order is still interesting.Top-notch lighting, design, atmosphere and art direction. a must-see, and an all time great. The flaws: Comic relief and the romantic couple date it somewhat. Note: It's ironic that Paramounts 4 Horror movies( this, Dr. J and Mr. H, Murders in Zoo, and Murder by the clock) are darker than universals horror movies of that period, for Paramount wa known as a light entertainment company.

This chilling adaptation of the H.G.Well's novella, "The Island of Dr Moreau" remains unsurpassed, despite two later wretched attempts to improve upon it. Banned in England upon release! An exotic, but sinister atmosphere pervading Moreau's privately-owned island is enhanced by filming in Black & White, whose shadowy contrasts imbue the setting which a dark, suspenseful tone. Moreau amorally attempts to "play God" by creating "manimals" - hybrid humans and animals - via surgical vivasection and blood transfusion in his laboratory, The House of Pain. Charles Laughton has never been more campily devilish as when playing Moreau - an exquisite performance by a great actor. Bela Lugosi plays a small, but effective part as "The Sayer of the Law": "Are we not men?" Kathleen Burke as the beautiful, erotic "Panther Woman" who develops an ill-fated romance with the protagonist, Edward Parker (played by Richard Arlen). Crisp direction by Erle Kenton, with nice make-up effects by Wally Westmore. The cutaway from the grisly ending when Moreau is about to be subjected to "surgery of the most fatal kind" in The House of Pain is most appreciated and is what I consider to be an exercise in directorial restraint and finesse. My imagination more than filled in the horrific details. Kudos to Mr. Kenton!

I'll be brief: If you've never seen this definitive, influential horror film, see it. After all these years, it still has the power to shock. Good performances all around (Charles Laughton in particular). Small wonder this thing was banned in the U.K. for so long. Now that it's been remade (at least twice), it's worth taking a look at the original.