I never heard of this movie until I saw it during this year's November's Criterion sale and ordered it. I just received it today and am going to watch it tonight. I was watching this and thought that Criterion should have had these guy's do a commentary on the movie. I just checked the Blu-ray case and saw that they did do one.
A point to make about the original Island of Lost Souls compared to the remakes is that, apart from all of the other ways in which it's better -- it's also smarter. In this version, from the very beginning, we know that the one and only woman on the island is one of Moreau's creations -- and that fact is central to the unfolding of the story. Yet, in the remakes that followed, we're actually supposed to believe that this woman -- the only woman on this island full of beast men, is human -- and then, at the very end -- what an unbelievable, incredible twist -- it turns out that, gasp! -- she's also one of Moreau's creations! Who would ever have guessed it -- except every single person watching the movie from the very first microsecond that she appears. The original writers, obviously, understood that you just can't keep certain things a secret -- like the fact that the this one cat-like woman on Moreau's island is, well -- a cat woman. NMS
How I wish Rick Baker could have done makeup for an adaptation of the Island of Doctor Moreau, don't get me wrong...Stan Winston's designs in the 1996 one are amazing and one of the most memorable aspects of it that isn't about the drama that happened behind the scenes, but Baker would definitely have done an amazing job at making human/animal hybrids.
I have to disagree with their assessment that Richard Arlen was not a good actor. They must not have seen many of his movies. Watch "Beggars Of Life" with Louise Brooks, or "The Virginian" with Gary Cooper and Mary Brian, or "College Humor" with Bing Crosby, or "The Conquering Horde" with Fay Wray and then come back and say he was not a good actor. He was Paramount's hottest leading man for several years from 1927-34 or so and was paired frequently with their up and coming actresses to help them get over with audiences.
And right around the time this movie was made, The Imperial Japanese army was establishing It's bacteriological warfare division, Unit 731, in Manchuria. They did things there that made Dr. Moreau look like a humanitarian.
@@wes788411 Well, I've seen that documentary regarding the making of the movie, and all I can say is that it's amazing they got anything at all produced and released. Totally insane production.
