Island of Lost Souls (Criterion)

Thanks to my job I was able to get an early copy of the Criterion Blu Ray for Island of Lost Souls. There's not much to be said about the film that hasn't already been said. This adaptation of Wells "Island of Dr. Moreau" is one of the absolute pinnacles in the classic horror genre. One of the most notable things about this film is how much its tone contrasts with that of the Universal horror movies of the same era. This film is far darker in its subject matter (vivisection, rape, bestiality) and has an overt air of sexuality that Universal films tended to stay away from. But enough about that, on to the disc itself.

The transfer itself really does stand with the best that Criterion has done. Anyone expecting a transfer clean of all dirt and scratches is setting themselves up for disappointment (and I can't imagine why anyone would want this film in that "clean" of a version, regardless). But this is the most pristine I've ever seen. It is superior to every other home video release by a wide margin. I doubt the film has looked this good since its original theatrical run. Although, my guess is that this is about the best format for the film. I wonder if a lot of these older films that have been restored will hold up when we get up to bigger formats in the future. My guess is most of them won't hold at a 3K or 4K resolution. But this is absolutely gorgeous.

What really struck me was the re-mastered mono track for the audio. It is some of the clearest I've heard from the era. So many times with movies from the 30s and 40s it sounds like the actors are speaking through two tin cans connected by a string. Here, the voices and effects are clear and ever present. Even though he's almost unrecognizable behind all the hair, Bela Lugosi's unmistakable accent comes across strong when he asks, "Are we not men?" Brilliant.

The extras are always a place where Criterion shines, and this is no exception. It's important to remember that the film is from 1933, so making-of documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage aren't to be expected. That means that Criterion had to create extra content with what is available here and now. The most notable of the extras is the discussion of the movie between director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Rick Baker (7x Oscar Winner for visual effects makeup, Wolf Man), and Bob Burns (horror collector/historian/super fan). I've had the pleasure of working with all three of these gentleman extensively and the thing that makes me happiest to see them here isn't the status of their celebrity, it's that all three of them are super fans. Talk for 15 minutes to any one of them and you'll realize that part of what makes them so good in their respective disciplines is that they know their history. This isn't just some celebs chatting about something that ends up being a testament to how brilliant they are. These three genuinely discuss the film, disagreeing on several points, and really get to the heart of why it has endured. It is really worth taking the time to watch (more than once).

The second extra that really adds to the disc is the commentary by Greg Mank. Again, I've had the pleasure of working with Greg on several occasions. This guy is one of the most knowledgeable horror historians on planet earth. The things he knows would make your head explode. When I heard that Criterion was doing this, his was the first name that popped into my head (partially because some of the work I've done with Greg centered on Lost Souls) because there really is no one better for the gig. He's fun. He's conversational. And you're going to gain an absolute wealth of knowledge and insight from listening to what he has to say.

There's also an interview with Richard Stanley, the man who was supposed to direct the Marlon Brando/Val Kilmer version of Moreau. But, he was let go before production began (lucky him). He's very frank about how he wanted to make the film, why he didn't, and just what a disaster the filmed version turned out to be. He even has some great stories about sneaking back onto the set just to see if it was as bad as the actors were telling him. But I think what I enjoyed most was his discussion of why Moreau is such a hard piece to adapt and what it would take to do it justice.

The last piece is an interview with the founding members of the band DEVO. It turns out that a lot of what they did was based off of the film and the book. Honestly, if you're not a fan of the band it's not a very engaging piece.

The bottom line is that this is the definitive version of LOST SOULS. It incorporates not only the best, but also some missing and rare, footage, making it the most complete version. It looks and sounds gorgeous and has an absolutely fantastic wealth of extras that will appeal to even the most educated horror aficionado. The film is a classic and has earned that moniker well. This edition finally allows it to shine and let the world see why it has remained as prominent as it has. Very highly recommended.

And if you don't find this review helpful, please just leave a comment and I'll be happy to expand on it.

I've been anticipating this release for years, so I'm glad to see it finally appear. The Paramount VHS version looked pretty darned good (for tape), so I have high hopes that the Criterion DVD has a top-quality source and will do this masterpiece justice. Definitely get the Blu-Ray version.

As for the movie itself, Laughton couldn't be better. He owns Dr. Moreau the way Sean Connery owns James Bond. No one could do effete aristocratic evil better than he.

Yes, the panther woman is made up to look a little nightclubby, and Stanley Fields (the drunken captain of the ship) and Paul Hurst (the garrulous captain of the rescue ship) ham it up a bit in their character parts, but was there ever a more terrifying scene than the one in which Richard Arlen first lays eyes on the animal-men?

I haven't seen every remake of this story, but the Burt Lancaster (1977) and Marlon Brando (1996) versions aren't in the same league. In fact, even without comparison to the Laughton version, both of them are pretty bad.

I've seen this film fifty times and look forward to watching it again when the disc arrives. I'll be sure to invite my dad, who saw it when it came out (at age 7) and now (at age 85) says no other movie ever filled him with such profound fear.

Look for the theological themes. It has only been in my more recent viewings that they manifest themselves so clearly to me.

Bela Lugosi should have won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the Sayer of the Law . . . "Are we not MEN?"

Several years ago, when I started to purchase DVD's, I decided that my VHS collection of 700 or so titles did not need to be replaced, and I would only buy DVD editions of films that I hadn't yet acquired. Right. A dozen years later, I have since replaced every VHS tape I had, with the exception of 40 or so films that have not yet made their way on to DVD. Of all the films I have left in my VHS collection, I have wished for the DVD release of none more than Island of Lost Souls. That this classic is finally being released by Criterion in a deluxe edition just makes my mouth water more in anticipation.

In 1932, Paramount Pictures made one of their few horror titles, Island of Lost Souls, based on the H. G. Wells classic, The Island of Dr. Moreau. Even today, the film emerges as an intelligent and extremely creepy exercise in unspeakable horror. One of Hollywood's sadly forgotten leading men, Richard Arlen, plays Edward Parker, a hapless traveler set adrift, who is rescued by a freighter delivering supplies to an island ruled by Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton). After an argument with the ship's captain, Parker is stranded on the island, and the terror unfolds.

More of the plot should not be revealed to the uninitiated; let's just say that Bela Lugosi will surprise you with his amazing performance as Keeper of the Law and Charles Laughton, one of my favorite actors, was rarely better. When you learn the full secret of the island, the concept of the House of Pain and Lugosi's chant, "What is the Law?" will cause chills to run down your spine. The answers to Lugosi's chant, "Not to spill blood" and "Are we not men" are as downright creepy as films from this period get, especially in light of Dr. Moreau's unholy experiments.

The novel was filmed twice again in 1977 and 1996, both under the original title of The Island of Dr. Moreau. Many critics and horror fans agree that the 1932 version, with a screenplay by Science Fiction legend Philip Wylie (When Worlds Collide), still stands out as the clear choice, although I believe that both later versions had their merits, and were unfairly labeled as complete failures, in part because of the effectiveness of the original. In the genres of horror and science fiction, the original film has rarely been equaled in terms of atmosphere and sheer horror, and I am thrilled that it has finally made its way to a digital release.

Highly recommended.

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