Criterion Collection: Island of Lost Souls [DVD] [1932] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This is the first of three adaptations of the H G Wells book, Island of Dr Moreau (the second being made in the 70s, and the third - probably not final - take being the condemned mid-90s production that Richard Stanley should have directed). Whilst reportedly not being a strict conversion of the material for screen (I haven't personally read the book), it is nevertheless a powerful film for its time that retains a twisted quality that even some of today's more open minded audiences may appreciate. The story introduces typical American hero Ed Parker, who is rescued from shipwreck but dumped again, after disagreements with the captain, with a group of odd people that inhabit an isolated island. There Parker discovers that vivisectionist experiments are being conducted to transform animals into humans, these creatures being ruled over by their creator and law-enforcer, Dr Moreau. Initially control is maintained, but soon things begin to get out of order, and the deformed inhabitants of the island gather mob-like to overthrow the crown.

Directed with a flair uncommon in the 30s by Erle C Kenton (whose other horrors include the not-so-impressive Ghost of Frankenstein, and the fun but similarly ill-fated double act that was to end Universal's more serious monster movie run, House of Dracula/Frankenstein) Island of Lost Souls is striking in its portrayal of the doomed creatures that are forcibly brought out of their natural lifestyle to adopt human characteristics for no better reason other than to prove that it's possible (and maybe to feed the god-complex of the Moreau character, who here resembles an amoral Dr Frankenstein). Bela Lugosi is amongst them, though not receiving a huge amount of screen time. The most notable hybrid, however, is played by Kathleen Burke - slinky, attractive, and meek, the moment that Parker realises the truth about her still sends a bit of a chill through the veins. What struck me about the spiralling chaos of the final act also was its similarity to that of 70s masterwork, Dawn of the Dead, as the creatures get more and more out of control, eventually taking over the 'asylum' as the human survivors make a desparate bid to escape.

I would have bought this from UK suppliers Eureka, but they are unfortunately choosing to release the film in standard definition only (at time of writing), and as matter of course these days I always buy Blu-ray when it's available. Having said that it is likely that the Eureka will feature unique extras so it'll be worth keeping an eye on when it arrives in 2012. Criterion's Blu-ray 1.33:1 Black & White HD (1080p) transfer is comprised of a combination of 35mm nitrate positive (the original negative is unfortunately deemed gone forever) and 16mm print in order to ensure as much audio/video footage, including previously censored material, is present in what we see on the disc. Considering the conditions the film looks very good - soft on occasions, persistently grainy, often pretty detailed and exhibiting good contrast. There is noticeable hiss on the soundtrack periodically but I wouldn't expect otherwise. I suspect that this could be the best this is ever going to look for home cinema, and would like to think it is comparable to original theatrical presentations. Criterion, as usual, have done their absolute best to preserve and restore a classic movie.

I haven't had chance to sift through all of the extras yet, but for information they include segmented interviews with John Landis, Rick Baker, Bob Burns, David Skal, Richard Stanley, Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh (of 'Devo') - these latter pair also provide a short film for the disc. Also present is a commentary by Gregory Mank, original trailer to the movie, plus a fascinating stills gallery showing off close-up images of the 'monsters' along with publicity photos, etc. This is all supported by a lovely booklet giving us an essay on the film, plus details of chapters, cast and the technical side of the transfer. My favourite piece of all this stuff so far is the fifteen minute interview with Stanley, who wanted to and should have directed the 90s remake that Frankenheimer was evetually hired for. This man (who directed the mesmerising Dust Devil if you're unfamiliar with the name) is always a joy to listen to - he comes across as highly educated, knowledgeable on a range of subjects, relentlessly enthusiastic, and is seemingly the beneficiary of a varied and enviable existence, even if he has had his share of tougher times. I could listen to this stuff for long periods of time. This is the sort of extra that most DVD/BD distributors can only aspire to.

It should be noted that this release is Region A only. The booklet and disc are packed in a translucent, standard-sized Blu-ray case adorned by attractive design work. Whilst I do wish that Criterion's Blu-rays had more of a physical presence in the manner that some of their DVD releases did (e.g. Vampyr, Videodrome, etc), one cannot argue with the content. Island... proves itself to be among the elite of 30s horror, and at last there is a release that does it justice and is very difficult to fault - hence five stars.

Dr. Moreau: What is the law?
Sayer of the Law: Not to eat meat, that is the law. Are we not men?
Beasts: Are we not men?

Dr. Moreau: What is the law?
Sayer of the Law: Not to go on all fours, that is the law. Are we not men?
Beasts: Are we not men?

Dr. Moreau: What is the law?
Sayer of the Law: Not to spill blood, that is the law. Are we not men?
Beasts: Are we not men?

When Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) cracks his whip, asks his question and we hear the answers mumbled and shouted from those gathered below him, the obvious answer from us is "Hey, wait a minute." Moreau on his tiny island in the Pacific seems to have a tribe of hairy, hunched males obeying him. Then we notice how they're standing and how they look...some with eyes peering out from under bony brows, noses misshaped, dumb stares or suspicious looks, feral teeth, bulky shoulders, long arms, a foot with a hoof...and lots and lots of fur. The Sayer of the Law is unrecognizable as Bela Lugosi. His face is covered with long hair as he struggles to state the litany.

If you've never seen Island of Lost Souls, in glorious black and white from 1932 based on H. G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, you are in for a treat. If you've seen only the later versions of the story (1977 with Burt Lancaster as Moreau and 1996 with Marlon Brando as Moreau), you are in for a revelation. The Island of Lost Souls is a first class movie and Laughton is a memorable Moreau.

The story line could be campy. Here it's not. Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) through no fault of his own winds up on a jungle island. Dr. Moreau and Moreau's younger assistant, a man named Montgomery (Arthur Hohl), take him to Moreau's house. On the way he sees Moreau's crewmen and workers, strange men who seem...odd. Walking through the jungle he sees glimpses of creatures that might be large animals or might be men. Eventually he learns that Dr. Moreau, who was forced to leave London because of certain experiments, is dedicated to taking animals and turning them into men. No ray tubes, pulsing lights and such for him. Moreau goes about it the old-fashioned way. Using scalpels without anesthesia, Dr. Moreau, assisted by Montgomery, cuts out those parts of animals that are animal, leaving those parts that can become human. He performs these series of operations in his laboratory, which he calls the House of Pain.

Moreau's greatest success to date is to turn a female panther, after a lot of cutting, into Lota (Kathleen Burke), the panther woman. Lota, with large dark eyes that look a bit crazed, resembles Dorothy Lamour with claws. Lota is the only woman on the island. Parker is the only man who has ever been kind to her. When they kiss, Moreau is ecstatic. The scientific possibilities of Parker and Lota getting in on stimulate Moreau in more ways than one. This was before the curtain of prudery fell over Hollywood in the mid-Thirties. Laughton practically glows at the possibilities to watch and then experiment. He also practically glows in the evening because he always wears an immaculate while tropical suit.

But then rebellion occurs, good people live and bad people die. And what about Moreau's experiments? They're neither good nor bad. They're not human and not animal. And they have learned that The Law can be broken. See the movie. It's well worth it.

The acting is very good by any number of the cast. Laughton makes Moreau a dominating figure of suspicions, casual cruelty, twinkling good humor tinged with the instincts of a voyeur. He puts Lancaster and Brando to shame. Did Laughton ever telephone in a performance?

The photography is full of forbidding shadows, a dark cave, threatening night, and unnerving set pieces. Laughton cracking a whip to control the animal-men, with torches casting flickering shadows, doesn't turn into comedy. When Lota leaps from a tree limb onto a gorilla-man she looks like a woman but we see the deadly grace of a panther.

The Criterion release looks very good. There is a commentary track and a few extras which I didn't view but which quite likely are up to Criterion standards.

"What is the law?"
"Not to eat meat, that is the law. Are we not men?"
"Are we not men?"
"What is the law?"
"Not to go on all fours, that is the law. Are we not men?"
"Are we not men?"
"What is the law?"
"Not to spill blood, that is the law. Are we not men?"
"Are we not men?"

H.G. Wells may have loathed it and the British censor banned it for nearly three decades for being "against nature," but 1932's Island of Lost Souls is still the best and most disturbing adaptation of the author's The Island of Dr Moreau. Certainly Paramount's idea of a horror film was much darker than Universal's classic monster movies of the period, and it tackles its subtext head on without appearing especially heavy-handed.

Looking like a cross between British fascist leader Oswald Mosley, a chubby Adolph Hitler and Little Britain's Matt Lucas (though he claimed he based the character's look on his dentist), Charles Laughton's white-suited vivisectionist turning animals into half-men in his House of Pain on an uncharted South seas island with the aid of Arthur Hohl's disgraced doctor is at once the worst of colonialism personified and the kind of scientist the Nazis would love to have had on the payroll. Ruling over his creations with a whip and a Law based on fear, he's not that far removed from the crazed eugenics experiments that would take place a few years later or of the patronising hypocrisy that would lead to most European colonies to fall to rebellion after the war. Unlike later versions, there's no rationale behind his experiments beyond the desire to prove they can be done, and he has no scruples about trying to mate his creations with the odd human visitor or, if that fails, create a situation that might lead to a convenient bestial rape to further his scientific curiosity. When his inevitable fall at the hands of his experiments comes when they realise man is not a god but mortal like them, it's just as cruel and sadistic, the shots of real-life amputees with cloven hoofs grafted on or mental patients transformed into animals courtesy of Wally Westmore's uncredited makeup effects still shocking today.

If Richard Arlen's human lead doesn't stand much of a chance of doing more than just about getting by against Laughton and Bela Lugosi's Sayer of the Law's screentime is limited to a couple of key scenes, Erle C. Kenton's direction is exceptionally good, with a real visual flair for camera movement that's as striking today as anything in James Whale's films, not least the fluid crane shots revealing the manimals' village or the commanding image of Moreau looking down on his worshipping creations like a malignant god. Hans Dreier's impressive art direction and Karl Struss' dramatic cinematography beautifully compliment what is still one of the best horror films of its kind.

While Eureka's UK DVD release has been held up by several months and its extras still haven't been listed (they originally opted not to release it on Blu-ray since the master Universal provided showed little appreciable improvement over DVD but have since reconsidered and are releasing it in a dual-format DVD/BD version), Criterion's US Region 1 NTSC DVD offers a fine package: historical audio commentary by Gregory Monk, interviews with John Landis, Rick Baker, Bob Burns, film historian David J. Skal, musicians Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh and director of the ill-fated Marlon Brando version, Richard Stanley, two 70s short films inspired by the film, stills gallery, trailer and booklet. The picture quality on this uncut version (mastered from the same source as Eureka's upcoming PAL version) is particularly impressive considering the negative has long been lost.

It's worth noting that Criterion's Blu-ray release is Region A-locked.