Isle of the Dead (1945)

Director:

Mark Robson

Writer:

Ardel Wray (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

1 September 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What evil force is loose that empties graves of these long dead...buries those still alive...leaves behind it death...AND WORSE! (original half-sheet poster)

Plot:

On a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn't enough worry...

Plot Keywords:

Plague | Quarantine | Island | Vampire | Fictional War

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Gen. Nikolas Pherides
Ellen Drew	...	Thea
Marc Cramer	...	Oliver Davis
Katherine Emery	...	Mrs. Mary St. Aubyn
Helene Thimig	...	Madame Kyra
Alan Napier	...	St. Aubyn
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Albrecht (as Jason Robards)
Ernst Deutsch	...	Dr. Drossos (as Ernst Dorian)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sherry Hall	...	Col. Kobestes (uncredited)
Erick Hanson	...	Officer (uncredited)
Skelton Knaggs	...	Andrew Robbins (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Robson

Writing credits
Ardel Wray		(written by)
Val Lewton		uncredited
Josef Mischel		uncredited

Produced by
Jack J. Gross	....	executive producer
Val Lewton	....	producer

Original Music by
Leigh Harline

Cinematography by
Jack MacKenzie		(director of photography) (as Jack Mackenzie)

Film Editing by
Lyle Boyer

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino
Walter E. Keller

Set Decoration by
Albert Greenwood		(as Al Greenwood)
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Edward Stevenson		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry Scott	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jean L. Speak	....	sound recordist
James G. Stewart	....	sound re-recordist

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director
Gil Grau	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox Hills Video (video)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Nostalgia Merchant, The (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• Odeon Entertainment (2011) (UK) (DVD)
• Turner Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Turner Home Video (video)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #10319)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

A vorvolakas (also vrykolakas) occurs in Greek folklore as an undead creature capable of causing harm to the living. Its characteristics are similar to many other characters of legend, but it is most closely associated with vampires. In Hollywood movies such as Dracula (1931), the word vampire is often translated to Greek as vrykolakas. However, traditional vorvolakas are not noted for blood-drinking.

Goofs:

Factual errors: General Pherides has two stars on his collar to denote his rank, whereas Doctor Drossos has epaulettes of knotted embroidery. The Hellenic Army of the Balkans War did not use insignia on collars to denote rank. Rank was indicated on epaulettes. A Lieutenant General's epaulette had two large silver stars on gold embroidery with red edging. A Captain's epaulette has three smaller silver stars on a striped epaulette (red-gold-red).

Quotes:

Thea:Laws can be wrong, and laws can be cruel, and the people who live only by the law are both wrong and cruel.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Blood-Drinking Beings (1996) (V)

Not quite what the title etc suggests it would be but still enjoyable

It is 1912 and Greece is deeply involved in the Balkan War. General Nikolas Pherides is in charge of a group of soldiers – driving them to breaking point in what some might call a cruel, twisted sense of patriotism. On a visit to the grave of his wife with visiting American Oliver Davis, Pherides finds the graves vandalised and demands answers from the local residents. He gets them but also accepts their offer of a bed for the night to save them making the long journey back to the troops. However during the night the plague is found on the small island and quarantine is declared to protect the troops. However they quickly find that the plague is not the only danger on the mysterious island.

Although the plot is unnecessarily busy considering the short running time, this is an effective enough drama although I would have liked more of the atmospheric horror to it. The plot involves the plague, suspicious characters, a driven man and possibly the undead; it builds well on the air of mystery and atmosphere although it never really gets close to some of the better Val Lewton films. Likewise the plot, although easy to follow, is not as simple and effective as it could have been and the various threads tend to slow down the film rather than compliment the atmosphere. The atmosphere is still good, although Robson has given it more of a melodramatic use of shadow at times rather than a tense use. That said, some moments are quite chilling and it'll still work on that basis.

Cramer is the main character despite the lower billing; he is a fairly standard, square jawed actor and he isn't that interesting as a result. Karloff is where the show is at and, although he is not playing a monster to the same degree as he often would, he is still very interesting and his performance is good. Support is so-so from the rest of the cast; Drew and Thimig are pretty good but Napier, Robards and Emery are not given the same chance to really shine.

Overall this is an enjoyable film but not the one to come to if you want to see the best that Lewton had to offer. The plot is more drama than atmospheric horror but it does still do this well at points. The cast are mostly good but they do tend to get in the way of Karloff, who is missed every time he goes off the screen.