Island of Lost Souls (1932)

An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

Waldemar Young (screenplay), Philip Wylie (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Laughton	...	Dr. Moreau
Richard Arlen	...	Edward Parker
Leila Hyams	...	Ruth Thomas
Bela Lugosi	...	Sayer of the Law
Kathleen Burke	...	The Panther Woman
Arthur Hohl	...	Montgomery
Stanley Fields	...	Captain Davies
Paul Hurst	...	Donahue
Hans Steinke	...	Ouran
Tetsu Komai	...	M'ling
George Irving	...	The Consul

Storyline

After his ship goes down, Edward Parker is rescued at sea. Parker gets into a fight with Captain Davies of the Apia and the Captain tosses him overboard while making a delivery to the tiny tropical island of Dr. Moreau. Parker discovers that Moreau has good reason to be so secretive on his lonely island. The doctor is a whip-cracking task master to a growing population of his own gruesome human/animal experiments. He does have one prize result, Lota the beautiful panther woman. Parker's fortunes for escape look up after his fiancée Ruth finds him with the help of fearless Captain Donohue. However, when Moreau's tribe of near-humans rises up to rebel, no one is safe...

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | experiment | unnatural experiment | laboratory | genetics | 

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Taglines:

The PANTHER WOMAN ... there was danger in her smile ... death in her embrace!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

December 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

H.G. Wells' Island of Lost Souls

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was made before the introduction of the Hays Code of film censorship in Hollywood, hence the racy poster and tag line.

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Goofs

On the first ship, a man carries a large bucket of slop and accidentally spills some slop on Captain Davies. In the next shot, as Davies punches the man and knocks him down, the slop bucket is sitting on the deck behind him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Montgomery: Mr. Hogan. Mr. Hogan! Derelict afloat with a man on board.
Mr. Hogan: Whereabouts?
Mr. Montgomery: Off your port bow.
Mr. Hogan: Aye.

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Connections

Referenced in Sullivan's Travels (1941)

User Reviews

A Document of the Transition from Silents to Talkies

I have noticed some commenters found the movie boring or slow. You have to remember that it was made in 1933! The pacing and suspense probably felt very quick to an audience that had never seen TV, and whose primary source of entertainment was radio (for drama, suspense, horror and comedy).

The aspect I find most interesting about this definite classic of the horror genre -- aside from the excellent acting, atmosphere, script (the only adaptation of "Island of Dr. Moreau" that is faithful and the only one that's good) and makeup -- is the way it chronicles the development of film, from silent movies to talkies. Perhaps the reason some viewers find it boring is that one thing the film lacks is any musical soundtrack. I noticed this quite strikingly in some of the long pans that take place, and also in the chase scenes. I may be wrong, but I think this is a holdover from silent movies, when the music was supplied by a live musician playing piano in the movie theater. Certainly some of the emotional reaction shots, and in particular the shots of the group of half-men approaching the camera near the end, which are repeated several times, have the feel of silent movie technique. In fact, the overall feeling I get when watching this movie is that of a silent movie, with talking added in. This movie just seems to me to have been made exactly on the cusp of a time when filmmakers were adjusting their techniques to the use of sound, but hadn't fully arrived there yet.

Of course the movie is also excellent as pure entertainment. Charles Laughton was the perfect Dr. Moreau, and all the other players were well done too. And we all remember the quotes of the Sayer of the Law. I remember another one, though, by the Captain that brings the girl to the island. "No long pig?" he asks, grinning. We are chilled to learn that long pig refers to consumption of human flesh. And the final line, "Don't look back." Overall, this is a frightening look at the way science can be perverted by people with no conscience.