Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)

A behind the scenes chronicle of how clash of vision, bad creative decisions, lack of interest and really bad weather plagued the disastrous production of the infamous The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).

Director:

David Gregory

Writer:

David Gregory

Stars:

Richard Stanley, Kier-La Janisse, Michael Gingold

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Stanley	...	Himself - Director
Kier-La Janisse	...	Herself - Film Writer
Michael Gingold	...	Himself - Fangoria Magazine
Graham Humphreys	...	Himself - Concept Designer
Edward R. Pressman	...	Himself - Producer
Robert Shaye	...	Himself - President, New Line Cinema
Tim Sullivan	...	Himself - Script Reader, New Line Cinema
Tim Zinnemann	...	Himself - Executive Producer
Fairuza Balk	...	Herself - Actress
Bruce Spaulding Fuller	...	Himself - Special Makeup Effects Artist, Stan Winston Studios
Marco Hofschneider	...	Himself - Actor
Rob Morrow	...	Himself - Actor
Graham 'Grace' Walker	...	Himself - Production Designer (as Graham 'Grace' Walker)
Fiona Mahl	...	Herself - Actress
Neil Young	...	Himself - Actor

Storyline

A behind the scenes chronicle of how clash of vision, bad creative decisions, lack of interest and really bad weather plagued the disastrous production of the infamous The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).

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Plot Keywords:

behind the scenes | clash of vision | infamous | remake | disaster | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Adventure

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Severin Films [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 2015 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Lost Soul: El viaje maldito de Richard Stanley a la isla del Dr. Moreau

Company Credits

Production Co:

Severin Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When being interviewed on a podcast, Ron Perlman said that he declined being part of this documentary because he didn't want to say anything negative because he didn't know everything that happened between the fallout between Richard Stanley and New Line. He did say that for the short amount of time that they had, he loved working with Stanley and wished that he could've stayed on the project.

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Quotes

Fairuza Balk: What people choose to do in the name of politics, which means in the name of money - there are no morals. There is no integrity at all. They'd sell their child down the river for money.

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Connections

References Badlands (1973)

User Reviews

Are We Not Men?

The 1996 adaptation of one of my favourite H.G. Wells story, starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, was not well received to put it politely, and its production even less rosey. Well, 18 years later, a documentary goes behind the scenes to unravel how a young indie filmmaker got his shot at Hollywood big time, and what was a dream project became every filmmaker and studio's worst nightmare.

A sort of surreal affair, 'Lost Soul' mixes brand new interviews (the big draw being the notoriously elusive Stanley), archive footage and photos/concept art to tell of how this young British talent tried to fulfill a lifelong dream to adapt and update Wells' tale of science gone awry, and damn is it engrossing. There are no holds barred and spades are called spades as the cast (and many different crew, from ADs to managers to even extras) recall just how much of a hell things were, even in pre-production, as well as the pain that was Brando, replacement director Frankenheimer, and especially Kilmer. Stanley himself, with his deep voice and unusual appearance, a sort of hybrid of Indiana Jones and a voodoo shaman, is fascinating to watch as tells his misadventure with a slight hint of bitterness but also a sort of sage wisdom about it.

Of course, director David Gregory is smart enough to not let this turn into just one big slog of talking heads. He regularly breaks it up with an assortment of visual treats, including the magnificently disturbing concept art and storyboards for Stanley's original vision, archive footage of the shoot and the grotesque makeup effects of the beast people, even new material recorded at the now overgrown location. The whole thing is underscored by a sinister soundtrack that adds to the nightmarish feel as you journey on and more and more goes wrong, even on occasion referencing witchcraft and unusual phenomena.

In terms of complaints, I don't really have many, save for maybe the lack of remastering of some archive footage, the soundtrack can sometimes go a little over the tip, and the film does taper off towards the end and doesn't dwell on the film's reception and legacy as much as I would've liked. However, it is firmly Stanley's story, and a great watch for fans of film and filmmakers.