Cast: Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen
Keywords: based on novel or book, pre-code, mad scientist, exotic island, turned into animal,
7.4/10
Island of Lost Souls Storyline
The castaway Edward Parker is rescued by a cargo ship that is transporting Mr. Montgomery and animals to the notorious scientist Dr. Moreau, who lives in an isolated tiny island in the South Seas. Edwad sends a message to his fiancee Ruth Thomas informing that he is safe and sound and will meet her at Apia. However he has an argument with Captain Davies that tosses him overboard on Dr. Moreau’s vessel. The scientist welcomes Edward in his island and offers to transport him on the next day to Apia. Edward sees strange natives and is introduced to the beautiful native Lota. They hear screams from a room called the house of pain by Lota where Edward sees Dr. Moreau and Montgomery operating a person without anesthetic. But later Montgomery gives a justification to Edward that does not know that Dr. Moreau is performing experiences with animals turning them into people. Further, Dr. Moreau decides to keep Edward in the island since Lota, who is indeed a panther, is developing human emotions. What will happen to Edward?
For those unfamiliar, Island of Lost Souls (1933) is the earliest and easily the superior version of H.G. Wells’ Dr. Moreau. This is a beautifully filmed movie that still supplies the creepy moments almost 70 years after being made.
The basic story: A man rescued at sea is dropped off at an uncharted island owned by Dr. Moreau. The island is filled with strange “natives”. The man soon learns that the natives are actually the creations of Dr. Moreau. Dr. Moreau is a god to his creations. But, once the “natives” learn that Dr. Moreau is not a god, they turn on him with horrifying consequences.
Charles Laughton delivers one of the best performances in the history of horror as the mad Dr. Moreau. Dressed head-to-toe in white, he is as sinister as you get. A brilliant acting job. The rest of the cast is fine. Bela Lugosi, in a very small supporting role, is quite good. Kathleen Burke (Lota the Panther Woman) is also a stand out. But, this is Laughton’s film and he makes the most of it.
The very simple creature makeup is effective. The cinematography, etc. are also quite good. For example, there are several scenes with Moreau standing in the shadows that are especially effective.
This is a film not to be missed. While it may not appeal to the hack and slash crowd, Island of Lost Souls is a wonderful horror movie. For what it’s worth, I’ll give this one 10/10. (It’s a shame Paramount didn’t make more horror films in the 30s.) One final thought, the ending of the film is very reminiscent of the ending of Freaks (1932) with the same savagery on display.
Reviewed by MartinHafer8 / 10
mega-creepy thriller
Despite the fact that all subsequent remakes have garnered AWFUL reviews, this “granddaddy” of all Island of Dr. Moreau/ Island of Lost Souls film is a wonderful thriller. It’s genuinely creepy and chilling–probably one of the scariest films of the era (aside from FREAKS). I think one of the reason this film succeeds while follow-ups have not is that it is filmed in mega-creepy black and white AND because the movie isn’t bogged down with special effects or bloated, over-paid actors. In fact, its the simplicity of this film that make it work. Charles Laughton as the evil doctor and Bela Lugosi as the Sayer of the Law are terrific.
The Devil’s Eden
The Island of Lost Souls has such a great characterization of Dr. Moreau by Charles Laughton that Laughton was probably extremely lucky his career did not take the turn of Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi. He might have wound up playing all kinds of mad scientists instead of the rich and varied collection of people he did portray. As it was, he returned only once to the horror genre arguably and that was in The Strange Door 18 years later, co-starring with Boris Karloff.
As the exiled and disgraced Dr. Moreau, he’s discovered a way to speed up the evolutionary process if you accept that all animal life is merely a stepping stone towards mankind. That it involves a particularly brutal form of surgery on them without anesthetic is of no concern to him. He’s created his own Devil’s Eden in which he is Almighty God.
A quarrel with a drunken sea captain strands Richard Arlen on his island which does not have too many visitors except for cargo deliveries of supplies and more animals for experimentation. Laughton decides to make use of Arlen to see if his most perfect creation, Lota the Panther Woman, played by Kathleen Burke has any sexual drives or will he need further experiments.
Arlen’s fiancé Leila Hyams is also looking for him and she arrives on the island setting up a not to be forgotten climax as Laughton’s creations discover he’s not God after all.
Island of Lost Souls, based on an H.G. Wells novel, is entertainment, but it also makes one think about the limits of science and what happens when scientific advances outrace similar advances in mankind’s sense of ethics.
Anyway, I’m sure Dr. Moreau will not be PETA’s man of the year.
