The Island Of Lost Souls, this Island of Dr. Moreau or the recent remake?
Sometimes I feel like an idiot. But I am an idiot, so it kinda works out.
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the recent remake with val kilmer and marlon brando is my favorite
shareI personaly don't like this one because it dosen't stay true to the book. I haven't seen the others yet, but plan to.
shareI prefer the 1977 version with the 1996 version a close second.
As for Island of Lost Souls,I'm not so sure.The Beast men in Souls looked more like shaggy men than humanoid animals.
What's the Island of Lost Souls?
shareI saw the old version and the one made with York and Burt Lancaster; the old version it's in black and white, blurred in some scenes, and there is a kind of doomsday atmosphere in all of the film; in the York-Lancaster film, you can see a beautiful island made obscure and malignant with the mad science performed by Lancaster; it almost obscure the light of the sun ! You can feel the presence of evil, even when you are admiring the sunny beach !
The Brando film, I hadn't seen it, in Chile. Bye.
Dear Lord, I'm so glad they didn't in at least that the Sayer of the Law didn't get killed like in the book. I totally would have been bawling my eyes out for days.
sharei prefer this version (1977), the Brando one is interesting but not really great. i have yet to see The Island of Lost Souls... it's on my list along with about 9,000 other titles hahahahaha
share"Urban Legend" has it that because Brando would not memorize dialogue, a wireless earplug was put in his ear. A crew member (or whomever) would speak Brando's dialogue into a mike. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the wireless ear piece picked up the local police band radio. So, for example, Brando would say, "Stop eating that flesh. Stop it now! Car 54, Car 54, go to Hollywood and Main -- domestic dispute." Geez, Brando was out of it!!
shareI can't believe this is even being debated. The original "Island of Lost Souls" blows the remakes out of the water, if only by virtue of Charles Laughton's masterful performance. He shows a grinning arrogance when boasting of how he made his first human. His handling of his "manimals" is totally convincing. And no scene in any of the movies can compete with Bela Lugosi's wildly lit delivery as the Sayer of the Law. Are we not men? The original is so good it was banned for decades.
shareLaughton's Moreau is also the first man to say in a movie, "The natives are restless tonight..." And, of course, even then it's a joke.
shareSeen them all and the Laughton Island of Lost Souls is the best. Suffers today from being black and white and the film itself is poor quality. But Laughton is great as Moreau. The rest of the cast is good too. Brando is just silly in that white makeup looking like a beluga whale. The Lancaster version is very good and second only to Laughton mainly because he is far more sinister than Lancaster. Just my opinion.
shareI agree that the Laughton version is the best. Second is the Brando version, which, IMO, comes under "So bad it's good" category. The Lancaster version is boring. Despite these films, I don't believe the book was ever done well on film. A remake is in order. With current CGI effects, I'd make the island as weird as the creations on it. Strange trees, fauna, etc. Also, this could be a gore galore type film if a filmmaker wanted to go in that direction. Show Moreau turning beasts into men, for example.
shareI loved the makeup in the 1996 version, the hyena-swine man was awesome. Too bad the same can't be said for the changes to the story or the acting. Though the piano scene with the little person on top... I will never forget the entire theater erupting in laughter when Edward shouts his line :P
shareThe 1977 film is easily the most entertaining. "Island of Lost Souls" is the most haunting, and the 1996 movie is a wreck. At least this one retains some of the adventure of the book, which is lost in the too-short "Lost Souls" version that is more or less another Universal classic horror film (not to its disadvantage). The first two versions put together represent a fairly complete cinematic vision of Wells' book, excluding some elements from it and introducing others. The 1996 movie has its fans, but they are few and fewer still are those who could argue it was anything more than a curious guilty pleasure.
shareFor me they go in chronological order:
Island of Lost Souls (1932) is the best by far. More nightmarish and gruesome than other horror films of its time with Charles Laughton giving a brilliant performance as the sadistic, arrogant Dr. Moreau with a God-complex.
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) is a good remake. The scenery of the island is beautiful, music feverish, make-up job excellent and Burt Lancaster does give a competent performance as more close-to-earth Moreau, who means good but has become tired and frustrated with the slow progress of his work. And it doesn't hurt to have beautiful Barbara Carrere there.
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) has few interesting moments and brilliant make-up work, but other than that I dislike this version a lot. Marlon Brando's Moreau lives in a world of his own (or maybe it's Brando) and Val Kilmer is trying to get in. My main problem is moving the story to present day, thus allowing the creatures to have fire guns and drugs. Don't like this one.
There's no way I'm dying before you do, you morally bankrupt Colonel with a God complex.
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Lost Souls certainly inspired the most songs; No Spill Blood by Oingo Boingo, Are We Not Men? by Devo and The Natives Are Restless by the Cramps!!
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