|
|
 |
 |
[Click To Enlarge]
Email A Friend - Gift Reminder |
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$14.95
$3.56*
|
| Part No: | B00005K3OB |
| Manufacturer: | MGM (Video & DVD) |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 3.5 / 5.0 |
|
|
The Island of Doctor Moreau is a remake of 1932's Island of Lost Souls and, of course, an adaptation of H.G. Wells's classic tale of the dangers of playing God. Shipwreck victim Andrew (Michael York) washes up on a tropical island and is taken in by Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster), who lords over a compound staffed by some distinctly odd-looking servants. Also along for the ride are the mysteriously beautiful Maria, menacing shadows in the jungle, and lots and lots of cages in the House of Pain. While not as eerily creepy as its predecessor, The Island of Doctor Moreau has some fun makeup tricks and a good tiger fight or two, not to mention a thorough discussion of legal nuance by the island's "natives" ("What is the law?" "Not to walk on all fours!"). Definitely a fine afternoon's entertainment. Remade in 1996 with Marlon Brando. --Ali Davis
| Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! | 2008-12-30 | 3 / 5 |
| The 1977 horror film "The Island of Dr. Moreau" is a fun surprise for those unacquainted. Part of an unusual class of big-budgeted 1970s American International projects including The Amityville Horror (1979) and Meteor (1979), the film's money shows in the form of a terrific cast, sweeping locales and artful makeup of the Planet of the Apes team. Based on H.G. Wells' The Island Of Dr. Moreau and a remake of the superior Island of Lost Souls in 1932, the film is a variation on the Frankenstein tale with a mad scientist conducting abominable experiments against nature.
Michael York, at the peak of popularity following the success of The Three Musketeers films, plays shipwreck survivor Andrew Braddock who washes ashore an isolated island in the Pacific. He encounters the fortified compound of Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster), a menacing presence with an interest in science and floppy hats. Braddock soon notices deformed servants, eerie howls from the jungle and a laboratory where Moreau burns the midnight oil. An assistant, the mercenary rogue Montgomery (Nigel Davenport), keeps to himself and drinks a lot. There's also the lovely Maria (Barbara Carrera), an oddly distant and confused woman who Moreau coddles with great care. Maria and Braddock have their eyes on each other and when they finally consummate their attraction, with the doctor eerily looking on, the candle-lit scenes are surprisingly sexy.
The film builds towards none-too-shocking revelations as Braddock discovers Moreau is conducting genetic altering experiments on animals of the island. The experiments have not succeeded, and Moreau's paradise is inhabited by menacing tribes of mutant animal/men shuffling around in jungle shadows.
When Braddock finally stumbles upon the cave of human beasts, we are introduced to lionmen, tigermen and bearmen, oh my! The makeup is about as complex as Lon Chaney, Jr.'s turn as The Wolf Man, but no matter. You feel genuine sympathy for the creatures. Richard Basehart's performance as "Sayer of the Law," a role Bela Lugosi played in the original, is excellent. Things take a turn for the creepy as Braddock becomes a prisoner of Moreau's experiments, leading to the film's most intense scenes.
If in the right mood, there's great fun to be found in "The Island of Dr. Moreau." I liked Moreau's compound, a tropical oasis barely holding back the vines of the menacing jungle. The movie is served well by the location filming in the Virgin Islands. The direction of TV veteran Don Taylor is adequate, with several jump-from-your-seat scare scenes popular in the day. The conclusion feels abrupt, as Braddock and Maria frantically attempt to escape the chaos of the island. It's abundantly clear Maria is one of Moreau's experiments (her character was a panther woman in the original). In fact, producers unwisely changed the original ending where she reverts to animal form. If you look closely, the final shot of Maria shows her face to be misshapen, with a quick edit creating the weak illusion of a happy ending.
Oh well, this is a great discovery for lovers of old-fashioned horror films, with the fine work of Lancaster and York giving this tale an enjoyable touch of class. |
| The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) | 2008-11-10 | 4 / 5 |
|
Based on the H.G. Wells' 1896 novel, this film ventures into the realms of human eugenics and genetic alterations. Based on the evolutionary tenets, the film speeds up the cosmic time table in producing men from animals in a short span of days
Like all created societies, the law must be given by the lawgiver. Dr. Moreau is the creator and lawgiver. The chimeras revere him as their god.
All is harmonious until Andrew Braddock washes a shore. He falls in love with the mysterious Maria who has a strange connection to Dr. Moreau and the island. Braddock begins questioning the research of Moreau.
The tension between the two men builds until the tragic climax.
After Moreau murders Montgomery, the caretaker of the compound, the chimeras begin to question their god. Montgomery had reached his point of human morality and challenged Moreau. Sometimes, when a person takes a stand on moral principle, it results in their death.
The Sayer of the Law, played brilliantly by Richard Baseheart, is the leader of the chimeras who repeats the law given by Moreau. The cadence of their recitation is very haunting.
The ending of the film is a sad commentary on the noble scientist who wanted to benefit humanity, but in the end his own arrogance and self deification led to the tragic lost of his humanity and paradise.
Burt Lancaster is in top form as Moreau. He seems to relish the part.
Braddock, played by Michael York, is the moral compass in the film. The struggle between animal and man is brilliantly portrayed by Braddock after he is injected with Moreau's experimental biological serum.
Like most films based on novels, the novel provides a different version with rich details. Read the novel as well.
|
| What is the Law? | 2007-01-15 | 3 / 5 |
| | After the 1933 horror Classic "Island of Lost Souls" starring Charles Laughton as Dr. Moreau & Bela Lugosi as Sayer of the Law yet another movie adaption of H.G. Wells (The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man" twisted horror novel starring the legendary Burt Lancaster as the half human half animal beast creator, Dr. Moreau & Michael York as Andrew Braddock, the shipwrecked man who is in terror on the island & beautiful Barbara Carrera as Braddocks's love interest Maria, It's a thrill ride! |
| "There is a beast in man that should be exercised, not exorcised." | 2006-08-26 | 5 / 5 |
| An Englishman named 'Montgomery' is stranded with a lost companion on a deserted tropical island where he is rescued by Dr. Moreau, a genius in genetics, pursuing altruistic medical miracles to alleviate mankind from incurable maladies, although his methods are questioned, but it is maintained that the ends justify the means. He continues to make strides to this effect until perfidiously antagonistic organisms deem to thwart his noble efforts, who eventually become subjects themselves for his experiments, thus contributing far more to his vision rather than merely complaining about it.
Down in the jungle outside of his compound reside some of his genetic creations, man-beasts, veritable 'humanimals' of various species, from a bearman, boarman, to hyenaman, lionman, tigerman, bullman, and a monkeyman who is "The Sayer of The Law"* {small portion follows}:
"Not to go on all fours: this is the law. Are we not men?"
"Not to show our fangs in anger. Are we not men?"
"Not to snarl or roar. That is the Law. Are we not men?"
"What Is The Law? Not to shed the blood of another man. That is the law."
An obvious treatise on civility to temper impulsive feral proclivities. Those beastmen who violate this law are taken to "The House of Pain" for 'correction'... for Moreau elucidates that if this discipline is not enforced, the beastmen would run wild and surely kill their human counterparts. Much like the lion who must not be allowed to overtake the master even in jest, lest he begin to dominate the trainer.
What this film demonstrates is the necessary realization and connection to one's natural animalistic state, lest imbalance tranform the denier into a broken creature. Dr. LaVey's infamous quote comes to mind:
"There is a beast in man that should be exercised, not exorcised."
One particularly notable scene depicts the stubbornly independant bullman fighting for his mental freedom, as he denies 'the law' and questions what is so wrong with realizing that one is an animal? Out in the bush, he vanquishes tiger with the obvious shedding of blood, and thereby becomes subject to the punishments of The House of Pain, but would rather run free and even die than suffer that indignity. Sadly for him, the consequence is lethal at the gunpoint of Montgomery, which then begins to raise other questions in the minds of the beastmen, as they slowly begin to realize the double-standards and hypocrisies enacted by the humans, in a likened "do as I say, not as I do" scenario, which does not sit well with them at all, and they begin to revolt. Revolution is the first step to evolution.
Beautiful resident orphan Maria {the gorgeous brunette Barbara Carrera} who was also rescued by Moreau as a child falls in lust with Montgomery, and remains with him through his transformation into manimal at the hands of Moreau, after he displays inclinations towards betrayal, and becomes an experiment, as his senses and instincts sharpen, excellerated pilose generation, legs to haunches, with an incessant desire to kill prey for food, but he remains in control of his civility nonetheless. She helps him escape the cage, the natives from thereon become restless as the mutiny scene develops, the ingrates set the compound aflame, with their maker placed in a suspended supine crucifixion.
Montgomery and Maria finally boat off to modern civilization.
_________
* Also used as a large part of the litany comprising Dr. Anton LaVey's lycanthropic rite "Das Tierdrama" from 'The Satanic Rituals' book. The Island of Dr. Moreau is a LaVeyan recommendation. |
| When the result is even major than the sum of its parts! | 2006-07-04 | 4 / 5 |
| Burt Lancaster gave a terrific performance as the ambitious Dr.Moreau who pretends to create anew race; the "humanimals" , half beats, half man and the inexpressive Michael Yoprk as the good guy who will intend by all his means to avoid the prolongation of this horrid nightmare.
Effective sci fi movie that, despite to count with minor technologic resources, it got its aim and surmounted by far the infamous remake of 1996.
|
* Current Price/Avail/Qty displayed on website may be delayed by up to 24 hours. Items added to cart and into the checkout process will reflect current price and status of product. |
|
 |
|
)
