L'isola del dottor Moreau

Based on the excellent novel by renowned science fiction author H.G. Wells, this watchable and updated remake of the 1933 film starring Charles Laughton plays on the Frankenstein theme where man attempts to play God and improve upon Mother Nature. Andrew Braddock (Michael York) is a castaway of a shipwreck who serendipitously lands on an isolated island in the Pacific, and becomes the guest of the main inhabitant, Dr Moreau who appears seemingly hospitable enough at first. His other companions are ex-mercenary Montgomery (Nigel Davenport), and a beautiful yet emotionally distant woman Maria (Barbara Carrera),whom the doctor claims to have rescued from poverty from another country and brought up as his ward. Braddock's stay is normal albeit boring at first (not really much to do on an isolated island, is there?), then he begins to notice that things are not what they seem - the strange animal sounds that emanate from the forest at night, and the weird facial features of the servants who wait upon the doctor. His worst fears are confirmed when he encounters the results of the doctor's experiments - upright hairy creatures (who look like variations of the Wolfman of the old horror movies) that appear human and yet are not exactly men, though they wear clothing and can speak. He realizes that Dr Moreau is a madman doing modern Frankenstein-type experiments by messing up with the DNA of humans and animals, with Montgomery as a contemporary Igor - how the doctor obtains and maintains sterility of his concoctions and instruments without the benefit of refrigeration or sterilization in such primitive conditions is a moot point.

When Braddock protests at the cruel treatment of the creatures, Dr Moreau attempts to justify his experiments by explaining that by doing so, humanity would be benefited by elimination of birth defects and such, but Braddock is unconvinced.

Though they are repulsive-looking in appearance, the viewer can't help but sympathize with the plight of the "manimals", who live together in squalor in a dark cave, kept in line by The Laws established by Moreau - do not kill, do not shed blood, do not walk on all fours, etc. - repeated on an almost daily basis by their apparent leader the Sayer of the Law (Richard Baseheart), who looks the most "human" and "civilized" of the lot. Infractions of the Law results in being brought to the so-called House of Pain, where Moreau attempts to "correct" the miscreant and remind him that he is human and not animal.

The turning point in the film is when the Bullman (obviously originally a bison by the presence of a hairy hump on his back), having broken the law of shedding blood, attempts to flee rather than face punishment and is gunned down by Braddock. Yet despite having broken the law against killing, Braddock goes apparently unpunished, establishing in the minds of the other man-beasts of the unfairness of the Law - they seem to ask silently, why can this man kill and go scot-free and we can't?, and the eventual murder of Montgomery at the hands of Dr Moreau himself reinforces the double-standards of The Law in their eyes, and they eventually rise and revolt against the doctor, killing him, destroying the compound in which he lives in and setting it on fire. Ironically, it is this very act of staging a collective uprising which brings out the "humanity" of the creatures, as it shows that they can after all, think and plan and not merely act on their basic instincts, as the scenes where they suspend the doctor on a rope and systematically destroy the House of Pain and release the captive animals show. So in a way, Dr Moreau's experiments were not a total failure as he thought, they just didn't turn out the way he anticipated.

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Andrew Braddock (Michael York) shipwrecks and eventually washes up on a jungle island. Once there he is introduced to Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster) who at first seems like a nice guy simply doing research. Pretty soon Andrew begins to realize that the doctor is doing strange experiments between men and animals and the result are some mutated creatures living in the jungle.

Whenever people speak about the H.G. Wells adaptations of this story, it seems this one here is forgotten and sometimes it doesn't even come up. Of course, they always discuss the greatness of 1932's ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and they always discuss the disastrous Marlon Brando version. Why is this film from 1977 rarely mentioned? I'm going to guess because it's not really a flat-out horror movie. The majority of its running time it appears to be trying to be a real medical drama and a showcase for Lancaster.

Is that a bad thing? I personally don't think so but it does make for a rather slow running time and I'm sure some people would have preferred more horror elements or more of a spotlight being placed on the creatures. With that said, I think this is a mildly entertaining movie thanks in large part to the performances in the film. Lancaster always carried himself with such grace that he had no problem fitting into this role to where people could see this character and think that he was a good man. I thought Lancaster was good in the part, although the screenplay never really allowed him a chance to go crazy or mad.

York was also good in the lead role, although his character too suffers from not getting too much to do until the very end. Nigel Davenport is good in the supporting role as the doctor's help and Barbara Carrera made for a good love interest. Richard Basehart got to play the role originated by Bela Lugosi and I couldn't help but think that Basehart had seen the earlier version and remembered Lugosi's performance.

With all of that said, the film really does come to life during the final fifteen-minutes once the creatures decide that they have had enough. I thought the various animals that were used were great and I also thought the action was nice. There were some tense moments that happened during the final action sequence so overall the film at least goes out on a good note.

Especially if you don't know what this movie is about before you're going to watch it, you'll be gripped by its mysterious and tense build up.

To be frank, this movie has one of the best and most tense story build ups I have seen in a long time. For a long time it remains unclear what exactly is going on and what the movie will be about. As the movie progresses the movie does loose some of its power and tension, when it falls into some obvious clichés and formulaic genre elements, plus some just plain odd and poorly done sequences. But all is forgiven. All in all this version of the H.G. Wells remains a well done one, with plenty of enough tense and mysterious moments in it, which absolutely makes this movie distinct itself from other genre movies. In a way the movie and its build up and atmosphere really reminded me of "Planet of the Apes (1968)"

The build up and atmosphere is amazing in the first halve. It doesn't use any fancy tricks but leaves lots of things up to the viewers own imagination. The second halve is however quite different and in fact is nothing more than a typical genre piece from the '70's. Everything gets explained but at the same time everything also is far from believable. The horror/monster elements are hardly refreshing or new and in a way degrade the story- and the movie in general. It definitely makes the second halve of the movie not as good as the first but the first halve builds up so many things in a great way, that the second halve can't really ruin it that much. "The Island of Dr. Moreau" at all times remains a perfectly good watchable movie that is unique and a standout in its genre.

Burt Lancaster does a good job at keeping his role simple and mysterious. Michael York works out way better as the main hero than you at first would expect.

The settings are nice and so is the rest of the visual look. The make-up effects might look perhaps a bit outdated in todays perspective but they're actually quite above par. Also the musical score from Laurence Rosenthal is surprising great and works effective in the movie.

Just forget the '96 version. This movie is in my opinion surprisingly a real must-see!

8/10

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There exist several film version of H.G. Wells' famous tale, including a very old one starring Charles Laughton & Bela Lugosi, and the much more known and hyped 90's version starring Marlon Brando. This 70's version is the most obscure of the bunch, but it certainly should appeal to horror fanatics as well as to admirers of Wells' writings. The 70's way of film-making (gritty special effects, cheap atmosphere of sleaze, violence …) fits the story very well because it basically is a very grotesque, far-fetched and strangely unsettling political allegory. Burt Lancaster this time depicts, impressively I may add, the titular "mad" scientist, Nigel Davenport stars as his unaware accomplice Montgomery and the intruding castaway Adrew Braddock is no less than Michael York; a personal favorite of mine. As everyone probably knows, Dr. Moreau lives isolated because his genetic research and experiments aren't exactly easy to justify. Convinced that the basic DNA of whatever living species can be altered into any other species of preference, Moreau's island runs full of guinea pigs. The wild animals he attempts to turn into people are subjected to human laws and whoever breaks the rules will be punished harshly. Braddock disapproves of his work and when he also shows a romantic interest in Moreau's gorgeous wife Maria, he becomes next in line for a whole new different and risky type of experiment. The tropical island setting is magnificent and the production definitely benefices from sublime camera-work and enchanting music. The costumes and make-up effects aren't particularly menacing (the guinea pigs actually look like ancestors of the Ewoks) but the last half hour is exhilaratingly violent and Dr. Moreau's ultimate fate is truly nightmarish, even for a cruel being like him.

My friend and I rented The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977). We both enjoyed it and thought the make-up was outstanding. There is some good acting and the story was close to Wells's novel. The remake was awful. This one is much better, so if you want to see a good science fiction movie rent this one. You won't be dissapointed. 7 out of 10.