Post by Chicago Jake on Sept 25, 2011 13:15:51 GMT -6
Local horror host Svengoolie showed the Paramount classic, "Island of Lost Souls" (directed by Erle C. Kenton, and starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi) Paramount was trying to rip off Universal's money-making formula of producing horror movies in the early thirties, and sometimes it worked.
Alas, while this movie was excellent, it bombed at the box office, primarily due to the highly controversial nature of the story. Eventually, Paramount sold the rights to it to Universal, who seem to be better managers of this type of portfolio!
The movie is based on the H.G. Wells novel, "The Island of Dr. Moreau," about a renegade scientist who vivisects wild beasts in attempts to turn them into sentient beings. Within the story, people are aghast at this endeavor, believing him to be "playing God." Well, in real life, many people were aghast at the subject matter for the very same reason! It was banned in the UK until 1958, and was protested in the US.
The story focuses on a fellow named Parker who has the misfortune to be shipwrecked in the South Pacific. He is picked up by a tramp steamer that is delivering a load of fresh animals to Moreau's island. The Captain takes a disliking to the fellow, and dumps him on the island rather than taking him back to port. Parker is at first treated with courtesy by Moreau and his bizarre household staff (all results of his experiments), but eventually he realizes the unnatural activities going on. When his fiance and a hired ship captain show up to rescue him, the hostility between Parker and Moreau becomes more overt. Eventually, the man-beasts revolt, and we get a rip-roaring climax.
There is also a bit of pulchritude to enjoy: the so-called "panther woman," who at first we don't know if she is also one of Moreau's creations, or an actual South Sea islander who is just short on couth. But we find out, eventually!
This movie has also made its contributions to popular culture. Blondie had a minor hit with a calypso-styled song of the same name as the movie. Oingo-Boingo stole part of the beast-men's chat for their song, "No Spill Blood." (The full chant was: "What is the law? No Spill Blood!") And Devo of course ripped off another part of the chant: "Are We Not Men?" (as the beast-men chanted that, I couldn't stop my brain from following it up with "We are DE-vo!!")
By the by, the "Sayer of the Law" who leads the chants was played by Bela Lugosi, although you could barely tell it was him for all the make-up. But his voice was very recognizable. And if you've never seen Charles Laughton, he is an awesome actor. He plays Moreau as a slimy, smarmy manipulator and madman that you just love to hate the moment you see him!
All in all, it's a great and thought-provoking horror movie based on a great science fiction story, filmed in glorious black & white. A must for fans of classic horror.........Jake
PS - this particular story has been remade since then, always under the original book title. One starred Burt Lancaster and Michael York; the other Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. Nether lived up to this one.
Alas, while this movie was excellent, it bombed at the box office, primarily due to the highly controversial nature of the story. Eventually, Paramount sold the rights to it to Universal, who seem to be better managers of this type of portfolio!
The movie is based on the H.G. Wells novel, "The Island of Dr. Moreau," about a renegade scientist who vivisects wild beasts in attempts to turn them into sentient beings. Within the story, people are aghast at this endeavor, believing him to be "playing God." Well, in real life, many people were aghast at the subject matter for the very same reason! It was banned in the UK until 1958, and was protested in the US.
The story focuses on a fellow named Parker who has the misfortune to be shipwrecked in the South Pacific. He is picked up by a tramp steamer that is delivering a load of fresh animals to Moreau's island. The Captain takes a disliking to the fellow, and dumps him on the island rather than taking him back to port. Parker is at first treated with courtesy by Moreau and his bizarre household staff (all results of his experiments), but eventually he realizes the unnatural activities going on. When his fiance and a hired ship captain show up to rescue him, the hostility between Parker and Moreau becomes more overt. Eventually, the man-beasts revolt, and we get a rip-roaring climax.
There is also a bit of pulchritude to enjoy: the so-called "panther woman," who at first we don't know if she is also one of Moreau's creations, or an actual South Sea islander who is just short on couth. But we find out, eventually!
This movie has also made its contributions to popular culture. Blondie had a minor hit with a calypso-styled song of the same name as the movie. Oingo-Boingo stole part of the beast-men's chat for their song, "No Spill Blood." (The full chant was: "What is the law? No Spill Blood!") And Devo of course ripped off another part of the chant: "Are We Not Men?" (as the beast-men chanted that, I couldn't stop my brain from following it up with "We are DE-vo!!")
By the by, the "Sayer of the Law" who leads the chants was played by Bela Lugosi, although you could barely tell it was him for all the make-up. But his voice was very recognizable. And if you've never seen Charles Laughton, he is an awesome actor. He plays Moreau as a slimy, smarmy manipulator and madman that you just love to hate the moment you see him!
All in all, it's a great and thought-provoking horror movie based on a great science fiction story, filmed in glorious black & white. A must for fans of classic horror.........Jake
PS - this particular story has been remade since then, always under the original book title. One starred Burt Lancaster and Michael York; the other Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. Nether lived up to this one.