Like a good Hitchcock film, Island did its best work all inside our heads. Implication, suggestion, undertones. Like seeing something out of the corner of your eye. Shot in glorious black-and-white, we never saw any blood that I can recall, although the suggestion was always there. Like a great radio drama, they used sound to maximum advantage. Sounds of human/animal cries shattered my nerves.
But, it’s the story and the actors that brought everything home. Two very fine actors, Charles Laughton, in his first starring role in the U.S.; and, Bela Lugosi, who was at his peak in the U. S. of A., cranking out great films for Universal. It was Laughton’s performance, though, that dominated everything. He was proof that to be frightening you don’t need a loud voice or menacing features.
Island starts off by keeping us off-balance. A supply ship rescues a man from the sea. The captain, a mean drunk of a man, is taking a Noah’s ark collection of animals to some unknown destination. Later we find that destination is to Dr. Moreau's hidden island. And, we see that something about taking those animals to Moreau bothers the captain.
This is not his first trip to the island. And, here is the captain, bothered by whatever the good doctor is involved in. This brutal man who throws the rescued Parker onto the small boat carrying supplies and animals to Moreau’s island, ultimately stranding him on Moreau's island.
So, I’m thinking, here’s this captain, a beast of a man (pun intended), who strands a man that he just rescued. And, if the captain is bothered by whatever Moreau is up to, then how much worse is Moreau himself?
Then, we meet Dr. Moreau. A seemingly cultured man who spoke softly and elegantly. He sipped brandy while strange sounds sliced the night.
Island feels like a mix of Frankenstein (don’t mess with Mother Nature) and Animal Farm (“Four legs bad, two legs good”), both advising is in their own ways to leave well enough alone, and “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. We as two-legged critters tend to think of ourselves as the final word. However, as Dr. Moreau demonstrated, sometimes we’re the monsters, sometimes we’re the beasts.
This film influenced many writers and musicians in the years after its initial release. Think back the the early 80’s, and the New Wave band Devo. What was one of their lines? “Are we not men?”, a line spoken often by Bela Lugosi’s character, Sayer of the Law. Then, Oingo Boingo in their Good for Your Soul album, sang “What is the Law? No spill blood!” And, the list goes on. When Van Halen performed their song “House of Pain” (referring to Moreau’s House of Pain where he performed his gruesome off-screen (fortunately) surgery on the poor creatures), their original version of the song contained lyrics that directly linked to the film.
As I was writing this, I realized, too, that the filmmakers didn’t attempt to show any transformations, even when Lota, the Panther Woman, began her slow change back to her wild state. They only showed the creatures in whatever state or condition they happened to be in at the time. I think they rightly figured that any kind of transformation sequence might cheapen the effect. As it was, the makeup was perfect.
I'm
going to have to write more later about this major film. Not done
yet. More to say.
But,
before I close for the eve, many thanks to Heather and Veronica at
the Tates Creek Library for making last night's movie possible. And,
thanks to all who attended last night. Our band of Scoobies is
growing.
Check out our group right here:
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