Main Cast: Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Nigel Davenport, Barbara Carrera, Richard Basehart
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In The Island of Dr. Moreau, which is based on a novella by H.G. Wells, Braddock (Michael York) is a decent young Englishman who has unaccountably been saved from being thrown overboard from a ship sailing in a remote area of the Pacific by the mysterious Dr. Montgomery (Nigel Davenport). Dr. Montgomery is accompanying a cargo of animals destined for a tropical island. At first an "honored guest" (prisoner) on that island, he is finds his contacts with the natives increasingly disturbing, for they are not like any men he has ever seen. Eventually it transpires that these "men" are experimental reconstructions from wild animals made by a particularly sinister scientist, Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster). He feels that he is in danger from the animal/men and from Dr. Moreau himself and does not know where to turn. This story was also filmed in 1933 as The Island of Lost Souls, starring Charles Laughton as the monomaniacal Dr. Moreau and was remade yet again in 1996 with Marlon Brando in the title role. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
This H.G. Wells adaptation is an uneven affair but is better than its also-ran reputation might suggest. The distinguishing characteristic of this version of The Island Of Dr. Moreau is that it plays its premise like an adventure with horrific undertones rather than a pure horror film. The script fumbles a few key plot developments in its latter stages (namely, the mystery of the true identity of Maria) but it delivers some highly effective scenes when focusing on the source material: highlights include the introduction of the Sayer of the Law and a heartbreaking moment where Braddock tries to fight off a serum-driven transformation by struggling to conjure up his childhood memories. Director Don Taylor handles the story in a straightforward, workman-like fashion. As a result, the film lacks the flair that an auteur might have brought to the material but he maintains a solid pace and handles the film's big suspense and action setpieces with a craftsman's skill. The best element of this version of The Island Of Dr. Moreau is its performances: Michael York makes a sympathetic hero and gets to stretch his dramatic chops when he undergoes his transformation, Barbara Carrera makes an alluring love interest and Nigel Davenport is charmingly rogue-ish as the Doctor's right-hand man. However, it is Burt Lancaster who dominates the dramatic proceedings with an intense turn in the title role: instead of sounding like the average mad scientist, he instead sounds like an authoritarian politician who has become totally convinced by his own rhetoric. Thus, his intense yet seemingly rational manner makes the character all the more frightening. To sum up, this version of The Island Of Dr. Moreau has its flaws but is solid enough to make a viewing worthwhile for classic horror fans. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Nick Cravat - M'Ling; The Great John "L" - Boarrnan; Bob Ozman - Bullman; Fumio Demura - Hyenaman; Gary Baxley - Lionman; John Gillespie - Tigerman; Dave Cass - Bearman
Credit
Richard La Motte - Costume Designer, Emma Porteous - Costume Designer, Rita Woods - Costume Designer, Bob Bender - First Assistant Director, Don Taylor - Director, Marion Rothman - Editor, Samuel Z. Arkoff - Executive Producer, Sandy Howard - Executive Producer, Laurence Rosenthal - Composer (Music Score), Dan Striepeke - Makeup, Thomas R. Burman - Makeup Special Effects, John Chambers - Makeup Special Effects, Ronnie Taylor - Camera Operator, Philip M. Jefferies - Production Designer, Gerry Fisher - Cinematographer, John Temple-Smith - Producer, Skip Steloff - Producer, James I. Berkey - Set Designer, Cliff Wenger - Special Effects, David Hildyard - Sound/Sound Designer, Tony Epper - Stunts, Eric Cord - Stunts, John Herman Shaner - Screenwriter, Al Ramrus - Screenwriter, H.G. Wells - Book Author
Andrew Braddock is a shipwreck victim from the "Lady Vain", having also been a member of its crew. After many days at sea, he and one other survivor arrive, unknowingly, upon the island of Dr. Moreau. Besides Moreau, the others in the compound are his associate Dr. Montgomery, his deformed servant M'Ling, and a lovely young woman, Maria.
At first, an "honoured guest" (prisoner) on that island, Braddock finds his contacts with the natives increasingly disturbing, for they are not like any men he has ever seen. Eventually, it transpires that these "men" are in fact experimental reconstructions from wild animals made by a particularly sinister scientist, Dr. Moreau. He feels that he is in danger from the animal/men and from Dr. Moreau himself and does not know where to turn.
After one of the man-beasts attacks an animal, breaking the rules that Moreau has established, Moreau intends to take it to the "house of pain", his laboratory. The beast panics and leads chase, and Braddock kills it in sympathy. Convinced that Moreau is insane, Braddock plans to leave the island with Maria, with whom he has developed a mutual attraction. They are caught however, and Moreau straps Braddock in his lab, intending to conduct experiments on him. Montgomery objects and Moreau kills him in cold blood. M'Ling and Maria move Montgomery's body into the woods where the man-beasts find it.
While the man-beasts become agitated over Moreau breaking another of the rules ("man shall not kill man"), Moreau injects Braddock with a serum that gives him animal characteristics. Braddock becomes more animalistic and struggles to maintain his humanity. The men-beasts storm the compound and in the chaos Moreau is killed. Braddock, Maria, and M'Ling stall long enough to engineer an escape, but the compound is burned and most of the man-beasts are killed by the wild animals which Moreau kept for his experiments. M'Ling is also killed in the final escape.
Braddock and Maria manage to sail away in the lifeboat that Braddock arrived in, but only after a bloody battle with one of the man-beasts. Some time later, they are rescued by passing ship, and the serum has worn off, returning Braddock to his full human state. Maria's features, however, have become more feline, revealing that she was one of the experiments.
