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| Review Summary |
Edward Parker (Arlen), a handsome young man en route to a South Pacific island to get married, is shipwrecked and saved by a drunken captain who sets him off on a remote, uncharted island with a very strange cargo of wild animals and dogs. The master of the island is the mysterious Dr. Moreau (Laughton) who, it gradually develops, has been altering the course of evolution by trying to turn animals into men. In order to test the success of his one female creation, the panther woman Lota (Burke), Moreau keeps Parker trapped on the island along with a huge mass of hairy, half-human creatures. Despite at least four remakes, this 1933 rendition of H.G. Wells's novel _The Island of Dr. Moreau_ is in some ways still the best, even with plenty of campy script and acting. Laughton is creepily gentle, Bela Lugosi achieves an odd pathos as the most civilized of the Beasts -- the "Sayer of the Law" -- and though you won't recognize them under all that hair, the hirsute supporting cast includes future Western hunks Alan Ladd and Randolph Scott, and soon-to-be Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers star, Buster Crabbe.
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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Mad scientist Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton) tries to alter the course of evolution by breeding half-animal, half-human creatures. When Edward Parker--the dour but hunky Richard Arlen--arrives on Moreau's island, the doctor seeks to entice him into remaining by using one of his creations, Lota the Panther Woman, as bait. Strikingly photographed by Karl Struss, the movie is effectively atmospheric.
Dave C, Resident Scholar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzle - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
**Fantasy or Science Fiction?**
- science fiction story
Character operated on/altered?
Yes
Kind of alteration:
- Bioformed into another form of life
Horror film?
Yes
Kind of Horror Story
- the monster chased me!
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- engineer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has special powers?
Yes
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/medium straight
Body type
- average (man)
- muscular (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- sad
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- scientist
- doctor
Has special powers?
Yes
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- fat (man)
Ethnicity
- White
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physical condition
- average physique
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th Century (1900-1950)
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Jungle?
Yes
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Tone of movie
- fearful
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- impregnation/reproduction
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- None
Kinds of F/X
- Things that change shape/morph
- nasty human transformations
Is this movie based on a
- book
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