The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film)
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| Island of Dr Moreau (1996) | |
|---|---|
 Island of Dr Moreau Poster |
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| Directed by | John Frankenheimer |
| Produced by | Claire Rudnick Polstein Edward R. Pressman Tim Zinnemann |
| Written by | H.G. Wells (novel) Richard Stanley, Ron Hutchinson (screenplay) |
| Starring | Marlon Brando Val Kilmer David Thewlis Fairuza Balk Ron Perlman |
| Music by | Gary Chang |
| Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
| Release date(s) | August 23, 1996 (US) November 15, 1996 (UK) |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) is the third major movie version of the H.G. Wells novel about a scientist who attempts to convert animals into people, starring Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, David Thewlis, and Ron Perlman, and directed by John Frankenheimer.
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[edit] Synopsis
This third remake of the popular H.G. Wells book stars Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, and David Thewlis. Set in the year 2010, Dr. Moreau (Brando) has successfully conquered the impossible: to use human DNA in animals to make them more human like and regress their animal instincts and make the divine human, free of malice and hatred. After many attempts, only one experiment was successful and now the unsuccessful ones are given drugs everyday to keep them from regressing into their animal forms. They are also controlled through shock therapy to keep them in order.
However, one of the creatures has found a way to stop himself receiving shock treatment and when he informs others of this, the animal hybrids break loose on the island...
One of Dr. Moreau allies is Montgomery, probably a physician gone mad with the devotion to Moreau and intense drug abuse.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Marlon Brando | Dr Moreau |
| Val Kilmer | Montgomery |
| David Thewlis | Edward Douglas |
| Fairuza Balk | Aissa |
| Temuera Morrison | Azazello |
| Ron Perlman | Sayer of the Law |
[edit] Director's Cut
Eventually, a director's cut was released on DVD containing 4 minutes of extra footage from the theatrical release. Some highlights:
- An extended prologue. Douglas and the two men in the life raft fight over the last canteen of water as in the theatrical version, just with a more violent ending. One man pulls out a knife, stabs another in the back. He pulls it out, stabbing his attacker in the stomach. They continue to fight as Douglas threatens one man with a flare gun. He is unsuccessful, but the other two men are knocked overboard while a hungry shark bites into one of the men. The film continues as usual.
- Brief extension when Montgomery is delivering one of the babies to the mutant creature. The sheet slides down to reveal breasts on the mutant.
- Lo-Mai's death. Azazello can be seen shooting what looks like a dart gun at Lo-Mai's head to kill him.
- Dr. Moreau's death. His death lasts a bit longer and more graphic. Hyena eventually rips off his arm at the wrist.
- Douglas shoots at Hyena. Following the previous extension, before Hyena runs off, he throws Moreau's arm down.
- Azazello's implant removed. Azazello in the theatrical release says that he knows where there's more of "the fire that kills". This scene explains the blood spot on his left chest in the rest of the film. Hyena and his followers rip out Azazello's implant in his chest.
- Montgomery's death. There is a more graphic shot indicating what really happened to Montgomery. He is shot in the chest. In the theatrical release, this is where the scene ends. In this extension, Hyena takes Azazello's gun and shoots Montgomery's dead body several more times.
- Hyena's destruction of Dr. Moreau's office. There is a shot of Hyena shooting aimlessly in a circle at the walls of Moreau's office.
- Azazello's death. In the theatrical version, one saw Azazello's corpse from behind after being shot. In this extension, it is clearly shown.
- Hyena tortures Douglas. Although Hyena never physically tortures Douglas, he uses the implant shock treatment to psychologically torture him in the theatrical version. In this extension, several of Hyena's followers shoot innocent mutants on the ground to death, scaring and making him fear Hyena even more.
[edit] Quotes/Dialogue
Edward Douglas: Are you a doctor?
Montgomery: Well, I'm more of a vet.
Sayer of the Law: It is a hard way, the way of being a man. Sooner or later we all want a thing that is bad. To walk on all fours. To suck up drink from a stream. To jabber, instead of saying the words. To go snuffling at the earth, and to claw on the bark of trees. To eat flesh, or fish. To make love to more than one, every which way. These are all bad things. These are not the things that men do. But we are men, are we not? We are men because the Father has made us men!
[edit] Earlier Versions
The two earlier versions of the story:
- 1933's Island of Lost Souls (1933 film) starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi
- 1977's The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977 film) starring Burt Lancaster and Michael York
[edit] External links
- The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) at the Internet Movie Database
- A draft of the films screenplay, dated April 26th, 1994
[edit] Trivia
- The screen-writer and original director Richard Stanley was fired from the film and replaced by veteran director John Frankenheimer. He did, however, return to the set in full costume as one of the many human-animal hybrids, at Marlon Brando's request.
- In one scene, Dr. Moreau is seen wearing a device of his own construction, an invention designed to keep his head cool. In reality, it was simply an champagne bucket he found lying around the set, which he inverted and then put on his head. Brando was later quoted as saying, "I was just so bored, I didn't know what else to do!" Richard Stanley, screenwriter, said of the incident, "By the time Brando had arrived [...] no one was willing to say no to anything, which is why Brando wears an ice bucket on his head in one scene."[1]
