Movie Review: Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Island of Lost Souls (1932) directed by Eric C. Kenton

Edward (Richard Arlen) is shipwrecked and then picked up by a passing cargo boat. The captain of that boat is a lout and dumps the man at his next stop. They are delivering a bunch of supplies and animals to a small, non-descript island. Edward is mad about being left there but the man in charge on the island promises to send him out the next day. Edward has to spend the night. The man in charge is Doctor Moreau, a doctor who has been performing experimental operations in what is uneuphemistically called "the House of Pain." The operations are attempts to transform animals into human beings. Moreau has created a lot of "men." He is most interested in having Edward spend time with his one female creation, Lota.  Viewers immediately guess the trip back home probably won't happen. While he was on the cargo boat, Edward sent a message to his fiancee that he'd be arriving soon. When he doesn't arrive, the fiancee (Leila Hyams) gets a rescue mission going from her end of things. Can help arrive before Edward is consumed (maybe literally) by the island's horrors?

The story is based on H. G. Wells's novel The Island of Doctor Moreau. The plot moves quickly and focuses on themes of the abuse of authority. The cargo boat captain is a jerk who bandies his authority about like a petty tyrant. He's called to account for himself when the fiancee gets the American ambassador involved. The captain is very subservient to the ambassador's demands. Moreau, for his part, is the god-like master of the island and treats everyone (i.e. his surgically-altered abominations, his medical partner who is on the run from the law, and Edward) as chattel to be used for Moreau's own ends. He clearly wants to prove how definitive his surgical transformations are by having Edward become a mate to Lota. He wants proof that he is a god-like figure who has created man (much like Doctor Frankenstein).  The thematic elements are both fascinating and horrifying.

The production values are great. The makeup effects are very impressive. Lugosi is only recognizable thanks to his distinctive voice and penetrating eyes. The other animal-men are in a variety of states. Some are recognizably from pigs or apes, others are unrecognizable misshapen horrors. Laughton gives a great performance. He's domineering and calculating with little interest in others' well being. The production only has a few island sets (the doctor's compound, the village of the animal-men, and some jungle areas) but makes great use of them. I didn't realize how limited the locations were until after the film was over. Good camera work makes up for limited resources. Considering it was made in the 1930s, it is amazing to see.

Highly recommended.