The Island of Dr. Moreau

By Pattaya Mail’s renowned film critic, Khun Phaen

H.G. wells did not write ‘pretty’ books. His type of literature was concerned with society; and the human being’s role in shaping, altering, and eventually destroying it. His life experience was vast. He was a scientist, a teacher, and a journalist, and keenly interested in what he considered the convoluted logic of the human mind.
Many of his books are classics. The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine are just two. The magic of Well’s writing is that it appeals to both young people and adults. He did write some humorous stories in the last years of his life, but these have not caught people’s imagination as much as his other literature..
Wells’s writing could be called socio-science-fiction. One of the most attractive aspects of his writing is the way he combines very plausible science fiction plots with social messages.
The book, The Island of Doctor Moreau was written by Wells in 1896, exactly 100 years ago. Hollywood’s latest adaptation of this, one of Wells’s most famous works, was released this year starring Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer.
Khun Phaen must admit that The Island of Dr. Moreau is not a ‘fun’ movie. Neither is it exciting in a ‘horror movie’ sense. Instead, it is a very disturbing film. This is not found very often in American movies today. Khun Phaen and a companion came out of the theatre not wanting to speak and our souls were a bit shaken.
Of course, there are enough weird creatures in the film and scientific theories to satisfy any horror or science fiction fan. But the creatures themselves are not the least bit frightening. It is their genesis and reason for being which chills you.
The film was shot in Indonesia, on a small island near Java. The natural surroundings are beautiful in the way Thailand was forty years ago. Cinematographer William Fraker makes the most of this lush semi-jungle, but also brings a strange claustrophobic feeling to the area that could make one view it either as a paradise or a prison. The buildings he uses are mainly of beautiful Dutch colonial style, with wooden slatted doors and windows which, although made of beautiful teakwood, give a sinister ‘half view’ of everything.
The well-known director, John Frankenheimer, stayed as close to Wells’s book as possible. There were a few disappointing moments near the end of the movie, which Khun Phaen thought were unnecessary. It was almost as if Frankenheimer was afraid audiences would not understand the symbolism of the book (he may have been right), so added these gratuitous scenes. Khun Phaen won’t reveal these as it would give away the ‘message’ for those who have not read the book. These are a bit patronizing to anyone seeing the movie for the first time. They are minor faults though and it is fortunate that they come at the very end of the film.
Marlon Brando played Dr. Moreau, the scientist who experiments with animals. No matter what Brando does, the character is always there. He is probably the most frightening thing in the movie. This character realised (in his own mind) that God is gone. Therefore, he concluded it was his duty to take over the position.
The first time we see him, he is being carried on a litter by a group of his half human, half animal ‘children’. His face is covered with white powder as he is allergic to sunlight. His manner of benign self-satisfaction is seen first, and then Brando speaks. He leaves no doubt that his character feels he is all knowing and all powerful. The frightening thing is that in his self created world, with his human animals, he is just that. In this film Brando-Moreau ‘knows’ he is God and no-one can gainsay him.
But he just can’t seem to get it right. Free will doesn’t exist. There is no natural danger in his pathetic creation’s lives, and he has to implant them with pain causing devices. These are used for punishing those breaking his commandments. These commandments of Moreau’s are perverse, as they go against the nature of both the human and the carnivorous animal world.
Killing of animals and the consumption of animal flesh is not allowed in this idyllic utopia. This of course was Brando-Moreau’s way of totally ‘humanising’ his half animal, half human creations.
Val Kilmer, a miraculously gifted actor, (he graduated from the Juilliard Performing Arts School at age 17) played Dr. Moreau’s assistant. A Neurosurgeon, he is Satan to Moreau’s God. But this God and Lucifer are perfectly complimentary. Everything they do is in concord.
Kilmer is power mad and sardonic. He is an example of the nasty consequences of over confident complacency. One of the best bits in the movie is his spookily perfect imitation of Brando’s voice
Gary Chang’s musical score is partly original and partly borrowed from classical music. The use of the stunningly beautiful and totally logical music of J.S. Bach, played during the dinners at Moreau’s Villa, made the scene seem horribly wrong. The sweet ‘rightness’ of Bach’s music emphasised the very unnaturalness of the situation.
The special effects in this film are not the ‘Whiz-bang, wow! Look at that!’ type used in most block-buster productions. They are totally artful and do not try to improve on Wells’s book.
This is a movie Khun Phaen thinks everyone should see. It tells us a lot about ourselves as human beings and as animals. In a style which is a hallmark of Wells’s writing, the lines spoken by the half humans reveal the core of H.G. Wells’s social philosophy. Who are the real mutant creatures, anyway?
Highly Recommended, but be prepared for a healthy assault on your consciousness.

The Island of Dr. Moreau