In light of my poor effort to write reviews lately, here’s a piece I wrote for The griff on this fantastic documentary directed by David Gregory. Again, I was lucky enough to see the showing for DEDfest, here in Edmonton, AB!
It was a passion project four years in the making for director Richard Stanley. Driven by an immense love for H.G. Wells’ original novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, he set out to make an interpretation that he felt best honored the classic work, feeling disappointed with previous adaptations. It was Stanley’s dream project, but it soon turned into the stuff of nightmares when he was fired just several days into production. Lost Souls gives an inside look into the notoriously bad 1996 film, that would eventually become a cult favourite.
Told through interviews with cast and crewmembers, producers, and Richard Stanley himself, the documentary recounts the seemingly never-ending shoot from hell. John Frankenheimer, who had none of the passion but was reportedly disrespectful and arrogant, quickly replaced Stanley. Actors Val Kilmer and the legendary Marlon Brando proved to be impossible to work with; Kilmer was condescending and egotistical, while Brando did his best sabotage the film (possibly for his own enjoyment) when he realized it was a sinking ship. Things progressively go from difficult to absurd, truly making the story of The Island of Dr. Moreau a stranger-than-fiction situation.
While casual moviegoers might find this documentary to be slow, anyone with an interest in film history will find it thoroughly engaging. Lost Souls proves to be funny at times – the cast recounts the day when neither Brando nor Kilmer would leave their trailers until the other had (let’s remember that these were grown men) or when Brando suggested that his human character should have a dolphin fin on his head, for no good reason. But the film also has poignant moments of sadness. This was Richard Stanley’s dream, and it was pulled out from under him and was mutated into something entirely different. Not only did it cause him emotional pain, but also threatened to ruin his film career. Lost Souls is an engaging look inside the disastrous production of the fascinating mess that is The Island of Dr. Moreau.
Movies n' stuff 