EPISODE 110 — The Island of Dr. Moreau

[hypnotizingchickens 1025]

it's also worth mentioning that German industrial pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten have two songs that appear in this movie...

 

(this isn't your parents' industrial music, i.e. Nine Inch Nails or Rammstein, it's industrial music... these motherfuckers are using power saws and banging on sheets of metal)

 

 

they're videos are extremely unsettling and slightly cheesy... so I can actually understand how they fit in the context of this film.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuHDfGYExjY

[WEdidITagain 458]

_{so small, so small}

[seemonster 13]

I could be totally wrong, but what I took away from the whole bunny-killing thing is that when Val Kilmer killed that bunny at the beginning, one of the animals saw, and it ruined its pure, unable-to-fathom-killing brain, and that's why he killed the second bunny? Causing a sort of chain reaction where they were all becoming violent because they saw Dr. Moreau's dreadlocks son kill that animal at the trial? In the really awkward dinner scene where Dr. Moreau gets mad about the bunny being served, Val Kilmer says something to the effect of "relax, no one saw me kill it" and there's a long pause and David Thewlis says, like, "that we cannot be sure of" or something (Sorry, I wish I could directly quote it but my rental already ended). The dialogue is terrible and barely makes sense in that scene, but that is the only thing my brain could piece together from it.

 

Also, I could not stand David Thewlis at all in this! We know nothing about his character except that he killed a dude on his raft (that shark sure became a non-issue pretty quickly, huh?), and he's just running around being super rude to the animal people and insulting them to their faces, when they're being way nicer to him than, say, Val Kilmer is.

 

Why does he smoke the drugs Val Kilmer gives him? Is that why all he cares about during crazy animal war times is getting some serum that will supposedly stop his crush from turning into a cat?

 

I found Marlon Brando to be hands down the most enjoyable part of this movie. I mean, despite clearly pausing between all his lines to have them read to him, he's really a delight.

[slujones 7]

I have an anecdote. A guy I studied with was in The Island of Dr. Moreau. He said that Ron Perlman liked him. My friend's last name was Smallbone and Perlman would call him early in the morning in his room and bark 'Smallbone! Tennis!' and he would have to go and play tennis with Ron Perlman. Coolest story i heard from a guy who also used to be roommates with Hugh Jackman.

[Just Add Pepper 2026]

If the advice of a stranger on the internet means anything to you, I give Scheer-RL a ringing endorsement. Check it out, folks.

[Bumpy 1674]

June's high. 'Too small...' High as a kite. Still, happy to have her back.

[RachelKaplus 5]

Omission here - this movie features "the film industry's primary primate" Peter Elliott as Assassimon, the friendly (?) ape man who wants David Thewliss to stay at the end of the movie. He has played gorillas in Congo, Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, and my favorite: Bollo in The Mighty Boosh!

[RachelKaplus 5]

 

Also played Jimmy in the Double Dragon movie. When I saw a video compilation of all of his crazy ingredient introductions, I knew I recognized him from somewhere. It's because I've seen Double Dragon more than anyone should: twice. Also, to Paul, please do an episode for Double Dragon! It takes place in a post-apocalyptic LA in the distant and frightening year of 2007.

 

Also also he was in The Brotherhood of the Wolf which is SO GOOD

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Correction/omission - how long were Fairuza Balk and David Thewlis running in that fucking jungle? It was so clearly the middle of the night when Thewlis walked in on that weird birth scene. Then, when they made it to the beach, it looked like it was dawn. Then, when they get caught and Brando makes his interest, it's midday.

 

I mean, the movie has no logic anyway, so it's probably not bound by the laws of time to which the more rational of us that don't play piano duets with miniature versions of ourselves adhere.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Edit: I had a second post, but I'm deleting it. I was trying to apply logic to this movie.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Edit: I had a second post, but I'm deleting it. I was trying to apply logic to this movie.

 

"O, that way madness lies; let me shun that; No more of that"

[jarrycanada 2483]

found this Behind the Scene's Featurette on the island of dr. moreau.

 

it's only 5 mins long but watching it feels like ten.

 

 

watching Val Kilmer,he's got a way of talking that you lose interest in anything he's saying. I have no idea what the hell he's talking about here.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

One thing from the episode. June said Thewlis was miscast. Alex Fernie said that he didn't think the right cast for that role exists, and Paul agreed.

 

Paul, you and everyone that listens to HDTGM regularly know who the right casting for that role is:

 

[jarrycanada 2483]

Maybe there could be a nick cage / marlon brando kissing scene at the end of the movie, They sing songs together.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRSfh1nFciA

[souprman 10477]

it's also worth mentioning that German industrial pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten have two songs that appear in this movie...

 

(this isn't your parents' industrial music, i.e. Nine Inch Nails or Rammstein, it's industrial music... these motherfuckers are using power saws and banging on sheets of metal)

 

 

they're videos are extremely unsettling and slightly cheesy... so I can actually understand how they fit in the context of this film.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuHDfGYExjY

Blixa Bargeld rules!

[souprman 10477]

Omission - Possibly glaring. It was somehow never mentioned that like Moreau, Marlon Brando LIVED ON A FUCKING ISLAND!!! (Okay, it was an atoll, but whatever.)

[GalenHoward 6]

According to the documentary, once Nelson de la Rosa (the smallest man) was befriended by Brando, he gained an air of entitlement and propositioned one of the sow ladies and punched Marco Hofschneider (M'Ling) in the crotch without provocation.

[souprman 10477]

 

James Caan also revealed that he would actually write lines on the extras' heads, and even went as far as sticking post-it notes on Caan's face when they were making the Godfather so he could remember his lines, whilst still looking like he was actually talking to the person he was in a scene with.

Hmmmm.... Post-It notes weren't released to the marketplace until 1977.... So either Caan is a liar or Marlon was doing some early field testing for 3M.

[souprman 10477]

Maybe there could be a nick cage / marlon brando kissing scene at the end of the movie, They sing songs together.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRSfh1nFciA

What do I do if my erection hasn't gone away 4 hours after watching this?

[hrfe 4]

Omission: what was HG Wells' opinion of the film (maybe @deadauthorspod could help find out).

[souprman 10477]

it's also worth mentioning that German industrial pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten have two songs that appear in this movie...

 

(this isn't your parents' industrial music, i.e. Nine Inch Nails or Rammstein, it's industrial music... these motherfuckers are using power saws and banging on sheets of metal)

 

 

they're videos are extremely unsettling and slightly cheesy... so I can actually understand how they fit in the context of this film.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuHDfGYExjY

Also;

 

[AndrewCerisano 4]

Omission: What was with Dr. Moreau's nobel prize being for inventing velcro? Was this improvised from Val Kilmer? This makes no sense at all - it clearly says "For Gen-Manipulation" on the nobel prize and that it was awarded in 1989. Velcro was invented in the 40s and has nothing to do with "gen-manipulation". Why was this an acceptable answer to what he won a nobel prize for? Was this supposed to be a joke? Were they seriously unable come up with anything better and just decided to leave this in? Considering the entire movie is about Dr. Moreau doing genetic manipulation on animals/humans, it seems reasonable that he would have won a nobel prize for something related to that rather than for inventing velcro.

[Darbler Cheesegarbler 1110]

I agree with FisterRoboto: never in the history of HDTGM has the question "Would this movie be better with Nic Cage?" had a more obvious answer.

[Joven 373]

Im trying to remember, what was the british guy's relation to the UN? Wasn't he some negotiator or peace worker or something? Because he seemed awfully quick to jump to "kill the shit out of everyone different than me".

[GregDerAnanian 2]

I think this is an article worth reading: http://www.wordandfilm.com/2013/09/in-defense-of-marlon-brando-and-the-island-of-dr-moreau/





I didn't love this movie, but I do think its diegetic insanity is a bit narratively overlooked. The article highlights that nicely, regardless of the intentionality of the filmmakers and actors. Plus, I learned who Eiko Ishioka is (unrelated to this movie), and she is amazing.