Lost Soul : The Doomed Journey Of Richard Stanley´s Island Of Dr. Moreau

I can honestly say, i love hearing about how people make films, how they come up with ideas for a script, and how they transform characters from novels into a motion picture. There are so many ways you can tell a story, and try to make it look like the novel. When i see a dvd or blu ray release with extra material, that includes interviews, making of, or even deleted scenes, i try and check it out just in case i might find something interesting. Some releases are really filled with extras, while others are left without almost nothing. But there are moments when film makers decide to make a documentary, about their films, or about a certain film, and make it into a film documentary. One of the best releases ever ( if you ask me ), is the fantastic blu ray release Crystal Lake Memories : The Complete History Of Friday The 13th. A documentary film with interviews, behind the scenes, and other really nice treats, with the history of the Friday The 13th films, for 400 minutes.....and trust me you will not be bored. Interviews with almost every actor from all the films, there are so much to learn from all the films that no one would ever know, until they decided to collect all this information. There are other films that get their own documentary, mostly because they could be cult films, or box office hits that people love even until this day. Then we have movie adaptions, that were probably meant to be loved by the audiences, but did not manage to please either film critics or the cinema audience. Maybe some  you remember the movie adaption of the classic novel The Island Of Dr. Moreau by author H.G. Wells ? It was the third movie adaption, from 1996, that was supposed to be directed by british director Richard Stanley. But he dropped out and director John Frankenheimer took over the project. At the time, it became a box office flop, and was nominated in many categories for the worst film of that year. I have seen it, and i remember that i was not really impressed with this film adaption. I was really surprised to see that a new documentary film called Lost Soul : The Doomed Journey Of Richard Stanley´s Island Of Dr. Moreau, was made to tell the story, of how original director Richard Stanley tell his side of what happened when production began, his vision of the film, and why he dropped out. When i got the chance to see this documentary, i decided to also write a review, since this is an original documentary film indeed. Is Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey Of Richard Stanley a very fascinating look at the disaster film, or is this a disaster just like the movie adaption of the book The Island Of Dr. Moreau ?

In the early 90´s, director Richard Stanley got the chance to direct a film adaptation of H.G. Wells classic book The Island Of Dr. Moreau. With his vision he hoped to make this the best adaption ever so far, but things did not go as planned. With so many problems, before shooting, and while making the cast, Richard did not stay long into the project, until director John Frankenheimer took over. The Island Of Dr. Moreau became a box office flop, and hated by critics and viewers. Hear the story of what happened during the making of this film, both from the first director Richard Stanley, and with interviews of both film crew and actors, in this documentary film.

It is not very often film makers can take the time and tell a story on a film that failed, both during production and while it was released to find an audience. I think Richard Stanley is very honest, and open minded, as he tells his story of what happened during this time period. You realise that it must have been hard, since his vision was not accepted, and the film studio did not agree with his ideas. We have to remember that this is the director of the cult film Hardware, so he was the perfect choice to make a movie adaption of The Island Of Dr. Moreau. While you look at the sketches, drawings, and how Richard Stanley planned to make this island unique, you kind of feel sad that the film studio did not let Richard´s vision be the focus, instead of what they have planned. I don´t want to talk bad about director John Frankenheimer, since he have made some good films in the past, like French Connection 2, and Black Sunday. I can only say that he may not have had the right feeling to make this movie adaption of this classic novel, even if he tried. One problem that becomes obvious, is that Richard Stanley must have been depressed at the time, since he closed himself in during meetings, and as an director you have to be active with the team, to work things out. So it is not strange why Richard dropped out, when he is not feeling well with so many problems around him. For those of you who did see the film back in the 90´s, you might remember that Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando was the big names as the actors on board. I never really understood why Marlon Brando would take this role at all, was it because he was desperate ? One thing is clear though, he seemed to be very determined that he knows whats best for the film, and everyone should follow his orders. Let´s not forget Val Kilmer´s behavior on set, he seemed to care less about the film, so i can understand why Richard lost hope for the film. There are plenty of interviews with the cast, and the film team telling us what happened on this disaster film set, with so many problems. I think the strength of this documentary film, is that it proves that even if you have a great vision, it does not guarantee quality. Looking back at the film The Island Of Dr. Moreau, i saw it first on VHS, and remember i did not like it very much. Not an awful film all the way, but the casting of Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando on an island with animal hybrids, did not work. Director David Gregory have really worked hard to put this documentary film together, with so many great interviews, and stories from both the cast and the film makers. With so many problems on set, and off set, you realise why this film failed, because they could not do this film adaptation in the right way. You might think that some of the actors and crew would be ashamed of being in this documentary, instead you get the feeling they want to tell what a disaster this was to make this film. Not that they are proud of the final results, but they share their thoughts and how they feel today about being apart of this box office flop. Lost Soul : The Doomed Journey Of Richard Stanley´s Island Of Dr. Moreau is a fascinating look at the dark side of Hollywood, with a lot of interesting stories. Definetely worth watching if you love movies and how they made certain ideas brought to the cinema screen. Actually one of the best documentary films i have seen in a while. You can see it on VOD at this moment, and a 3 disc release is coming out soon, i know i will get my hands on that.

Rating: DDDD