"Island of Lost Souls"on Criterion DVD.

[Illoman]

Check out the Criterion half price sales at B&N a couple of times a year. I'm gonna wait till Nov. to pick up IOLS.

Although $21 isn't too hateful at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Island-Lost-Souls-Criterion-Collection/dp/B005D0RDKM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1312505506&sr=8-2

[Obscurama]

The box-art is more appropriate on the UK release. Maybe not the best but at least a bit more representative.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wells-Island-Souls-Masters-Cinema/dp/B005DDIUYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312839016&sr=8-1

[fibbermac]

Has anyone bought this yet and can tell us about the picture quality?

[Frizbee]

Already pre-ordered. What a great treat for this upcoming Halloween! Probably one of the creepiest movie ending ever.

[Mike Scott]

Has anyone bought this yet and can tell us about the picture quality?

Have to wait till Oct. 25 to find out, but it's Criterion, so it'll be as good as it gets.

[Scatter]

.......it's Criterion, so it'll be as good as it gets.

Wouldn't it be nice to hear that said about Universal someday??

[Most Horrible]

I just watched this for the first time. Oh dear. It really is a disturbing film. A super good film but oh so disturbing. You could spend hours discussing this film. Ok, it has some regular patterns of early 1930 movies I have seen...little or no music score, silence when walking, the screaming damsel (ingredients I truly love about early sound films!) plus you  get a real twisted psychotic in Dr. Moreau. For example a cringing and disturbing scene with him handling one of his creatures that is screaming on the operating table and then some. Dr. Moreau "paws" at the "Thing" on the operating table, ignoring its howls. (insert shudder here) Just that close-up scene made my flesh creep. Hairy Bela! Eeee! The creature with the goat leg. Eeee! The close-up of the panther woman's hands! Her outfit pretty much lost it there a few times.

Three cheers for Mr. Laughton!

 I wonder what the film would have been like if it were made after the Hays Code? All-in-all it is a fantastic film. The makeup was imaginative to the point of well...a reflection of Dr. Moreau's insanity. Crazy, mish-mash mixture of you-name-it Things as they called themselves.  Paramoun sure jumped on the bandwagon and really wanted to top Universal's horror movies with this one. It is surprising how "Island of Lost Souls" has never been given the notoriety it deserves. This is talked about in the special features and I agree. Somehow it got "lost" and pushed aside by other films that were released in the new horror genre of the 1930's. I am happy Criterion Collection took notice of its value to film history and released it on dvd.

Friends, I was truly bowled over when the creatures all chanted the Law and would say, "Are we not men?". My reply was "We are Devo".  Then it came to me! This MUST be where Devo got their song from! Just like the Ramones got "Gabba gabba hey!" from Freaks. After how many years...I never knew "Are we not men?" was from a movie. Nev-er. 

Watch this film!
Signed,
Person like Lota

[Monsters For Sale]

No arguement here.  I remember seeing it on TV in the 50's.  The TV stations' 16mm prints were so-so at best.  The VHS that came out in the late 80's/early 90's wasn't a great deal better.

How would you rate the DVD's clarity of picture and sound?

[Wich2]

Bob, word is that it's better.

But still not stellar, as it's sourced from tne same flawed submasters.

-Craig

[Dr. Jitters]

No arguement here.  I remember seeing it on TV in the 50's.  The TV stations' 16mm prints were so-so at best.  The VHS that came out in the late 80's/early 90's wasn't a great deal better.

How would you rate the DVD's clarity of picture and sound?

It's pretty good!  I got the DVD and not the blu-ray, but it's still quite good and very watchable.  I'm not sure how I'd rate it -- if on a scale of 1 to 10, maybe an 8.  I rented the VHS many moons ago and it's much, much better than that.

Most Horrible wrote:

...Then it came to me! This MUST be where Devo got their song from! Just like the Ramones got "Gabba gabba hey!" from Freaks. After how many years...I never knew "Are we not men?" was from a movie. Nev-er.

In the special features section there's an interview with two of the Devo guys, Mothersbaugh and Casale.  Very interesting and it reveals that Island of Lost Souls not only influenced that one song but their whole aesthetic/philosophy.  Great DVD package.  The commentary and extra interviews are superb.

[Most Horrible]

The movie to me was in very good condition for its age. Criterion would not release a bad transfer.  Sound? Was fine to me.  The film is from 1932 so the recording quality to begin with would not be the same as say 10, 20, even 80 years down the road due to improvement  in recording. I got a kick sitting there for the 15 minute interview between John Landis, Rick Baker, and Bob Burns talking about the film. Wish I could have sat in on their conversation.

 

[Admirable Snowman]

I know my wife bought me this one. It's already wrapped up and under the Christmas tree. Two more weeks of waiting. It's real torture, honey.

[Lunkenstein]

Finally got the DVD and love it!  I'd only had a taped from '80s cable version prior to this.  Great classic.  Is Laughton tremendous or what?  And the makeup and effects are just fantastic.

[Lunkenstein]

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND fans likely remember the dream sequence episodes such as when Gilligan was a Jekyll & Hyde and a vampire in another.

Too bad they didn't consider an ep based around IOLS => http://lunkhead.net/tellytricks/tellytricks3.html

[Monsters For Sale]

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND fans likely remember the dream sequence episodes such as when Gilligan was a Jekyll & Hyde and a vampire in another.

Too bad they didn't consider an ep based around IOLS => http://lunkhead.net/tellytricks/tellytricks3.html

Now THAT would have been funny!