7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
A mad doctor conducts ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked man who finds himself trapped there.
Starring: Charles Laughton, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Bela Lugosi, Kathleen BurkeHorror | 100% |
Romance | 19% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Erle C. Kenton's "Island of Lost Souls" (1932) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; conversation with director John Landis, award winning makeup artist Rick Baker, and horror film aficionado Bob Burns; video interview with historian and documentary filmmaker David J. Skal; video interview with writer and filmmaker Richard Stanley; interviews with Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, founding members of the band Devo; gallery of stills; audio commentary by writer and film historian Gregory Mank; and more. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring Christine Smallwood's essay "The Beast Flesh Creeping Back". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Dr. Moreau
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Erle C. Kenton's Island of Lost Souls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"Because the original negative no longer survives, this new digital transfer was created from a number of sources, including 35mm fine-grain master positive with some inherent damage; the UCLA Film & Television Archive's 35mm nitrate positive, which also had defects but contained lines of dialogue not heard since they were censored upon the film's theatrical release; and a private collector's 16mm screening print, used to help repair scenes with missing frames and scratches. These elements were scanned in 2K and HD resolution on a Spirit Datacine and a SCANNITY film scanner, and then combined to create the most complete version of the film ever to appear on home video. Finally, thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Scanning supervision: Lee Kline, Maria Palazola.
Telecine colorist: Lee Kline.
Master assembly editor: Ian D. Whelan.
2K/HD scanning: Modern Videofilm, Los Angeles; Cinelicious, Hollywood; Prime Focus, New York. "
Despite the fact that this new high-definition transfer was created from various sources, it actually has a fairly balanced look, and many of the close-ups in the film look rather impressive (see screencapture #7). The image does not appear flat or dull, and a light layer of grain is always present throughout the entire film. Now, the grain often shifts and pulsates, and contrast levels are not always stable, but overall the image has a consistently pleasing organic look, which truly is what matters the most, considering the amount of work that was invested into the restoration project. In other words, a lot could have gone wrong, but the final result is indeed satisfying.
With a few minor exceptions, such as the sequence where Edward and Lota are captured by the islanders but quickly rescued by Dr. Moreau, clarity is rather pleasing (even during the very dark nighttime sequences it is not too difficult to see what takes place on the screen). Also, there are no traces of secondary sharpening. Aside from a few inherited transition issues, there are no serious stability issues either. Lastly, the film has been thoroughly cleaned up, but some minor scratches and small lines still pop up here and there. All in all, this is a strong and very convincing presentation of a film that is unlikely to ever look better on home video. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the collector's 16mm print and section of the 35mm nitrate print, the best sources available. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."
The LPCM 1.0 track is pleasing. There is some mild hiss that occasionally enters the dialog, but it is never overwhelming. Additionally, dynamic levels have been stabilized and optimized. As a result, the audio actually has a relatively good depth and fluidity. With a few minor exceptions, the dialog is crisp, stable, and easy to follow.
The folks at Criterion have once again put together a tremendous package for a truly inspirational classic horror film - Erle C. Kenton's Island of Lost Souls. Not only does the film look the best it ever has, but there are some outstanding supplemental features on the disc as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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