Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

Directed by
David Gregory
starring
Richard Stanley, Fairuza Balk, Marco Hofschneider, Graham Humphreys
97 mins
 | 2014
 | United States
 | English
 

If APOCALYPSE NOW hadn’t already established that going into the jungle with Marlon Brando to make a movie is a bad idea, this outrageous documentary of the dysfunctional production of the 1996 cinematic travesty THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU settles things. Visionary director Richard Stanley got the chance to bring his dream project to life, only to be fired by the studio just days into production. There’s long been a rumor of the disgruntled Stanley living in the jungle after being fired from the film, and then sneaking back onto the set as an extra in full creature costume. This film verifies this rumor, and opens the door on a multitude of others: Egomaniacal star Val Kilmer burns crew members with cigarettes. Replacement director John Frankenheimer lets Marlon Brando run amok, as the 300 lb. star makes increasingly stranger and stranger demands. Richard Stanley turns to witchcraft, while sets are destroyed by hurricane weather, and the crew is pushed to the absolute limit while making one of the worst films ever created.

Hilarious first-hand testimony from cast members Fairuza Balk, Marco Hofschneider, and Rob Morrow highlight this documentary, plus the true star of the film; Richard Stanley, tells all with admirable composure.

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