Before I go into Island of Lost Souls, I want to talk about one of the extras on the Criterion disc.
Well before any of their music releases, the band Devo did a short film called The Truth About De-Evolution. I saw it in a theater when the short was still new. And how new it was. Back then, in suburban Virginia, we barely knew what Punk was. New Wave was a revolutionary type of science fiction, as far as I was concerned. I wasn’t aware of New Wave movies either.
I was a Frank Zappa geek and his movie, 200 Motels, was playing at a midnight show at an art theater in Norfolk, VA. I was all of fifteen years old and my older brother’s friend was coming to pick me up and take me.
He showed up, but he had a few Motherfuckers in the car with him.
A Motherfucker was, in Jazz parlance, a skilled musician. My brother knew some local cats who were definitely Motherfuckers. Some went on to fame while others burnt out young.
They must have thought I was the squarest kid they’d ever seen. I had birth control glasses, a tragic haircut, and unfortunate clothes.
One of the Motherfuckers broke out a fat joint on the way to the theater. I was still fairly naive, but I’d gotten high numerous times. It was still something new and exciting to me. I thought nothing of it as the joint passed my way and I partook.
We got to the theater, and it was already packed. So much so that we couldn’t sit together. I found a lone seat all the way down front, in the very first row.
The evening’s entertainment began with The Truth About De-Evolution. It’s hard for me to convey exactly how new and unique it was. It was the birth of New Wave. There had never been anything quite like this before.
My brains were pouring out as I screamed with laughter at the wild antics of Devo’s “Jocko Homo” and their cover of “Secret Agent Man.” After that they showed a clip of Elvis Costello’s “Oliver’s Army.”
This was before MTV. Now I know Devo was at least partially inspired by Kraftwerk, but at the time it was the most outrageous thing I’d ever seen.
As for Elvis, he was the dorkiest excuse for a rock star I could imagine. I was laughing my head off, wondering if what I was seeing was really happening.
200 Motels is pretty wild, too.
I felt like I went over the rainbow, then down the rabbit hole into acidland.
The movie ended and, shell-shocked, I stumbled out and found my party. We packed ourselves into the car and as we headed home, I commented “That’s the most fucked-up I’ve ever gotten from a joint.”
The Motherfuckers started laughing and told me they had dusted the joint. Dusted. As in angel dust. Otherwise known as PCP.
Motherfuckers, indeed.
The Truth About De-Evolution is readily available on YouTube, but I’m glad I waited to see it on a Criterion disc. God, what a memory. For good or ill, that night is part of what set me on a course of a lifetime of exploring weird music and movies.
Tod Browning’s Dracula was made by Universal Studios in 1932. While Horror was a part of the movies since the inception of motion pictures, it is considered by many to be the first modern horror movie. It was a tremendous hit and studios rushed to jump on the bandwagon.
Just two years later Paramount unleashed Island of Lost Souls, which is surely one of the best genre productions of the era. Based on H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, Island of Lost Souls was released two years before the restrictive Hays Code was instilled in the Hollywood system.
The Hays Code was set into place to curb delinquency and to maintain moral decency. Hollywood was racked with scandals and the powers that be wanted regulations. Will Hays headed up the watchdog group.
I can’t say for sure, but Island of Lost Souls may have been a contributing factor for the wave of censorship that lasted thirty-four long, bland years. No explicit violence. No overtly sexual situations. No mention or display of normal human functions. No drug use, no abortion, no infidelity, no blasphemy. Forget about any mention, or blatant hints, of homosexuality. None of the fun things were allowed in movies. And people wonder why I am not a big fan of classic Hollywood.
Island of Lost Souls packs punch today. I can’t imagine how disturbing it was to 1930s audiences. The story deals with hybrid matings between humans and beasts. It features surgical vivisection, frank sexuality, and cannibalism is even discussed.
Charles Laughton is suitably creepy as Moreau. Poor Bela Lugosi, broke and desperate, was brought on after shooting started. So soon after his triumph as Dracula, Bela is cast in a minor role as a mutant. At least he is the lawgiver. Are we not men?
The mutants are genuinely unnerving, and the makeup effects are quite effective.
Island of Lost Souls was partially written by Philip Wylie, who was surely one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. Some know him as the father of superheroes. His novel Gladiator was the inspiration for Superman. Wylie’s When Worlds Collide was made into a science fiction classic. He was a social critic whose searing nonfiction opus, Generation of Vipers, outraged the world. Philip Wylie is beloved for his environmentally-conscious Crunch and Des fishing stories.
Director Erle C. Kenton did a great job, but he didn’t stick with horror and so isn’t generally cited as one of the genre heavyweights.
Despite being a pre-Code movie, Island of Lost Souls was heavily censored. Criterion representatives said it was one of their most difficult projects due to so many prints being snipped of offending content. It’s not their most beautiful transfer, but it’s great to have it as clean and complete as possible.
It’s not discussed as much, but Island of Lost Souls is as good, and as historically significant, as any of the Universal horror pictures.
I’d seen Island of Lost Souls in inferior editions, but the Criterion restoration is the one to get. I’m grateful to them for including Horror movies such as this one in their prestigious collection of the world’s greatest films. I’m also grateful for the jarring flashback experience of The Truth About De-Evolution.
Written by Mark Sieber
Well before any of their music releases, the band Devo did a short film called The Truth About De-Evolution. I saw it in a theater when the short was still new. And how new it was. Back then, in suburban Virginia, we barely knew what Punk was. New Wave was a revolutionary type of science fiction, as far as I was concerned. I wasn’t aware of New Wave movies either.
I was a Frank Zappa geek and his movie, 200 Motels, was playing at a midnight show at an art theater in Norfolk, VA. I was all of fifteen years old and my older brother’s friend was coming to pick me up and take me.
He showed up, but he had a few Motherfuckers in the car with him.
A Motherfucker was, in Jazz parlance, a skilled musician. My brother knew some local cats who were definitely Motherfuckers. Some went on to fame while others burnt out young.
They must have thought I was the squarest kid they’d ever seen. I had birth control glasses, a tragic haircut, and unfortunate clothes.
One of the Motherfuckers broke out a fat joint on the way to the theater. I was still fairly naive, but I’d gotten high numerous times. It was still something new and exciting to me. I thought nothing of it as the joint passed my way and I partook.
We got to the theater, and it was already packed. So much so that we couldn’t sit together. I found a lone seat all the way down front, in the very first row.
The evening’s entertainment began with The Truth About De-Evolution. It’s hard for me to convey exactly how new and unique it was. It was the birth of New Wave. There had never been anything quite like this before.
My brains were pouring out as I screamed with laughter at the wild antics of Devo’s “Jocko Homo” and their cover of “Secret Agent Man.” After that they showed a clip of Elvis Costello’s “Oliver’s Army.”
This was before MTV. Now I know Devo was at least partially inspired by Kraftwerk, but at the time it was the most outrageous thing I’d ever seen.
As for Elvis, he was the dorkiest excuse for a rock star I could imagine. I was laughing my head off, wondering if what I was seeing was really happening.
200 Motels is pretty wild, too.
I felt like I went over the rainbow, then down the rabbit hole into acidland.
The movie ended and, shell-shocked, I stumbled out and found my party. We packed ourselves into the car and as we headed home, I commented “That’s the most fucked-up I’ve ever gotten from a joint.”
The Motherfuckers started laughing and told me they had dusted the joint. Dusted. As in angel dust. Otherwise known as PCP.
Motherfuckers, indeed.
The Truth About De-Evolution is readily available on YouTube, but I’m glad I waited to see it on a Criterion disc. God, what a memory. For good or ill, that night is part of what set me on a course of a lifetime of exploring weird music and movies.
Tod Browning’s Dracula was made by Universal Studios in 1932. While Horror was a part of the movies since the inception of motion pictures, it is considered by many to be the first modern horror movie. It was a tremendous hit and studios rushed to jump on the bandwagon.
Just two years later Paramount unleashed Island of Lost Souls, which is surely one of the best genre productions of the era. Based on H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, Island of Lost Souls was released two years before the restrictive Hays Code was instilled in the Hollywood system.
The Hays Code was set into place to curb delinquency and to maintain moral decency. Hollywood was racked with scandals and the powers that be wanted regulations. Will Hays headed up the watchdog group.
I can’t say for sure, but Island of Lost Souls may have been a contributing factor for the wave of censorship that lasted thirty-four long, bland years. No explicit violence. No overtly sexual situations. No mention or display of normal human functions. No drug use, no abortion, no infidelity, no blasphemy. Forget about any mention, or blatant hints, of homosexuality. None of the fun things were allowed in movies. And people wonder why I am not a big fan of classic Hollywood.
Island of Lost Souls packs punch today. I can’t imagine how disturbing it was to 1930s audiences. The story deals with hybrid matings between humans and beasts. It features surgical vivisection, frank sexuality, and cannibalism is even discussed.
Charles Laughton is suitably creepy as Moreau. Poor Bela Lugosi, broke and desperate, was brought on after shooting started. So soon after his triumph as Dracula, Bela is cast in a minor role as a mutant. At least he is the lawgiver. Are we not men?
The mutants are genuinely unnerving, and the makeup effects are quite effective.Island of Lost Souls was partially written by Philip Wylie, who was surely one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. Some know him as the father of superheroes. His novel Gladiator was the inspiration for Superman. Wylie’s When Worlds Collide was made into a science fiction classic. He was a social critic whose searing nonfiction opus, Generation of Vipers, outraged the world. Philip Wylie is beloved for his environmentally-conscious Crunch and Des fishing stories.
Director Erle C. Kenton did a great job, but he didn’t stick with horror and so isn’t generally cited as one of the genre heavyweights.
Despite being a pre-Code movie, Island of Lost Souls was heavily censored. Criterion representatives said it was one of their most difficult projects due to so many prints being snipped of offending content. It’s not their most beautiful transfer, but it’s great to have it as clean and complete as possible.
It’s not discussed as much, but Island of Lost Souls is as good, and as historically significant, as any of the Universal horror pictures.
I’d seen Island of Lost Souls in inferior editions, but the Criterion restoration is the one to get. I’m grateful to them for including Horror movies such as this one in their prestigious collection of the world’s greatest films. I’m also grateful for the jarring flashback experience of The Truth About De-Evolution.
Written by Mark Sieber
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