The Island of Dr. Moreau

Name: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Released: 1996-08-23
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Rating: 4.8
Cast: Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Ron Perlman

Through DNA experimentation, Dr. Moreau has upset the balance of nature.

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Timing: 1:36 (96 min)

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4.9/10
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4.6/10
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Everything about the movie

Video 4

Photo 29

Actors and characters

Video for the film The Island of Dr. Moreau — Island of Dr. Moreau, The (1996)

1:51

Photo 29

Release date

1996-08-23

Country

United States

Production

New Line Cinema

Genre

Science Fiction, Horror

Budget

$40 000 000

Box office

$49 627 779

Website

Director

John Frankenheimer

Actors

Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Ron Perlman, Marco Hofschneider, Temuera Morrison, William Hootkins, Daniel Rigney, Nelson de la Rosa
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Edward R. Pressman, Tim Zinnemann, Claire Rudnick Polstein, Andrew Millstein

Camera operator

William A. Fraker

Composer

Gary Chang

Artist

Graham 'Grace' Walker

Audition

Valerie McCaffrey

Editing

Paul Rubell, Thom Noble, Adam P. Scott
Whole Team (66)

Short description

A plane crash surviving attorney stumbles upon a mysterious island and is shocked to discover that a brilliant scientist and his lab assistant have found a way to combine human and animal DNA—with horrific results.

What's left behind the scenes

Richard Stanley dreamed of making a film worthy of the source material: he spent several years writing the screenplay, and then went to Hollywood with a folder of concept art. New Line Cinema became interested in the project, Marlon Brando was chosen for the lead role at the studio, and Roman Polanski was considered to direct. Shocked, Stanley turned to a sorcerer to perform a luck ritual for him. The next day, Brando met with Stanley personally, and later persuaded the studio to reinstate him as director.
This wasn't the first time Brando refused to learn his lines, and an assistant read the text to him through an earpiece, which is noticeable in some scenes.
David Thewlis said that due to the constant script revisions, it was difficult to understand, so they improvised half of the dialogue with Brando.
Marlon Brando was so impressed with actor Nelson De La Rosa that he demanded more screen time for him: a suit was made for him like Marlon's, and he became his miniature copy in the frame. It is believed that their duo inspired the screenwriters of the Austin Powers film series to create the character Mini-Me.
The atmosphere on set was tense – Marlon Brando, haunted by his daughter's suicide, temporarily left Australia; Richard Stanley refused to meet with studio executives and was unable to control Val Kilmer, which ultimately led to his dismissal. He was promised his fee only on the condition that he return to Hollywood and stay away from the set. Stanley made it to the airport but didn’t board the plane and disappeared. After some time, it became known that he was living on one of the plantations. A group of volunteers found him and offered to return. To avoid breaking the agreement, Stanley disguised himself as one of the beastmen, infiltrated the set, and even appeared in one of the scenes.
Richard Stanley dreamed of making a film worthy of the source material: he spent several years writing the script and then headed to Hollywood with a folder of concept art. New Line Cinema showed interest in the project, the studio cast Marlon Brando in the lead role, and they planned to appoint Roman Polanski as director. A shocked Stanley turned to a sorcerer to perform a luck ritual for him. The following day, Brando met with Stanley personally and later persuaded the studio to reinstate him as director.
This wasn't the first time Brando had refused to memorize a script, so an assistant fed him the lines through an earpiece, which is noticeable in some of the scenes.
David Thewlis recalled that due to constant script revisions, it was difficult to make sense of the text, so they improvised half of the dialogues with Brando.
Marlon Brando took such a liking to actor Nelson De La Rosa that he demanded the actor be given more screen time; a costume identical to Marlon's was tailored for him, making him a miniature version of Brando on screen. It is believed that their duo inspired the writers of the Austin Powers film series to create the character Mini-Me.
The atmosphere on set was tense—Marlon Brando, devastated by his daughter's suicide, temporarily left Australia; Richard Stanley refused to meet with studio executives and could not control Val Kilmer, which ultimately led to his firing. He was promised his fee only on the condition that he return to Hollywood and stay away from the set. Stanley made it to the airport but never boarded the plane and went missing. Some time later, it was discovered that he had been living on a plantation. A group of volunteers found him and urged him to return. To avoid breaching his contract, Stanley dressed up as one of the beast-men, sneaked onto the set, and even appeared in one of the scenes.