[7]

In the tradition of Lost in La Mancha and Jodorowsky’s Dune comes this documentary chronicling the conception and nightmarish execution of the infamous 1997 mega-flop The Island of Dr. Moreau. Director Richard Stanley (Hardware) is the focus of the first half of the film as we hear him talk about his vision for the piece and his increasingly difficult interactions with the Hollywood brass. The really interesting stories come out when cast and crew share their stories about Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, both of whom were pretty much out to destroy the film from the get-go. Brando’s disdain for filmmaking at that point led to many of the film’s more nonsensical elements, while Kilmer’s bad attitude led to Stanley’s removal from the project. Cast and crew then talk about replacement director John Frankenheimer’s militaristic approach to directing — the final straw in a horrendously long and difficult film shoot from which no one could escape. Northern Exposure‘s Rob Morrow is interviewed about begging New Line chief Bob Shaye to be re-cast (his wish was granted). Actress Fairuza Balk tried to get off the film. She left the set one day and headed for the airport until they threatened to sue and ruin her career. In addition to Stanley, Balk, Morrow, and Shaye, other interviewed subjects include many of the creature players, Marco Hofschneider (M’lin), producers Edward R. Pressman and Tim Zinnemann, production designer Graham Walker, and Fangoria editor Michael Gingold. (Any mention or inclusion of co-star David Thewlis is curiously missing from this documentary.)