The Island Of Dr. Moreau/Rosenthal

H.G. Wells and his imagination has always been the subject of many films from Hollywood including at least 3 other versions of this story of half human, half animal creatures along with video games, comic books, and television. Released in 1977 by American International with a 6 million dollar budget, the Don Taylor directed film starred Burt Lancaster, Michael York, Richard Basehart, and Barbara Carrera. The original 1932 film titled Island of Lost Souls was done while Wells was alive (who knows how much he was consulted) and while the special effects were lacking compared to this version, the Universal film with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi has become the preferred choice to watch with the 1996 Frankenheimer remake considered a distant 3rd at best. The 32 version even offers Randolph Scott, Buster Crabbe, and Alan Ladd as creature extras!!While the film was overall weaker than the 1932 version the soundtrack from Rosenthal was far superior, in fact no comparison can even be made between the two. While Laurence is not known for his science fiction/fantasy material this score along with Meteor and Clash Of The Titans certainly show that he is more than capable and well at home in this genre. The “Main Title/The Jungle” introduces us to the Moreau theme on the English horn, a distinctive voice that is brass like but definitely woodwind sounding giving us a melody depicting a lone voice calling out. The forlorn distant sound gave this reviewer the impression of a calling out without an answer, doom from the beginning. This is a strong theme and is used in succeeding tracks such as “On The Beach,” “Dr. Moreau’s Zoo,” and “Moreau’s Death.” In track 2, “Maria and Friend,” we are introduced to the love theme a beautiful major key theme nicely complemented from oboe, clarinet, and flutes. This theme is also used in several of the succeeding tracks such as “On The Beach,” “Maria and Andrew,” and “End Credits.” These two themes are the major components of the score and are used as motifs for Moreau and Maria in the film. The action cues make use of minor chords from the strings, disturbing brass, and dissonant jungle style percussion all similar to something Goldsmith might have done yet the Rosenthal unique style is retained. If your interested in foreboding cues tracks, ones such “Forest Murmurs,” “Bear Man,” and “House of Pain” will not disappoint. As explained in the liner notes by Randall Larson the ending of the film and the music do not make sense at all. The original ending from the novel as well as the film had Maria changing back to a Puma. The preview in Santa Barbara persuaded the producers to redo the ending with a typical Hollywood template happily ever after and love prevails. However, the music was not altered due to budget restraints thus listening and watching makes little sense, kind of like using ketchup as an ice cream topping.

This La-La Land (1085) release, with a limited edition of 1200 units, contains all 57+ minutes of material from the film with track titles taken from the cue sheets. Laurence Rosenthal did release the material 10+ years ago on his Windemere label (42347) but there is less material, different track titles, and likely difficult to obtain. A bootleg LP would only be sought if one were looking for collectible material. This is a recommended release for fans of the film, Rosenthal, and listeners who like that Goldsmith sound.

CD# is LLLCD1085
Orchestrated by Courage and Rosenthal
Executive Producers are Verboys and Gerhard
Performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of London
Track listing

1. Main Title/The Jungle (05:24)

2. Maria And Friend/After Dinner/Doctor’s Study (04:18)

3. On The Beach/More Questions (05:40)

4. Forest Murmurs/Dr. Moreau’s Zoo/Moreau Explains (05:28)

5. Maria And Andrew (03:05)

6. Bear Man/To The Cave/In The Garden/Tiger Fight/Dead Tiger (07:32)

7. To The House Of Pain/Funeral Pyre (04:33)

8. Involution (03:44)

9. Braddock’s Cage/The Humanimals (03:57)

10. Moreau’s Death (02:41)

11. Man And Beast (02:18)

12. The Holocaust (01:30)

13. The Real Maria/End Credits (02:41)

14. Jungle Pursuit (01:34)

15. To The House Of Pain [Alternate Version] (02:44)

Total Duration: 00:57:09