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Most of the projects
I initially worked on
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00:00:17,518 --> 00:00:18,883
were very strange movies,
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00:00:18,894 --> 00:00:21,601
so you couldn't really hang
them on any kind of peg.
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00:00:21,605 --> 00:00:23,141
But then I discovered
that certain things
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00:00:23,148 --> 00:00:24,183
in my work scared them.
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00:00:24,191 --> 00:00:26,398
If I talked about the
supernatural or something
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00:00:26,401 --> 00:00:28,141
or there was a murder or
something in the story,
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00:00:28,153 --> 00:00:28,892
this would scare people.
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00:00:28,904 --> 00:00:30,394
Although they might be
not be relevant to it,
10
00:00:30,405 --> 00:00:31,565
or they might be
misunderstanding it
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00:00:31,573 --> 00:00:33,109
and I was able to
pick up on that.
12
00:00:40,123 --> 00:00:42,159
I first heard of Richard
Stanley in the early '90s
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00:00:42,167 --> 00:00:43,407
when hardware was coming out.
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00:00:43,418 --> 00:00:45,750
At the time we were used to
horror directors
15
00:00:45,754 --> 00:00:47,870
having beards and
looking like your dad,
16
00:00:47,881 --> 00:00:50,543
and then here was this sort of
young, hot guy.
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00:00:50,551 --> 00:00:53,759
He had the long hair
and a very mysterious look
18
00:00:53,762 --> 00:00:55,548
and the wide-brimmed hat
19
00:00:55,556 --> 00:00:57,888
that became associated
with him over the years,
20
00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:01,224
making this brand new film that
was unlike a lot of the films
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00:01:01,228 --> 00:01:03,560
that had been leading up to it
in the '80s.
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00:01:03,564 --> 00:01:06,431
I was very struck by
Richard Stanley's vision.
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00:01:06,441 --> 00:01:08,147
It was kind of different
from anything else
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00:01:08,151 --> 00:01:09,311
that had been going on.
25
00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,355
His use of color and light
and music
26
00:01:11,363 --> 00:01:14,901
and really creating this unique
dystopian vision for his story.
27
00:01:14,908 --> 00:01:17,866
I still think it's one of the
most important genre films
28
00:01:17,869 --> 00:01:19,825
of the '90s,
but woven throughout it
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00:01:19,830 --> 00:01:22,822
was this sort of esoteric
witchiness
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00:01:22,833 --> 00:01:26,200
which is sort of a trademark
of Richard Stanley's works
31
00:01:26,211 --> 00:01:27,576
and his life in general.
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00:01:27,588 --> 00:01:30,921
Richard Stanley was
casting this spell on you
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00:01:30,924 --> 00:01:32,380
when you watched his films.
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00:01:32,384 --> 00:01:34,045
I was brought up
by a strong mother
35
00:01:34,052 --> 00:01:36,668
who was involved in witchcraft,
anthropology, and stuff,
36
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:38,466
stayed on the road
the whole time,
37
00:01:38,473 --> 00:01:40,839
but she was a very good mother
in that she was very unstable
38
00:01:40,851 --> 00:01:45,470
and gave me a kind of
disastrous upbringing
39
00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,597
that was largely responsible
for what I am today.
40
00:01:48,609 --> 00:01:49,689
It was a huge hit.
41
00:01:49,693 --> 00:01:52,150
I mean in genre terms
it was definitely a huge hit,
42
00:01:52,154 --> 00:01:53,940
and it was definitely
something where
43
00:01:53,947 --> 00:01:55,357
this guy was the next big thing.
44
00:01:55,365 --> 00:01:57,401
You know, this was somebody
you wanted to see
45
00:01:57,409 --> 00:01:58,148
what he was going to do next,
46
00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,401
and it was largely because
of the success of hardware
47
00:02:00,412 --> 00:02:02,778
that miramax worked
with him on dust devil.
48
00:02:02,789 --> 00:02:04,825
Miramax's view on Richard?
49
00:02:04,833 --> 00:02:08,200
Uh...
50
00:02:08,211 --> 00:02:10,202
Good question.
51
00:02:10,213 --> 00:02:15,753
Um...
I think that they like Richard
52
00:02:15,761 --> 00:02:20,846
in a way that they like what
he was with hardware.
53
00:02:20,849 --> 00:02:21,804
After dust devil,
54
00:02:21,808 --> 00:02:25,050
Richard gets the opportunity to
direct the island of Dr. Moreau.
55
00:02:25,062 --> 00:02:26,893
We just thought that
Richard Stanley
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00:02:26,897 --> 00:02:28,137
doing island of Dr. Moreau
57
00:02:28,148 --> 00:02:29,638
was one of the most
exciting projects
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00:02:29,650 --> 00:02:30,981
we'd heard of in a while.
59
00:02:30,984 --> 00:02:33,566
He was someone who had
worked on the independent side,
60
00:02:33,570 --> 00:02:35,652
but now he was getting
the backing of a studio.
61
00:02:35,656 --> 00:02:37,567
This is going to be
a huge project,
62
00:02:37,574 --> 00:02:39,656
and this is going to propel
Richard Stanley
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00:02:39,660 --> 00:02:43,699
into the super stardom that
he deserves as an auteur.
64
00:03:56,445 --> 00:03:58,356
Okay.
Well, here we have a mound of
65
00:03:58,363 --> 00:04:01,480
rather tatty surviving artworks
from Dr. Moreau
66
00:04:01,491 --> 00:04:03,231
that gives some brief glimpse
67
00:04:03,243 --> 00:04:06,326
into the workhouse
of filthy creation.
68
00:04:06,329 --> 00:04:08,911
A lot of the beast people are
going to be wearing masks
69
00:04:08,915 --> 00:04:10,997
just the same as
human beings in,
70
00:04:11,001 --> 00:04:14,289
I guess, pagan tribes and
faiths wear animal masks,
71
00:04:14,296 --> 00:04:16,878
we wanted the beast people
to be wearing human masks.
72
00:04:16,882 --> 00:04:19,749
And the sloth-people,
they weren't very bright.
73
00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,341
I originally wanted them
to be stop-motion
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00:04:21,344 --> 00:04:22,049
or something like that.
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00:04:22,053 --> 00:04:24,385
I wanted a couple of
stop-motion creates in there.
76
00:04:24,389 --> 00:04:26,050
I think it happens in a
rather different way
77
00:04:26,057 --> 00:04:27,638
in the frankenheimer movie.
78
00:04:27,642 --> 00:04:29,724
One of the shots used
would have never gotten in
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00:04:29,728 --> 00:04:31,389
the finished new line version,
80
00:04:31,396 --> 00:04:35,059
mutant baby sucks
a mutant nipple, happily.
81
00:04:37,861 --> 00:04:39,192
I'd first come across the book,
82
00:04:39,196 --> 00:04:40,777
in fact,
the same copy I've got here,
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00:04:40,781 --> 00:04:44,899
which is a first edition
in my father's bookshelf.
84
00:04:44,910 --> 00:04:47,026
When I was very small,
four or five,
85
00:04:47,037 --> 00:04:49,653
I remember being drawn to it,
86
00:04:49,664 --> 00:04:51,200
probably because
it was bright red,
87
00:04:51,208 --> 00:04:52,914
and it's got some
interesting plates in it.
88
00:04:52,918 --> 00:04:55,125
And I'm being warned off
by my parents,
89
00:04:55,128 --> 00:04:57,585
who consistently told me
it was too scary,
90
00:04:57,589 --> 00:04:59,875
which, of course,
drew me to it very strongly,
91
00:04:59,883 --> 00:05:01,714
and I read it
as fast as I could.
92
00:05:01,718 --> 00:05:07,088
It's a book about humanity,
about man and nature,
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00:05:07,098 --> 00:05:08,804
man and god,
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00:05:08,809 --> 00:05:10,174
civilization
95
00:05:10,185 --> 00:05:12,392
and essentially what it means
to be human.
96
00:05:12,395 --> 00:05:14,852
It's a vast, complex book
97
00:05:14,856 --> 00:05:17,598
written right at the height
of the British empire,
98
00:05:17,609 --> 00:05:21,147
and I think spurred
by Darwin's theory on
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00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:22,940
the origin of the species
100
00:05:22,948 --> 00:05:24,734
and in the book
Moreau's been hounded out
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00:05:24,741 --> 00:05:27,528
of conventional society in
London by anti-vivisectionists
102
00:05:27,536 --> 00:05:29,401
who have been obviously
appalled by what he is doing.
103
00:05:29,412 --> 00:05:32,779
A flayed dog escapes from
his laboratory in London,
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00:05:32,791 --> 00:05:35,407
which causes a controversy
in the newspapers,
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00:05:35,418 --> 00:05:36,908
the Moreau horrors.
106
00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,751
He's forced to try to find
a place in the world
107
00:05:38,755 --> 00:05:40,336
where he's able to work
in isolation
108
00:05:40,340 --> 00:05:43,707
without conventional society
looking over his shoulder.
109
00:05:43,718 --> 00:05:46,425
To a large extent he
is a metaphor for god.
110
00:05:46,429 --> 00:05:49,045
He is the creator-being.
111
00:05:49,057 --> 00:05:52,094
He created the beast-people.
They're not experiments.
112
00:05:52,102 --> 00:05:53,967
They are things which
had never existed before.
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00:05:53,979 --> 00:05:55,185
In a curious footnote,
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00:05:55,188 --> 00:05:59,648
Wells was a close friend at that
point in time of Joseph Conrad.
115
00:05:59,651 --> 00:06:02,688
And about one year later,
Conrad turned in a book called
116
00:06:02,696 --> 00:06:03,981
heart of darkness
117
00:06:03,989 --> 00:06:06,651
which caused Wells and
Conrad to fall out bitterly
118
00:06:06,658 --> 00:06:08,740
as Wells' claimed that Conrad
was essentially
119
00:06:08,743 --> 00:06:10,654
ripping off island of Dr. Moreau
120
00:06:10,662 --> 00:06:13,574
and that the character of Kurtz
in heart of darkness
121
00:06:13,582 --> 00:06:16,073
was based on Moreau,
122
00:06:16,084 --> 00:06:17,790
certainly structurally
there's similarities
123
00:06:17,794 --> 00:06:18,624
between the two books.
124
00:06:18,628 --> 00:06:22,086
The narrator spends the entire
story journeying towards
125
00:06:22,090 --> 00:06:24,126
the island in
island of Dr. Moreau
126
00:06:24,134 --> 00:06:27,297
and eventually getting up
to finally addressing Moreau
127
00:06:27,304 --> 00:06:28,919
and asking what it's all about
128
00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:31,216
in the same what way
that the narrator Marlow
129
00:06:31,224 --> 00:06:32,839
journeys upriver to find Kurtz.
130
00:06:32,851 --> 00:06:34,967
Certainly with
heart of darkness,
131
00:06:34,978 --> 00:06:40,644
Kurtz's character has retreated
from mankind per se
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00:06:40,650 --> 00:06:42,515
and certainly civilization.
133
00:06:42,527 --> 00:06:45,064
Conrad defended the
accusations of plagiarism
134
00:06:45,071 --> 00:06:47,062
by claiming that,
in fact, he had based
135
00:06:47,073 --> 00:06:49,780
the character of Kurtz,
not on Dr. Moreau,
136
00:06:49,784 --> 00:06:51,866
but on the celebrated
African traveler
137
00:06:51,870 --> 00:06:53,235
sir Henry Morton Stanley.
138
00:06:53,246 --> 00:06:54,702
What's interesting,
139
00:06:54,706 --> 00:06:57,573
as far as Richard's concerned,
that his great-grandfather,
140
00:06:57,584 --> 00:06:59,245
Henry Morton Stanley,
141
00:06:59,252 --> 00:07:00,867
was considered to be one of...
142
00:07:00,879 --> 00:07:02,790
The main basis of
Kurtz's character.
143
00:07:02,797 --> 00:07:05,129
It seems, of course, that
Stanley did kind of give him
144
00:07:05,133 --> 00:07:06,998
this megalomaniac texture,
145
00:07:07,010 --> 00:07:10,377
and it seems like he was
less than gentle
146
00:07:10,388 --> 00:07:12,379
with the locals, shall we say.
147
00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:25,692
The book was first adapted
to the screen in 1932
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00:07:25,695 --> 00:07:29,608
by erle c. Kenton under the
title island of lost souls.
149
00:07:29,616 --> 00:07:31,152
Wells was still alive
at the time
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00:07:31,159 --> 00:07:34,617
and was bitterly disappointed
by the film adaption.
151
00:07:34,621 --> 00:07:37,533
He felt it was a terrible
bastardization of his work;
152
00:07:37,540 --> 00:07:39,246
and to some extent he's right,
153
00:07:39,250 --> 00:07:40,990
although island of lost souls
154
00:07:41,002 --> 00:07:44,039
is probably the most
effective screen adaptation.
155
00:07:44,047 --> 00:07:47,414
Charles laughton chooses to play
Moreau as a gloating sadist
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00:07:47,425 --> 00:07:49,586
who spends much the movie
twirling his mustachios
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00:07:49,594 --> 00:07:51,209
and reclining chaise lounge.
158
00:07:51,221 --> 00:07:52,961
It's a very memorable portrayal,
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00:07:52,973 --> 00:07:55,885
although very far from
the humane,
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00:07:55,892 --> 00:07:58,224
god-like figure
envisioned by Wells.
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00:07:58,228 --> 00:08:01,061
It also compresses the narrative
in a way which
162
00:08:01,064 --> 00:08:04,181
I think every subsequent
adaptation copied
163
00:08:04,192 --> 00:08:06,854
in that they're always only
interested in the beast-people
164
00:08:06,861 --> 00:08:07,816
overthrowing Moreau,
165
00:08:07,821 --> 00:08:09,561
and that's usually
the end of the movie;
166
00:08:09,572 --> 00:08:13,064
whereas, in the Wells' book the
beast people liberate themselves
167
00:08:13,076 --> 00:08:14,941
just after the halfway Mark
in the book,
168
00:08:14,953 --> 00:08:16,568
and things really become
problematic
169
00:08:16,579 --> 00:08:17,568
once the beast people
170
00:08:17,580 --> 00:08:19,536
try to run the island
for themselves.
171
00:08:19,541 --> 00:08:22,374
Wells knew that simply by
giving control of the island
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00:08:22,377 --> 00:08:25,210
to the beast folk things could
not possibly get any better.
173
00:08:25,213 --> 00:08:28,046
Things would only backslide
into anarchy and chaos.
174
00:08:28,049 --> 00:08:29,459
After island of lost souls,
175
00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:31,253
there were a slew of
illegitimate adaptions,
176
00:08:31,261 --> 00:08:33,172
such as Eddie romero's
twilight people
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00:08:33,179 --> 00:08:34,715
from the Philippines,
178
00:08:34,723 --> 00:08:35,803
"test tube terrors,
179
00:08:35,807 --> 00:08:38,799
half man, half beast...
All monster"
180
00:08:38,810 --> 00:08:41,222
and terror is a man
with Francis lederer.
181
00:08:41,229 --> 00:08:44,141
The next official adaptation
happened in 1977
182
00:08:44,149 --> 00:08:45,980
and was directed by Don Taylor
183
00:08:45,984 --> 00:08:48,896
and featured Burt Lancaster
in the Moreau part,
184
00:08:48,903 --> 00:08:51,144
Burt Lancaster actually
did a pretty good job.
185
00:08:51,156 --> 00:08:54,273
Unfortunately,
the movie's pretty ham-fisted.
186
00:08:54,284 --> 00:08:56,866
I saw the Don Taylor version
at my local cinema
187
00:08:56,870 --> 00:08:58,326
when I was a kid.
188
00:08:58,329 --> 00:08:59,660
It has the distinction
of probably being
189
00:08:59,664 --> 00:09:00,904
the first movie I ever saw
190
00:09:00,915 --> 00:09:03,873
which angered me so much.
I wanted my money back.
191
00:09:03,877 --> 00:09:07,085
I was a big fan of the original,
and I was deeply disappointed.
192
00:09:07,088 --> 00:09:08,999
Amongst other things,
was confused by the fact
193
00:09:09,007 --> 00:09:11,498
that there was a woman turning
into a panther on the poster
194
00:09:11,509 --> 00:09:14,342
of the movie, which never
happened in the film.
195
00:09:14,345 --> 00:09:16,427
And I guess from
that moment onwards,
196
00:09:16,431 --> 00:09:20,549
the germ of the idea
started to gestate in my mind,
197
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:23,768
and I was determined
to do it justice,
198
00:09:23,772 --> 00:09:25,558
to try and adapt the story
in a way
199
00:09:25,565 --> 00:09:27,681
that could actually work
for the screen.
200
00:09:34,032 --> 00:09:37,695
Shortly after dust devil,
my second film,
201
00:09:37,702 --> 00:09:40,660
I found myself washed up
in London without a bean.
202
00:09:40,663 --> 00:09:42,745
I had never been paid my
second half of my fee.
203
00:09:42,749 --> 00:09:44,580
The films rights
were a complete mess.
204
00:09:44,584 --> 00:09:45,994
To get it back and finish it,
205
00:09:46,002 --> 00:09:50,336
I had to basically borrow
resources and leverage
206
00:09:50,340 --> 00:09:51,500
pretty much everything;
207
00:09:51,508 --> 00:09:53,464
so I was probably
$40,000 in the red.
208
00:09:53,468 --> 00:09:55,584
Even then, I knew on
the back of dust devil,
209
00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:57,586
I didn't have the
political clout
210
00:09:57,597 --> 00:09:59,588
to be really able to get
Dr. Moreau made.
211
00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:01,510
I mean, after dust devil,
I was finding it hard
212
00:10:01,518 --> 00:10:02,473
just to get gigs.
213
00:10:02,477 --> 00:10:03,762
He had written a script,
214
00:10:03,770 --> 00:10:06,432
and we had a quick
conversation on the phone,
215
00:10:06,439 --> 00:10:08,430
and he at that point said,
216
00:10:08,441 --> 00:10:10,932
"can we actually put together
some sort of basic image?
217
00:10:10,944 --> 00:10:12,480
It would be of the script cover,
218
00:10:12,487 --> 00:10:13,852
to try and drum up
the interest."
219
00:10:13,863 --> 00:10:17,447
And we then thought perhaps
actually extending that further.
220
00:10:17,450 --> 00:10:19,406
We recreated a couple of scenes
221
00:10:19,410 --> 00:10:22,243
from the imagined
finished product.
222
00:10:22,247 --> 00:10:24,203
I sincerely believe
that if Wells was alive now,
223
00:10:24,207 --> 00:10:26,118
he would write it differently.
224
00:10:26,126 --> 00:10:30,369
There's no way that Wells now
would set the story in 1895.
225
00:10:30,380 --> 00:10:32,416
Plainly, the story would
be set in the present.
226
00:10:32,423 --> 00:10:35,335
It's not a story about the past
but is about the near future.
227
00:10:35,343 --> 00:10:37,925
The images... the first one
we produced was
228
00:10:37,929 --> 00:10:42,719
actually an image of Dr. Moreau
with a newborn creature,
229
00:10:42,725 --> 00:10:43,430
one of the lambs,
230
00:10:43,434 --> 00:10:45,015
with what actually looked
like a halo around his head.
231
00:10:45,019 --> 00:10:48,307
So the whole point was to almost
sort of play on the whole virgin
232
00:10:48,314 --> 00:10:50,179
and baby Jesus image.
233
00:10:50,191 --> 00:10:52,352
The dog-men are not entirely
obeying his orders too,
234
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:53,566
because we can
see behind Moreau's back,
235
00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:54,855
some of the dog-men are actually
236
00:10:54,863 --> 00:10:57,104
licking the blood off the
surgical instruments,
237
00:10:57,115 --> 00:10:58,821
and way in the back in the
background in the tank,
238
00:10:58,825 --> 00:11:02,409
we see a big, three-eyed,
intelligent cthuloid octopus.
239
00:11:02,412 --> 00:11:05,028
There were going to be
sea creatures as well.
240
00:11:05,039 --> 00:11:07,826
From that we decided
actually..We produced
241
00:11:07,834 --> 00:11:12,294
a series of 12 images echoing
the stations of the cross
242
00:11:12,297 --> 00:11:15,255
which began with
this basic birth,
243
00:11:15,258 --> 00:11:16,168
birth of the baby Jesus,
244
00:11:16,176 --> 00:11:17,962
and then with the sort of
crucifixion scene the end,
245
00:11:17,969 --> 00:11:19,800
which was actually
Moreau's own death.
246
00:11:19,804 --> 00:11:21,169
Moreau was originally conceived
247
00:11:21,181 --> 00:11:23,467
was actually nothing like
Marlon Brando.
248
00:11:23,474 --> 00:11:25,305
I think I had originally talked
to Jurgen prochnow
249
00:11:25,310 --> 00:11:26,925
about playing the part.
250
00:11:26,936 --> 00:11:29,473
I wanted Moreau to be something,
a little bit of a new ager.
251
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:30,970
In some of the earlier pictures,
252
00:11:30,982 --> 00:11:33,849
we see he's still got the
long hair and beard.
253
00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:36,647
I was making him into some
type of a composite of
254
00:11:36,654 --> 00:11:39,145
Timothy leary and John Lilly
255
00:11:39,157 --> 00:11:40,988
the dolphin
communication expert.
256
00:11:40,992 --> 00:11:43,278
As important as the character
of Dr. Moreau
257
00:11:43,286 --> 00:11:44,867
were the beast-people.
258
00:11:44,871 --> 00:11:46,736
They were going to be civilized,
at least more so
259
00:11:46,748 --> 00:11:48,955
than we've seen in the
previous Moreau versions.
260
00:11:48,958 --> 00:11:50,994
They've decorated themselves.
They've got piercings.
261
00:11:51,002 --> 00:11:53,664
They've got some degree of
beast-person civilization.
262
00:11:53,671 --> 00:11:55,252
There is no cat-lady in book.
263
00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:56,496
The panther woman was added
264
00:11:56,507 --> 00:11:57,792
in the in the
erle c. Kenton movie
265
00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,791
in the process of making
it more Hollywood,
266
00:11:59,802 --> 00:12:01,667
and we, in return, retained her.
267
00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:05,263
In reality, aissa, our cat-lady
is drawn from another novel.
268
00:12:05,266 --> 00:12:08,008
We stole it from
outcast of the islands,
269
00:12:08,019 --> 00:12:09,350
the Joseph Conrad novel.
270
00:12:09,354 --> 00:12:11,015
We thought since there's this
connection between
271
00:12:11,022 --> 00:12:11,807
Conrad and Wells,
272
00:12:11,814 --> 00:12:13,930
borrowing characters from
another Conrad story
273
00:12:13,942 --> 00:12:15,807
was vaguely in our agreement.
274
00:12:15,818 --> 00:12:17,024
I was determined on some level
275
00:12:17,028 --> 00:12:18,734
that I would provide
that moment,
276
00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:21,400
that we were going to see
the girl turn into a cat
277
00:12:21,407 --> 00:12:22,317
and be an animal.
278
00:12:22,325 --> 00:12:23,405
She would run on all fours.
279
00:12:23,409 --> 00:12:26,867
She would become furry
and underneath her chilaba
280
00:12:26,871 --> 00:12:28,987
is furry all over
and has a tail.
281
00:12:28,998 --> 00:12:30,579
The dog-people
take the opportunity,
282
00:12:30,583 --> 00:12:32,790
while the master is away,
to chase her up the wall,
283
00:12:32,794 --> 00:12:34,455
drag her down, and kill her.
284
00:12:34,462 --> 00:12:37,920
Being civilized, they then
proceed to not just to eat her
285
00:12:37,924 --> 00:12:41,508
but to cook her and then
serve her to the castaway.
286
00:12:41,511 --> 00:12:44,002
When he realizes what's
happened in his absence,
287
00:12:44,013 --> 00:12:46,470
he immediately shoots a
couple of the dog-men.
288
00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:47,805
The dog-men really love him.
289
00:12:47,809 --> 00:12:49,891
Not only that, they've
got very short memories,
290
00:12:49,894 --> 00:12:51,430
because they're dogs;
So they don't really remember
291
00:12:51,437 --> 00:12:53,894
that they've killed and cooked
the cat-lady to begin with.
292
00:12:53,898 --> 00:12:55,934
They don't really understand
why he's killing them.
293
00:12:55,942 --> 00:12:58,024
We also rationalize that
Montgomery would
294
00:12:58,027 --> 00:13:00,143
undoubtedly be
sleeping with the beast-people
295
00:13:00,154 --> 00:13:02,236
if he's been on the island
for decades.
296
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,027
I know in one version we had
the thought of the pig-lady
297
00:13:05,034 --> 00:13:08,322
biting Montgomery's dick off
during the final party,
298
00:13:08,329 --> 00:13:10,445
which... later in the story,
299
00:13:10,456 --> 00:13:12,822
the beast-people get into
Montgomery's stash.
300
00:13:12,834 --> 00:13:15,541
So suddenly we're dealing with
humanized animals on drugs,
301
00:13:15,545 --> 00:13:17,786
which is a very
appealing thought,
302
00:13:17,797 --> 00:13:19,913
and then one starts wondering
how they would behave
303
00:13:19,924 --> 00:13:21,460
and what they would see.
304
00:13:21,467 --> 00:13:25,380
And these were to prove to be
controversial elements
305
00:13:25,388 --> 00:13:27,219
later in the
development process.
306
00:13:27,223 --> 00:13:30,636
Here we see the muscular
satire character
307
00:13:30,643 --> 00:13:32,884
cranking the handle
to lower the lift cage.
308
00:13:32,895 --> 00:13:35,307
All the way down the shaft,
there's other creatures
309
00:13:35,315 --> 00:13:37,601
living in the different
layers of the complex.
310
00:13:37,608 --> 00:13:40,020
We see them through the
cage of the elevator,
311
00:13:40,028 --> 00:13:41,359
and they're peeking out,
312
00:13:41,362 --> 00:13:42,977
and we notice
that there's babies
313
00:13:42,989 --> 00:13:44,945
and fires burning down there.
314
00:13:44,949 --> 00:13:47,361
Here the bear-man reaches
for the conch shell
315
00:13:47,368 --> 00:13:48,904
with a lord of the flies touch
316
00:13:48,911 --> 00:13:52,153
and then picks up the
conch shell and blows it.
317
00:13:52,165 --> 00:13:54,872
Yes, there was going
animal vision in this movie,
318
00:13:54,876 --> 00:13:56,707
just like toad vision
or droid vision.
319
00:13:56,711 --> 00:13:58,997
Of course, we're going to see
point-of-view shots
320
00:13:59,005 --> 00:14:00,211
from the beast people.
321
00:14:00,214 --> 00:14:03,877
I remember making phone calls
until I ran out of change
322
00:14:03,885 --> 00:14:06,171
from a phone booth
in south London,
323
00:14:06,179 --> 00:14:08,761
and I remember it was
close to Christmas,
324
00:14:08,765 --> 00:14:11,006
and it was snowing,
it was close to a bus station,
325
00:14:11,017 --> 00:14:13,429
but somehow I just
on the remains of my
326
00:14:13,436 --> 00:14:14,801
dwindling change,
327
00:14:14,812 --> 00:14:17,144
I managed to basically
get ed pressman
328
00:14:17,148 --> 00:14:19,309
of the Edward r. Pressman
film corporation
329
00:14:19,317 --> 00:14:21,729
interested in Dr. Moreau.
330
00:14:21,736 --> 00:14:23,852
Ed had produced
a lot of fine movies,
331
00:14:23,863 --> 00:14:26,320
notably badlands
with Terrence malick,
332
00:14:26,324 --> 00:14:28,940
conan the barbarian
for John milius,
333
00:14:28,951 --> 00:14:30,862
das boot for Wolfgang Peterson,
334
00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:32,906
and bad lieutenant
for Abel ferrara;
335
00:14:32,914 --> 00:14:34,950
so ed had pretty good taste
336
00:14:34,957 --> 00:14:36,948
and was the right man
to be the producer.
337
00:14:36,959 --> 00:14:39,245
Island of Dr. Moreau
came out about
338
00:14:39,253 --> 00:14:41,335
by the initiative of
Richard Stanley.
339
00:14:41,339 --> 00:14:45,753
It was a wonderful script,
and he was a good filmmaker.
340
00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:47,421
His agent at the time,
jenne casarotto,
341
00:14:47,428 --> 00:14:51,797
represented the estate
of Wells, h.G. Wells.
342
00:14:51,808 --> 00:14:54,094
Right from the beginning
there was always that problem
343
00:14:54,102 --> 00:14:56,593
that I was working
on something I didn't own.
344
00:14:56,604 --> 00:14:58,185
I needed a big company
to pick it up,
345
00:14:58,189 --> 00:15:00,931
because somebody actually had to
negotiate with the Wells' estate
346
00:15:00,942 --> 00:15:03,558
and try and get hold
of the rights,
347
00:15:03,569 --> 00:15:05,434
which were pretty confused.
348
00:15:05,446 --> 00:15:10,406
Mike DeLuca was at new line
at the time and liked it,
349
00:15:10,410 --> 00:15:18,283
and we thought of it
as a modest budget Sci-Fi film
350
00:15:18,292 --> 00:15:21,580
that would be done for
$5 - $8 million.
351
00:15:21,587 --> 00:15:24,454
Ed immediately wanted
to americanize the script
352
00:15:24,465 --> 00:15:27,172
which was something
I was quite opposed to.
353
00:15:27,176 --> 00:15:30,213
I felt all of Wells' work
is inherently British,
354
00:15:30,221 --> 00:15:32,678
and one of the problems
with the Wells' material
355
00:15:32,682 --> 00:15:35,264
was that britain has never
really shown any interest really
356
00:15:35,268 --> 00:15:36,508
in adapting it.
357
00:15:36,519 --> 00:15:40,228
In the end, ed convinced me
to allow them to do this,
358
00:15:40,231 --> 00:15:43,689
provided that they hired a
screenwriter to work on it
359
00:15:43,693 --> 00:15:46,275
who I thought would
do the work justice.
360
00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:48,110
And so we ended up
with Michael herr,
361
00:15:48,114 --> 00:15:50,196
the writer of dispatches,
362
00:15:50,199 --> 00:15:52,781
the classic book about
the Vietnam war,
363
00:15:52,785 --> 00:15:54,025
which is probably one
of the best books
364
00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:55,572
about war ever written;
365
00:15:55,580 --> 00:15:58,196
who also provided the voiceover
to apocalypse now
366
00:15:58,207 --> 00:16:00,118
and was a perfect choice
for Moreau
367
00:16:00,126 --> 00:16:02,993
and brought an awful lot to
the Montgomery character,
368
00:16:03,004 --> 00:16:04,869
giving him some of that
hard-boiled,
369
00:16:04,881 --> 00:16:06,792
acid-drenched shtick.
370
00:16:06,799 --> 00:16:08,414
He is the single
greatest screenwriter
371
00:16:11,429 --> 00:16:13,886
he hates... I can't say "hates."
It's a strong word,
372
00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:15,881
but he probably does
hate Hollywood
373
00:16:15,892 --> 00:16:17,348
and hates the movie industry.
374
00:16:17,351 --> 00:16:20,218
Whether or not he hates the
human race in total
375
00:16:20,229 --> 00:16:22,345
is a harder question.
376
00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:34,941
As the company started
with virtually nothing
377
00:16:34,952 --> 00:16:37,318
and as we made our
way in the business,
378
00:16:37,330 --> 00:16:40,822
we began to have as part of
our wherewithal obviously
379
00:16:40,833 --> 00:16:43,495
production, acquisition,
and financing
380
00:16:43,503 --> 00:16:47,496
that allowed us to buy
films and to make films.
381
00:16:47,507 --> 00:16:50,169
Bob shaye had created
something that was very edgy.
382
00:16:50,176 --> 00:16:53,543
It was all house party,
nightmare on elm street,
383
00:16:53,554 --> 00:16:54,418
ninja turtles.
384
00:16:54,430 --> 00:16:59,970
It was drive-in, grindhouse,
Saturday matinee-type fare.
385
00:16:59,977 --> 00:17:03,936
As artists and executives
and a studio,
386
00:17:03,940 --> 00:17:07,148
they were often maligned
by the big boys,
387
00:17:07,151 --> 00:17:11,315
as being, you know,
niche and crap, you know,
388
00:17:11,322 --> 00:17:13,278
pink flamingos and Freddy.
389
00:17:13,282 --> 00:17:16,820
I mean, these movies make money,
but they don't gain respect.
390
00:17:16,827 --> 00:17:19,660
Mike DeLuca, who was president
of our production company,
391
00:17:19,664 --> 00:17:21,404
he was charged with the idea
392
00:17:21,415 --> 00:17:23,701
of going out and
putting together projects,
393
00:17:23,709 --> 00:17:25,415
and then presenting
them to myself
394
00:17:25,419 --> 00:17:27,910
to decide whether we wanted
to go ahead with it or not.
395
00:17:27,922 --> 00:17:29,207
In the mid-90s,
396
00:17:29,215 --> 00:17:32,048
Mike started to bring
in directors
397
00:17:32,051 --> 00:17:33,291
who were unknown at the time,
398
00:17:33,302 --> 00:17:36,715
like David fincher,
Paul Thomas Anderson,
399
00:17:36,722 --> 00:17:39,304
you know, Mike really
gave these guys their start.
400
00:17:39,308 --> 00:17:42,641
I think new line started to
go through an identity crisis,
401
00:17:42,645 --> 00:17:44,931
because, you know,
with all due respect,
402
00:17:44,939 --> 00:17:48,602
when you're used to having
Robert englund in the commissary
403
00:17:48,609 --> 00:17:50,645
metaphorically and now you've
got Robert De Niro
404
00:17:50,653 --> 00:17:52,860
and Dustin Hoffman
with wag the dog,
405
00:17:52,863 --> 00:17:54,774
there was this sort of euphoria
406
00:17:54,782 --> 00:17:57,865
that now the minors are
playing with the majors.
407
00:17:57,868 --> 00:18:00,701
So suddenly, they're remaking
the island of Dr. Moreau,
408
00:18:00,705 --> 00:18:03,412
but they want to turn it
into an art film.
409
00:18:03,416 --> 00:18:07,204
I wasn't particularly
enthusiastic
410
00:18:07,211 --> 00:18:08,951
about the project, frankly.
411
00:18:08,963 --> 00:18:10,749
Mike DeLuca had in it,
412
00:18:10,756 --> 00:18:15,716
was interested in it and
sort of liked classic horror.
413
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:17,802
It all left me pretty cold.
414
00:18:17,805 --> 00:18:21,013
Pressman had me going and
meet the new line people
415
00:18:21,017 --> 00:18:25,351
and wanted to get me on
the picture as the producer.
416
00:18:25,354 --> 00:18:27,720
So we had, I think,
417
00:18:27,732 --> 00:18:30,098
basically just one meeting
in my office.
418
00:18:30,109 --> 00:18:34,227
I did meet Richard Stanley
at that point in time.
419
00:18:38,034 --> 00:18:39,945
I didn't really know
what to make of him,
420
00:18:39,952 --> 00:18:43,035
and he showed up in a hat
and white linen suit,
421
00:18:43,039 --> 00:18:46,281
said that's what he's going
to wear for the whole picture,
422
00:18:46,292 --> 00:18:47,202
never take it off.
423
00:18:47,209 --> 00:18:50,372
I had no doubt going into it
that Richard would be fine.
424
00:18:50,379 --> 00:18:53,416
I thought he was very smart.
425
00:18:53,424 --> 00:18:56,291
He's an odd character,
426
00:18:56,302 --> 00:19:00,215
but I've worked with many
odd characters as directors.
427
00:19:00,222 --> 00:19:05,262
I thought that Stanley was
a somewhat unusual guy.
428
00:19:05,269 --> 00:19:08,761
He almost got away with
not doing anything goofy,
429
00:19:08,773 --> 00:19:10,980
and then he did do
one thing goofy.
430
00:19:10,983 --> 00:19:15,943
When my assistant came in and
offered everybody refreshments,
431
00:19:15,946 --> 00:19:19,780
he said, "yes, I would
like a cup of coffee."
432
00:19:19,784 --> 00:19:21,490
"How do you take it?"
433
00:19:21,494 --> 00:19:24,031
And he said either
three or four sugars,
434
00:19:24,038 --> 00:19:26,745
and when I heard that, I said,
435
00:19:26,749 --> 00:19:28,410
"there's something going on here
436
00:19:28,417 --> 00:19:32,376
that I don't think
I completely understand,
437
00:19:32,380 --> 00:19:35,042
but nobody takes four sugars
in a cup of coffee
438
00:19:35,049 --> 00:19:39,042
and walks out
as a solid citizen.
439
00:19:39,053 --> 00:19:43,422
He was like me,
an absolute stranger to L.A.,
440
00:19:43,432 --> 00:19:45,798
nothing in common
with anyone here.
441
00:19:45,810 --> 00:19:49,428
I mean, I think that's really
why we became friends,
442
00:19:49,438 --> 00:19:51,770
just instantly we had
a good rapport.
443
00:19:51,774 --> 00:19:53,264
I think when you're an artist
444
00:19:53,275 --> 00:19:56,483
and you have worked for years
with no budget,
445
00:19:56,487 --> 00:19:58,648
and when finally
you get to do it the way
446
00:19:58,656 --> 00:20:00,612
you've always known you can,
447
00:20:00,616 --> 00:20:03,153
you know to the detail
what you're going to do
448
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:05,196
and how you're going to do it.
449
00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:07,490
And the really first thing
came down to who
450
00:20:07,498 --> 00:20:09,238
was going to be Dr. Moreau,
451
00:20:09,250 --> 00:20:13,118
and ed figured a way of
getting to Marlon Brando.
452
00:20:14,630 --> 00:20:20,170
Someone had the idea of Brando
playing the role of Dr. Moreau,
453
00:20:20,177 --> 00:20:22,008
which changed the whole
character of the movie
454
00:20:22,012 --> 00:20:25,596
and increased the budget
enormously.
455
00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:26,964
We had just made a film with him
456
00:20:26,976 --> 00:20:30,139
where he was already
totally impossible.
457
00:20:30,146 --> 00:20:35,357
So I was pretty incensed
with DeLuca for choosing
458
00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:36,895
Marlon Brando in another film.
459
00:20:36,902 --> 00:20:39,234
There was no particular
reason to have him,
460
00:20:39,238 --> 00:20:41,320
and he was an incredible
pain in the neck.
461
00:20:41,323 --> 00:20:43,530
The very next thing
I heard was that,
462
00:20:43,534 --> 00:20:47,243
yes, Brando was prepared
to be Dr. Moreau,
463
00:20:47,246 --> 00:20:50,579
the money was in escrow,
and that the film was green lit.
464
00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:53,325
It was going to be directed
by Roman polanksi,
465
00:20:53,335 --> 00:20:55,200
which came completely
out of the left field.
466
00:20:55,212 --> 00:20:56,372
I hadn't seen that coming.
467
00:20:56,380 --> 00:20:59,372
I responded by firing all guns
468
00:20:59,383 --> 00:21:02,967
and demanding
that I have the right
469
00:21:02,970 --> 00:21:04,926
to at least one meeting
with Marlon Brando,
470
00:21:04,930 --> 00:21:06,420
that I had written
the damn script.
471
00:21:06,432 --> 00:21:08,593
Apparently, he was
very unhappy about this.
472
00:21:08,601 --> 00:21:10,432
I was told that by Mike DeLuca,
473
00:21:10,436 --> 00:21:12,768
the chappy from new line
just before the meeting
474
00:21:12,772 --> 00:21:15,764
that Brando was going to really
rake me over the coals.
475
00:21:15,775 --> 00:21:18,141
And I remember feeling a bit
confused as to why...
476
00:21:18,152 --> 00:21:19,892
What Brando and everyone
had it in with me for.
477
00:21:19,904 --> 00:21:22,111
Certainly, new line
couldn't wait to get rid of me.
478
00:21:22,114 --> 00:21:24,321
Knowing that the odds
were stacked against me,
479
00:21:24,325 --> 00:21:26,691
I resorted to witchcraft.
480
00:21:26,702 --> 00:21:28,943
At that point in time,
481
00:21:28,954 --> 00:21:32,071
I was friendly with this
warlock chappy in england,
482
00:21:32,082 --> 00:21:35,370
Dr. Edward James featherstone,
commonly known as "skip."
483
00:21:35,377 --> 00:21:37,538
So skip had been shown
to demonstrate his ability
484
00:21:37,546 --> 00:21:38,786
to fix things,
485
00:21:38,798 --> 00:21:40,334
to do invisible mending before.
486
00:21:40,341 --> 00:21:42,457
So I said, "my god, skip,
you've got to help me.
487
00:21:42,468 --> 00:21:44,379
You've got to save my movie."
488
00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:46,843
At the exact same time,
I went into the meeting
489
00:21:46,847 --> 00:21:49,213
on the other side of the world,
skip convened his coven,
490
00:21:49,225 --> 00:21:51,932
cut his arm, drew a sigil
and did some sort of routine
491
00:21:51,936 --> 00:21:54,348
to fix it and make it all,
all right.
492
00:21:54,355 --> 00:21:56,687
Simultaneously,
I was driven with the big,
493
00:21:56,690 --> 00:21:58,646
old limo that was part
of the contract.
494
00:21:58,651 --> 00:22:00,357
Brando's house was at
the top of Mulholland,
495
00:22:00,361 --> 00:22:02,977
on the left; Jack Nicholson's
house is on the right.
496
00:22:02,988 --> 00:22:06,651
Brando's house was surrounded by
a very dense bamboo enclosure,
497
00:22:06,659 --> 00:22:08,991
which screened the house
from the road.
498
00:22:08,994 --> 00:22:11,781
The bamboos were
full of cctv cameras,
499
00:22:11,789 --> 00:22:13,825
and eventually,
the gates slid open,
500
00:22:13,833 --> 00:22:16,165
and I was admitted
into the compound.
501
00:22:16,168 --> 00:22:18,284
He had these trained
dobermans padding around
502
00:22:18,295 --> 00:22:19,876
and which were trained to attack
503
00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:21,996
anything he pointed his
laser pencil at,
504
00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:25,044
because I have fond memories of
Brando drunk pointing at things
505
00:22:25,052 --> 00:22:27,509
with his laser pencil and
getting the attack dogs
506
00:22:27,513 --> 00:22:30,095
to attack the little red dot.
507
00:22:30,099 --> 00:22:33,591
New line sent a lady named
Ruth vitale with me.
508
00:22:33,602 --> 00:22:37,220
I stayed pretty quiet during
the first part of the meeting.
509
00:22:37,231 --> 00:22:43,898
Ruth was sweating and
found it very stuffy in there,
510
00:22:43,904 --> 00:22:47,522
and Brando turned on
the air-conditioning.
511
00:22:47,533 --> 00:22:50,570
She remarked at one point that
"if you turn that up any higher,
512
00:22:50,578 --> 00:22:53,035
I'll fall asleep,โ
and he kept doing it,
513
00:22:53,038 --> 00:22:57,498
and after about 15 minutes
or so Ruth was fast asleep,
514
00:22:57,501 --> 00:23:00,368
at which point we
began the conversation.
515
00:23:00,379 --> 00:23:04,748
So I'd done enough research
to be able to engage him on,
516
00:23:04,758 --> 00:23:09,047
I guess, environmental
and scientific grounds.
517
00:23:09,054 --> 00:23:10,510
And then there's the whole weird
518
00:23:10,514 --> 00:23:12,596
sir Henry Morton Stanley
connection
519
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,342
which feeds back into
the character of Kurtz
520
00:23:15,352 --> 00:23:16,011
to begin with.
521
00:23:16,020 --> 00:23:17,635
He was still pretty
interested in Kurtz.
522
00:23:17,646 --> 00:23:21,730
So we were able to slide
backwards into the gestations
523
00:23:21,734 --> 00:23:24,020
of the character, the initial
argument between
524
00:23:24,028 --> 00:23:25,393
Conrad and Wells,
525
00:23:25,404 --> 00:23:27,645
and he was extremely nice
to me during the meeting.
526
00:23:27,656 --> 00:23:30,238
I was never really sure why
he took a shine to me
527
00:23:30,242 --> 00:23:30,856
the way he did.
528
00:23:30,868 --> 00:23:32,824
It was very confusing for
new line because
529
00:23:32,828 --> 00:23:34,534
it was not the outcome
they'd been expecting,
530
00:23:34,538 --> 00:23:36,403
and it was confusing
for Ruth vitale
531
00:23:36,415 --> 00:23:38,121
because she had
slept through it.
532
00:23:38,125 --> 00:23:39,456
There's a very strong
possibility
533
00:23:39,460 --> 00:23:41,075
that it was may have been voodoo
534
00:23:41,086 --> 00:23:43,543
or some kind
of magical interference
535
00:23:43,547 --> 00:23:44,582
on skip's behalf,
536
00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:47,297
but the next thing I knew
Roman polanski was out,
537
00:23:47,301 --> 00:23:50,293
and Brando was only going to
do the movie if I was on board.
538
00:23:52,139 --> 00:23:54,801
Brando's a big name,
but he's not big box office.
539
00:23:54,808 --> 00:23:57,140
So then it was necessary for
us to bring a box office draw.
540
00:23:57,144 --> 00:23:59,009
So we immediately
went after Bruce Willis
541
00:23:59,021 --> 00:24:01,558
for the role of the castaway.
542
00:24:01,565 --> 00:24:03,772
Bruce was looking for
something different to do
543
00:24:03,776 --> 00:24:04,811
at that point in time.
544
00:24:04,818 --> 00:24:06,900
It was immediately
pre-sixth sense
545
00:24:06,904 --> 00:24:08,110
and really liked the script,
546
00:24:08,113 --> 00:24:10,069
and like everyone else,
wanted to work with Brando.
547
00:24:10,074 --> 00:24:12,531
One of the serendipity things
is I ran into James woods
548
00:24:12,534 --> 00:24:14,115
at a restaurant,
549
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:16,280
got on well with James woods
550
00:24:16,288 --> 00:24:18,950
and gave him the script.
551
00:24:18,958 --> 00:24:22,041
Next thing you know, James woods
was in for Montgomery.
552
00:24:22,044 --> 00:24:24,330
We had pretty much
the dream cast,
553
00:24:24,338 --> 00:24:26,704
which was Marlon Brando,
Bruce Willis, and James woods.
554
00:24:26,715 --> 00:24:29,331
We then set out to
find the island.
555
00:24:29,343 --> 00:24:31,880
After a lot of globetrotting,
556
00:24:31,887 --> 00:24:34,674
I ended up in far-north
queensland,
557
00:24:34,682 --> 00:24:37,173
and I chose cape tribulation,
558
00:24:37,184 --> 00:24:40,051
because there's a huge
triangular mountain/volcano
559
00:24:40,062 --> 00:24:41,472
thing in the middle of it all,
560
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:43,311
which I figured I could use
to anchor together
561
00:24:43,315 --> 00:24:45,021
the geography of the island.
562
00:24:45,025 --> 00:24:46,890
I found a way of selecting
the different locations
563
00:24:46,902 --> 00:24:48,142
so the volcano mountain
564
00:24:48,153 --> 00:24:49,734
was always vaguely
in the background
565
00:24:49,738 --> 00:24:51,774
and matched into another atoll
566
00:24:51,782 --> 00:24:53,773
so that we could create
the illusion
567
00:24:53,784 --> 00:24:55,570
that it was all one place.
568
00:24:55,577 --> 00:24:57,408
Simultaneously, a colossal
569
00:24:57,413 --> 00:24:59,574
makeup effects effort
was going on
570
00:24:59,581 --> 00:25:01,867
where we had the attention
of all the kids
571
00:25:01,875 --> 00:25:03,456
at the Stan Winston studios.
572
00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:04,620
I was one of the few,
573
00:25:04,628 --> 00:25:07,040
if not the only person
in the studio,
574
00:25:07,047 --> 00:25:08,662
who knew who Richard was.
575
00:25:08,674 --> 00:25:09,880
You know, I had seen hardware.
576
00:25:09,883 --> 00:25:11,589
I had seen dust deuvil,
and, you know,
577
00:25:11,593 --> 00:25:15,131
I was interested in his quirky
little movies he was making,
578
00:25:15,139 --> 00:25:17,505
and he came in with these
very psychedelic drawings of,
579
00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:20,303
you know, animal people running
around with machine guns
580
00:25:20,310 --> 00:25:22,722
and hospital scrubs
and everything
581
00:25:22,730 --> 00:25:25,847
and very colorful and very,
like, out there,
582
00:25:25,858 --> 00:25:28,975
and we had a team of folks
583
00:25:28,986 --> 00:25:31,272
that set out to design
the characters.
584
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,363
Crash mccreery does these
amazing detailed pencils,
585
00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:36,448
and he did the sayer of the law.
586
00:25:36,452 --> 00:25:38,864
He did lo-mai.
587
00:25:38,871 --> 00:25:43,490
I did designs for buffalo man
and the pig-ladies.
588
00:25:43,500 --> 00:25:46,492
Everybody chipped in and
just bashed ideas around
589
00:25:46,503 --> 00:25:49,995
until we settled on things.
590
00:25:54,887 --> 00:25:56,798
He was, you know,
right off the bat,
591
00:25:56,805 --> 00:25:59,638
he was showing me
the storyboards
592
00:25:59,641 --> 00:26:02,132
and the character designs
from Stan Winston,
593
00:26:02,144 --> 00:26:07,514
and he was so,
so excited and so passionate
594
00:26:07,524 --> 00:26:10,561
and it had been so many years
in the making at that point.
595
00:26:10,569 --> 00:26:12,355
We talked about the character,
and he said,
596
00:26:12,362 --> 00:26:14,603
"you know, it's actually,
I want to... you know,
597
00:26:14,615 --> 00:26:19,075
the story is that he is
Brando's favorite.
598
00:26:19,078 --> 00:26:20,409
He is the master dog.
599
00:26:20,412 --> 00:26:23,779
Basically, he's the only
one that understands art.
600
00:26:23,791 --> 00:26:25,031
He knows Shakespeare.
601
00:26:25,042 --> 00:26:26,782
He knows how to recite poems,"
602
00:26:26,794 --> 00:26:27,874
and I got really excited,
603
00:26:27,878 --> 00:26:29,914
because I thought
"god, you know,
604
00:26:29,922 --> 00:26:33,255
this is like actually the
best part in the movie."
605
00:26:33,258 --> 00:26:34,873
In the meantime,
606
00:26:34,885 --> 00:26:38,673
new line tried in different
ways to contain the material.
607
00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,592
I remember being called into
an emergency meeting
608
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,182
of which they were really
going to draw the line
609
00:26:44,186 --> 00:26:47,474
and try to get me to
humanize the cat-lady.
610
00:26:47,481 --> 00:26:49,312
When prendick
initially seduces her,
611
00:26:49,316 --> 00:26:50,931
she's got six nipples
612
00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:53,229
and her pubes kind of grow
all over her thighs
613
00:26:53,237 --> 00:26:54,477
and up her chest and stuff,
614
00:26:54,488 --> 00:26:56,649
and there's this
celebrated moment
615
00:26:56,657 --> 00:26:59,273
where he's working his way down
from one nipple to the next
616
00:26:59,284 --> 00:27:02,651
and realizes along the way
that she's not human,
617
00:27:02,663 --> 00:27:05,655
which really upset them,
really upset Ruth vitale.
618
00:27:05,666 --> 00:27:08,499
She said that it would upset
menopausal women
619
00:27:08,502 --> 00:27:09,833
all over America.
620
00:27:09,837 --> 00:27:11,702
We went through a couple
of successive drafts
621
00:27:11,713 --> 00:27:14,546
with walon green,
writer of the wild bunch,
622
00:27:14,550 --> 00:27:17,587
at which point I could
justifiably say that,
623
00:27:17,594 --> 00:27:19,334
even leaving myself
out of the equation,
624
00:27:19,346 --> 00:27:21,883
the finished product was
from the combined talents
625
00:27:21,890 --> 00:27:24,097
who brought the world
the wild bunch,
626
00:27:24,101 --> 00:27:26,057
apocalypse now,
and the time machine.
627
00:27:26,061 --> 00:27:28,848
It was a script we were
extremely confident in,
628
00:27:28,856 --> 00:27:33,065
that we thought would be some
sort of milestone in the genre.
629
00:27:34,987 --> 00:27:37,103
We'd shot some
background footage
630
00:27:37,114 --> 00:27:38,900
that was going to work
on monitors,
631
00:27:38,907 --> 00:27:43,571
and we spent a day in a hospital
doing bits and pieces.
632
00:27:43,579 --> 00:27:45,410
There was a scene
with Barbara Steele,
633
00:27:45,414 --> 00:27:48,497
which was filmed in Los Angeles.
634
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:50,661
Barbara Steele and an orangutan.
635
00:27:50,669 --> 00:27:53,376
Just a very low-key day
with a small crew,
636
00:27:53,380 --> 00:27:57,840
and I could just tell by
the way that he was shooting,
637
00:27:57,843 --> 00:28:00,175
what he was shooting,
how he was relating to the crew
638
00:28:00,179 --> 00:28:05,970
that... once he had actors
and a big crew,
639
00:28:05,976 --> 00:28:07,841
it might have some problems,
640
00:28:07,853 --> 00:28:11,971
and we all sort of said "uh-oh"
to each other silently,
641
00:28:11,982 --> 00:28:14,473
because we were all
supportive of him
642
00:28:14,484 --> 00:28:17,351
and wanted him to do well.
643
00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:20,650
I think Richard was in
a rather swish hotel initially,
644
00:28:20,657 --> 00:28:23,990
but when it was suggested
that I go over to Los Angeles
645
00:28:23,994 --> 00:28:25,950
and work with him in hotel,
646
00:28:25,954 --> 00:28:28,741
I think they then decided
they'd actually have to move
647
00:28:28,749 --> 00:28:30,205
him to a slightly cheaper hotel.
648
00:28:30,209 --> 00:28:33,872
So they said, "you know,
as a savings, Richard,
649
00:28:33,879 --> 00:28:37,337
you know, we'd like to put you
in the oakwood apartments.
650
00:28:37,341 --> 00:28:40,333
You know, it's a lot cheaper,
and you'll be able to cook,
651
00:28:40,344 --> 00:28:43,552
and do you mind?"
And he said, "that's fine."
652
00:28:43,555 --> 00:28:47,093
A small but telling problem
was that I don't actually drive.
653
00:28:47,100 --> 00:28:49,512
I'd been living in London
for 20 years
654
00:28:49,519 --> 00:28:51,100
and was suddenly
plumped down in the city
655
00:28:51,104 --> 00:28:54,517
were there was no such thing
as public transport.
656
00:28:55,192 --> 00:28:57,478
This issue of trying
to get from ato b
657
00:28:57,486 --> 00:28:59,442
continued throughout
the production.
658
00:28:59,446 --> 00:29:00,856
Meetings would happen
without me,
659
00:29:00,864 --> 00:29:02,525
anyone telling me
they were going on,
660
00:29:02,532 --> 00:29:05,569
and point in fact, I became
increasingly paranoid,
661
00:29:05,577 --> 00:29:07,613
thinking that I was being
662
00:29:07,621 --> 00:29:09,737
deliberately kept out
of the meetings.
663
00:29:09,748 --> 00:29:12,410
About 2:00 in the morning
of that same day,
664
00:29:12,417 --> 00:29:16,001
I got a call from Richard
saying it's an emergency.
665
00:29:16,004 --> 00:29:17,835
"I have to move.
666
00:29:17,839 --> 00:29:21,047
I can't stay in that place
one minute longer,"
667
00:29:21,051 --> 00:29:23,713
and I said, "where are you?"
He said, "I'm in Hollywood.
668
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:27,258
I've walked from Burbank
to Hollywood,
669
00:29:27,266 --> 00:29:30,099
and I don't know where to go
and what to do."
670
00:29:30,102 --> 00:29:31,888
And I said,
"where are you in Hollywood?"
671
00:29:31,895 --> 00:29:33,476
He says, "I don't know."
672
00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:37,769
So I think that is when
I said to myself "uh-oh".
673
00:29:39,778 --> 00:29:43,066
A number of things went wrong
in the preproduction period.
674
00:29:43,073 --> 00:29:45,780
Really,
the beginning of the end,
675
00:29:45,784 --> 00:29:48,150
the death knell was um...
676
00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:50,948
When Bruce divorced Demi,
677
00:29:50,956 --> 00:29:53,743
and decided for
various complicated,
678
00:29:53,750 --> 00:29:55,490
personal, legal reasons
679
00:29:55,502 --> 00:29:58,960
that he could not leave America
for the next six months.
680
00:29:58,964 --> 00:30:02,456
I then made
another strategic error.
681
00:30:02,467 --> 00:30:04,378
I met val kilmer.
682
00:30:05,887 --> 00:30:08,799
Val kilmer was a big star then.
683
00:30:08,807 --> 00:30:13,722
So the film, all of a sudden,
became a $35 million movie,
684
00:30:13,729 --> 00:30:17,096
which at that time was like
$70 million today.
685
00:30:17,107 --> 00:30:23,023
So it was a big movie which
was far greater in its demands
686
00:30:23,030 --> 00:30:24,611
and its ambition.
687
00:30:24,614 --> 00:30:27,481
All of which worked okay
until I was urgently summoned
688
00:30:27,492 --> 00:30:30,609
from the island to a meeting
with val in Tokyo,
689
00:30:30,620 --> 00:30:34,112
where val was for the
Batman forever premier.
690
00:30:34,124 --> 00:30:36,080
Val was then at the
height of his powers,
691
00:30:36,084 --> 00:30:38,040
surrounded by adoring
Japanese fans
692
00:30:38,045 --> 00:30:40,206
and behaving, I thought,
693
00:30:40,213 --> 00:30:42,829
very arrogantly indeed
towards them.
694
00:30:42,841 --> 00:30:46,709
And val had decided that his
life was too busy to devote
695
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,759
as long we needed him
for to do Dr. Moreau.
696
00:30:50,766 --> 00:30:54,224
Val demanded 40 percent
fewer shooting days.
697
00:30:54,227 --> 00:30:56,138
I was told in no uncertain terms
698
00:30:56,146 --> 00:30:57,761
that after the
Bruce Willis debacle
699
00:30:57,773 --> 00:30:59,479
that if val left the ship,
700
00:30:59,483 --> 00:31:01,895
new line would probably
close the project down,
701
00:31:01,902 --> 00:31:03,938
and we'd go back
and turn around.
702
00:31:03,945 --> 00:31:05,776
At this stage I was already
building the big house
703
00:31:05,781 --> 00:31:07,897
on the island and was
determined to go ahead.
704
00:31:07,908 --> 00:31:10,445
I knew that we had to
somehow solve this.
705
00:31:10,452 --> 00:31:14,741
I had a very bad dream that
night in the hotel in Tokyo.
706
00:31:14,748 --> 00:31:16,864
I remembered one of those
nights waking up
707
00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:19,708
and feeling that there
was something in the room
708
00:31:19,711 --> 00:31:21,247
sitting on my chest
709
00:31:21,254 --> 00:31:23,620
and that sense of being
unable to scream or breath
710
00:31:23,632 --> 00:31:25,168
and something banging
on the door...
711
00:31:25,175 --> 00:31:26,631
Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam...
712
00:31:26,635 --> 00:31:28,171
The door seemed to be
trembling and shivering,
713
00:31:28,178 --> 00:31:30,419
and yet at the same time,
I was really being crushed
714
00:31:30,430 --> 00:31:31,545
or suffocated, in the bed.
715
00:31:31,556 --> 00:31:33,467
It was a very unpleasant
nightmare,
716
00:31:33,475 --> 00:31:37,263
what they call the old hag
or nocturnal sleep paralysis.
717
00:31:37,270 --> 00:31:41,058
Richard came back,
and he seemed a bit flustered,
718
00:31:41,066 --> 00:31:44,058
but he wouldn't tell me
what he was flustered about.
719
00:31:44,069 --> 00:31:48,358
So I think he'd been getting
a bit of a hard time from val.
720
00:31:48,365 --> 00:31:50,105
Val calls up Mike DeLuca
and says,
721
00:31:50,117 --> 00:31:51,323
"I want to talk to you,"
722
00:31:51,326 --> 00:31:55,239
and he sets a breakfast for
DeLuca at the bel air hotel.
723
00:31:55,247 --> 00:31:58,080
Val is sitting there. Val says,
724
00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:00,665
"I'm very busy and
I don't have a lot of time;
725
00:32:00,669 --> 00:32:03,456
so don't talk to me.
Just listen."
726
00:32:03,463 --> 00:32:06,671
And he goes on to say,
"I know I took this role,
727
00:32:06,675 --> 00:32:08,290
but I don't like
the role anymore."
728
00:32:08,301 --> 00:32:10,061
I then came up with
the idea of talkina val
58873
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