Alternate Best Actor 1932: Charles Laughton in Island of Lost Souls

Charles Laughton did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Moreau in Island of Lost Souls. 

The Island of Lost Soul tells the tale of a man happening onto the island of a mad doctor who lives in and around a strange hybrid of animals and men. 

As seemed to be the requirement of many of the horror films of the period, it wouldn't be true to the period if the main lead wasn't better named Blandy McBland with a similarly bland love interest, where the film must be saved by a better actor in the juicier part of someone at least responsible for the horror in some way. Charles Laughton obviously was and became known as one of the very best actors of his generation, so naturally he's more than up to the task. Laughton first appears as the man is dumped on a remote stop by an amoral Captain, and Laughton's initial reaction is just quiet frustration of a man who wants nothing to do with outsiders. Unfortunately the man is left and he becomes the doctor's problem. Laughton is working on a whole different level here as well, in portraying such ease in his performance and even more importantly a charisma even in playing obviously a villainous role. Laughton though is charming in his approach, as when he sees he's stuck with the man, Laughton presents himself with a generous enough spirit of the welcoming host, if more than a bit cautious in terms of sharing the whole of the story of his island. An island populated with near feral animal-men who live outside the gates of the Doctor's home, whom the doctor warns his guest against, though with glances by Laughton that immediately share a knowledge of the situation that goes far beyond simple concern. Laughton presents a man who is very much complicit in these creatures, and is just wonderful to watch as he acts out this part. 

Laughton knows how to make exposition in itself natural within his performance, but even more importantly knows how to make it entertaining. Laughton has a wonderful style because he presents his doctor as someone who perhaps was respectable at one time, and in terms of his whole manner treats himself as though everything he is doing is respectable. He speaks with a quiet authority and absolute intelligence as he makes suggestions to his guest, and even convinces his more moral assistant that the man could stay for something that the doctor is working on. The doctor envisioned some experiment to use the new guest as, by introducing him to the Panther Woman, also a beast-human hybrid, however for a greater emphasis on the human side, and essentially wants to test her out via pairing her with the man. Laughton is brilliant in the way he delivers this plan with a complete lack of shame, and even more than that some grand pride in every delivery. A man whose eyes denote this idea with a keen sense of what he thinks should be done. When the attempted experiment begins, Laughton takes it a step further though by showing beneath the veneer of the egotist mixed in with the English charm is obviously just a creepy man living out his fantasies. Laughton brings more than just a glint in his eyes as he watches the two proceed with more than a hint of lust, and Laughton performs the note beautifully in revealing the grand designs of the man that have nothing to do with simple scientific curiosities, let alone noble ones. 

Meanwhile while he enacts his attempts to entice the visitor with the panther woman, Moreau frequently reveals his most obvious nature through his interactions and dismissals of his other "experiments" aka the native populations. A key line that essentially echoes Dr. Frankenstein's line in the 1931 films about feeling what it is like to be God, is more or less spoken by Moreau in this film. Where it was that of mania with Colin Clive's performance, Laughton is that of calm assurance, the insanity is in the glint of his eyes, however Laughton presents it as a man well controlled in his insanity. And we see that as he dictates over his "people" with his calm assurance, yet with an unmistakable internalized intensity for genuine violence. In each instance where the islanders begin to act too animalistic Moreau with a whip, and occasionally some support from Bela Lugosi as one of the creatures, however Laughton presents each as the lion tamer, and the brutal dictator as he insists they follow his rules lest they suffer more pain at his hands. Laughton brings the diabolical sneer of a proper villain who is lording over these creatures as part of an extension of his ego, and portrays the madness of his character even though the man is capable of presenting it all as for the sake of scientific curiosity. But what all this adds up to more importantly than anything, is an entertaining villainous performance, where Laughton simply shines every moment he is on screen. Whenever Moreau is onscreen, the film is working, because Laughton is so engaging. But more than that, while this adaptation purposefully leans closer to the horror aspects of the story than the philosophical, whatever depth can be mined within the screenplay is found by Laughton, as while being enjoyable to watch, he does find an actual character here with greater notions to his evil, even if the film is only slightly interested in that.