Here on my island, I hunt the most dangerous game.
Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on a film with Fay Wray trapped on an island, in danger for her life, and helped by a dashing hero. Sound familiar? Well, it’s not King Kong (1933). It is The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and shares a lot with the giant ape flick.
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) is rated 7.1 on iMDB.com[1]. This rating might be a little low, but not too much. At Rottentomatoes.com, the film is rated 100 percent on the Tomatometer and 73 percent audience approval[2].
New York Times film critic Mordaunt Hall liked the film and said in a Nov. 21, 1932, review:
Through the imaginative fashion in which it has been produced, together with its effective staging and a note-worthy performance by Leslie Banks, the fantastic theme of “The Most Dangerous Game,” the film feature at the Paramount, makes a highly satisfactory melodrama. It has the much-desired virtue of originality, which, in no small measure, compensates for some of its gruesome ideas and its weird plot. This grim pictorial offering owes its origin to a short story written by Richard Connell. The film had the advantage in its direction of the combined talents of Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel.[3]
Actors – The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Returning
We have four returning actors, and they all have one thing in common. They were all in King Kong (1933). All four actors were covered in the King Kong (1933) episode, which just happens to be podcast number one for me, and it’s kind of rough.
In today’s film, the beauty that killed the beast, Fay Wray, played shipwreck survivor Eve. Robert Armstrong played Martin, another shipwreck survivor. Noble Johnson, who was African American, played Ivan. Steve Clemente, who was from Mexico, played a Tarter. I guess, in the woke world, this couldn’t happen.
New
Joel McCrea played professional hunter Bob. McCrea was born in California in 1905. While his parents worked regular jobs, McCrea’s grandfather had been a stagecoach driver. McCrea spent time with animals and began riding horses at age nine. Growing up around the movies, the young McCrea became interested in film.
McCrea studied acting at Pomona College and the Pasadena Community Playhouse. He graduated from USC in 1928 and began doing stunts and extra work. Because of his riding ability, McCrea was able to work his way into more significant roles.
McCrea’s first uncredited films were released in 1927. A few of his films are The Jazz Age (1929), The Lost Squadron (1932), The Most Dangerous Game (1932), Barbary Coast (1935), Wells Fargo (1937), Union Pacific (1939); Robert Preston is such a good bay guy, Foreign Correspondent (1940), Sullivan’s Travels (1941), The Virginian (1946), and Wichita (1955). He slowed down in the 1960s with a television show “Wichita Town” 1959—1960. He only made five more movies before retiring.
Married to actress Frances Dee, McCrea is the father of Jody McCrea, who is known for playing “Bonehead” in the beach movies. McCrea died in 1990 having made more money in real estate than from acting.
Leslie Banks played the killer Count Zaroff. Banks was born in England in 1890. Banks began acting in English theater in 1911. He served in the Essex Regiment in World War I. He was injured in the war and had scares on the side of his face.
Despite his wounds, Banks returned to the theater and became very popular. His first full-length film was The Most Dangerous Game (1932). Banks was kept from starring roles by his war scars. He is best known for The Most Dangerous Game (1932), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), Fire Over England (1937), Jamaica Inn (1939), Haunted Honeymoon (1940), and Ships with Wings (1941). Banks continued in film until 1950. He died in 1952.
Story – The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
The movie begins by showing a large door with a gruesome door knocker attached. Since the beast on the knocker is pierced through the heart with an arrow, I thought first of “Ti-Misery,” or Saint Sebastian from I Walked With a Zombie (1943). But the fellow on the door is no saint. As it draws closer, the knocker seems to be a fanged satyr. The satyr was described in the story as being a leering gargoyle[4]. The satyr is holding a scantly dressed woman in its arms.
A human hand reaches for the knocker and gives a single knock. The title credit role and the hand knocks after each bit of credit are shown.
A ship is plowing through the Pacific Ocean waters. At 8:00 P.M., the captain (William B. Davidson) and his mate discuss how the channel makers seem out of alignment. Below deck, four men are drinking and talking. Bill (Hale Hamilton) has directed the captain to proceed through the channel in the interest of saving time.
The captain comes to talk with Bill. Bill is very dismissive of the danger. The captain wants to ask Bob (Joel McCrea), a professional hunter with a great deal of travel in this region. Bob comes up with pictures that Doc (Oscar ‘Dutch’ Hendrian) has taken during their trip. Bob asks the men what they think and all, but one wants to go through. After the captain leaves, Bob expresses his concerns but is voted down. They shift into a debate about hunting and what it would be like to be hunted.
As they finish the talk, the ship hits a rocky shole. When the ocean water floods the boiler room, the ship explodes and quickly slips underwater. A few people are alive in the water, but the sharks quickly move in and knock off everyone but Bob. Bob, without removing his tie, swims to the nearby island.
Bob sleeps for a time but wakes to the sounds of dogs barking in the distance. He begins making his way towards the sound. Bob sees a large brick castle in the distance and walks to the door. He knocks with the bizarre knocker. The door opens by itself, and Bob enters. Sidebar – Have we learned nothing from entering castles that open by themselves like in Dracula (1931), castles with big knocker, like in Young Frankenstein (1974), in seeking help in castles as in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
In fact, the door did not open by itself, as standing behind the door is Ivan (Noble Johnson), who doesn’t respond to any of Bob’s questions. Wearing a tuxedo Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks) descends a spiral staircase, just like any other horror film. He says Ivan, which he pronounces evon doesn’t speak any language. The Ivan/Evon also reminds me of Egor/Igor in another film.
Zaroff says that his castle is an old Portuguese fortress. He welcomes Bob and tells him that Ivan is a Cossack. Bob expresses his shock over the death of his friends, and Zaroff tells him that most survivors feel the same way. Then Zaroff reveals that there are survivors from another shipwreck in his castle.
Ivan takes Bob to his room, but on the way, Bob is shocked by a tapestry showing a monstrous centaur carrying away a half-nude woman. Bob dresses for dinner, and Zaroff comes to take him downstairs. Zaroff asks Bob to put on a brave face so as not to upset the survivors from another wreck, Eve (Fay Wray) and her brother Martin (Robert Armstrong). Martin is kind of a drunken buffoon. Eve and her brother washed ashore with two sailors from their boat. Bob downplays his hunting ability. Zaroff says his one passion is hunting, and he and Bob are kindred spirits. Zaroff begins going on about how great a hunter he is. Eve tips a cup of coffee and gives a warning to Bob.
Zaroff continues that he has become bored with hunting and has lost the excitement of life. He says he is a master bowman. Zaroff says he has found a new animal to hunt, and it is the most dangerous game. Zaroff won’t explain further. He also won’t let anyone in his trophy room until they get ready to hunt.
Eve leads Bob out of earshot. Bob sees a pack of Great Dane hunting dogs outside. Eve says that Zaroff lied about his launch being broken and is keeping them prisoner. She tells that the two sailors have been taken to the trophy room and then went hunting. They have not been heard of since. At Zaroff’s insistence, Eve goes to bed. After Eve leaves, Zaroff says; first, you kill and then hunt the love of a woman. Bob retires as well, leaving Zaroff and Martin alone. Zaroff makes leery eyes at Eve.
Zaroff says he will show Martin the trophy room. Later that night, Bob hears the dogs barking in the distance. Eve frantically knocks on his door and begs to be let in. She says her brother is missing. Bob agrees to help.
They decide to go to the trophy room first. Oddly, the door is unlocked. The pair descend another staircase into the room. Mounted on the wall are trophy heads of humans. The pair hear a noise and hide. Near where they hide are more human heads in jars. Two of Zaroff’s men bring in a covered body. Eve runs out and confronts Zaroff. The body is that of her brother. One man grabs Eve and takes her, screaming upstairs. The others place Bob in restraints. Bob now knows the meaning of the most dangerous game. Bob is still shocked that Zaroff moved the buoys.
Zaroff says he gets his human prey in shape and gives them a hunting knife. He gives them a head start and only hunts from midnight until dawn. If the person survives, they are free to go. He has torture racks if someone refuses to play the game. Zaroff says he has never lost. He wants Bob to be his hunting partner.
Zaroff decides that Bob will be hunted. Bob is given a knife. Eve comes running downstairs to Bob. Zaroff implies Eve will be the prize for winning the hunt. Zaroff says he doesn’t hunt women ala Predator (1987). Eve goes with Bob, and Zaroff says to avoid Fog Hollow. Away from the castle, the Tarter (Steve Clemente) unshackles Bob. Bob and Eve head into the jungle.
It is hard going in the jungle, and Eve is really struggling. Bob sees how small the island is from a high point on the island, which gives Zaroff the advantage. Bob uses a fallen tree to make a deadfall trap for Zaroff. As they finish, Eve sees Zaroff out hunting them. They hide in a small cave and wait. Zaroff is hunting with his bow, and he sees the trap. He springs the trap with an arrow and neutralizes it. He fires an arrow into the cave, but Zaroff won’t go inside, saying it is a leopard’s trap.
Bob sees Zaroff going away. Eve panics and runs away when Bob tells her that Zaroff is going for a rifle. Bob catches Eve just outside of Fog Hollow. They have two more hours until dawn. They put sticks and leaves over a chasm as a trap. As they finish, birds are flushed, and they know Zaroff is close.
Bob uses a piece of string to shake a bush ala Cool Hand Luke (1967). Zaroff shots and misses. He narrowly avoids the new trap. He chases Eve and Bob deeper into the hollow. Zaroff blows a horn, and the dogs come running out of the castle guided by Ivan and the Tarter. Bob mounts a spear in the ground, and he and Eve run on.
Ivan is impaled on the spear, but the dogs and men continue. Bob is almost dragging Eve at this point. They have to avoid other dangers, such as crocodiles. Eve and Bob cross a giant log just like the sailors in King Kong (1933). Eve and Bob climb a large tree and are surrounded by the hounds. Bob is feeling sorry for the animals he hunted.
Bob and Eve climb onto a ridge near the tree and keep running. A river and a waterfall block their escape path. Bob uses his shirt to send one of the dogs into the river. Eve and Bob hide behind the waterfall. A dog comes through and attacks Bob. Bob kills the dog, and Zaroff sends another through. This time Zaroff shoots Bob, and he and the dog fall in the water. The Tater is sent to retrieve the now scantily clad Eve. Zaroff looks at his watch and believes he has made the kill with two minutes to spare. He and Eve come face to face, and Zaroff is insane with lust.
Back in his castle, Zaroff plays the piano and sends for Eve. The front door opens, and Bob quietly slides inside. Zaroff congratulates Bob on winning. Bob says that Zaroff shot the dog and not him. Zaroff gives the key to the boathouse to Bob, but then he goes for a gun. Zaroff and Bob start fighting. Bob beats Zaroff, but one of his henchmen attacks. Bob breaks the henchman’s back. Zaroff grabs some arrows to attack Bob, but Bob stabs him with the arrows. Another of Zaroff’s henchmen throws a knife at Bob, but Eve warns him.
Bob and Eve get to the launch, and another knife is aimed at Bob, but he shoots the man with Zaroff’s pistol. BTW it is a Luger like all bad guys use.
Bob and Eve launch the boat while Zaroff aims an arrow at them from the window above. Overcome by his wounds, Zaroff falls into the pit of hounds, where it is assumed he is ripped apart. The boat makes it away from the island.
I’ll be back with the Conclusions and World-Famous Short Summary following a word from our sponsors.
Conclusions – The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) was filmed at night using the sets used in King Kong (1933) which was being filmed during the day. Four of the same actors were in each film; Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Steve Clemente, and Noble Johnson.[5] It shared more such as the screams of the sailors falling off the log in Kong was reused in this film.
The film has a very short runtime because some very gruesome scenes were cut after the film was reviewed. These scenes include many more heads in jars, one of the missing sailors was shown stuffed and shot with arrows, and another person was mounted with two stuffed dogs attacking the man[6].
Versions of this film have been released at least seventeen times.[7] Most notable to me is Surviving the Game (1994). This film stands out because it starred Rutger Hauer and Ice-T. Two that I have not seen are Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity (1987), where the hunt takes place on a planet inhabited by barely dresses women, and the hunter is a scientist named Zed, and The Beast Must Die (1974), where one of Zaroff’s victims is a werewolf.
The only real issue I had with this film was the use of Great Danes as attack dogs. In many shots where they were supposed to be provoked, this gentle breed was seen wagging their tails.
World-Famous Short Summary – There ain’t a horse that can’t be rode, and there ain’t a cowboy who can’t be throwed.
Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/1932/11/21/archives/leslie-banks-in-a-fantastic-tale-of-a-mad-russian-hunter-ann.html
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/most_dangerous_game
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/1932/11/21/archives/leslie-banks-in-a-fantastic-tale-of-a-mad-russian-hunter-ann.html
[4] https://alexonfilm.com/2017/01/22/the-most-dangerous-game-1932/
[5] https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/3937?sid=b3b52444-d8d8-4919-b3c4-bf81e8c79aa1&sr=4.543728&cp=1&pos=0
[6] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023238/trivia
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_The_Most_Dangerous_Game
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.