"The Most Dangerous Game" is a classic of horror genre and the first survival flick ever made.In this gripping and suspenseful tale Russian nobleman Count Zaroff hunts for shipwrecked victims on his deserted tropical island.The guests soon find themselves sucked into the insane games of their host.Zaroff bored with stalking animals has decided to go hunting the Most Dangerous Game of all-man...The script of "The Most Dangerous Game" is loosely based on Robert Connell's short story,which I haven't read.The film was quite shocking for its time with several subtle sexual undercurrents.The scene where Eve and Ransford discover Zaroff's trophy room is unforgettable.I rarely review 30's and 40's horror,but "The Most Dangerous Game" deserves my comment.Often remade,never equaled it's a must-see for fans of "Deliverance","Turkey Shoot" or "Rovdyr".8 out of 10.
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lawprof12 July 2004Films from the 1930s often featured imaginary and exotic worlds brought to life on sound stages. For us today the sets are unreal, creations of both limited imagination and limited budgets. Most of those movies are justifiably in the "B" range. A few aren't and among those is the relatively little seen "The Most Dangerous Game."
Joel McRae is globetrotting big game hunter Bob Rainsford on a yacht bound for exotic adventure. Deliberately misplaced channel lights cause the vessel to hit rocks and founder. Only Rainsford survives to drag himself onto the shore of a nearby island. To his surprise the island is dominated by an eerie mansion owned by Count Zaroff, Leslie Banks. A Cossack attended by a retinue of his countrymen, Zaroff exudes silken hospitality and refined culture. Already there as guests are two people from a previous shipwreck, Eve Trowbridge, Fay Wray, and her perpetually drunken brother.
Zaroff is the film version of that familiar figure from Russian literature, the eternally bored aristocrat whose anomie can only be defeated by extreme diversions. In Zaroff's case it turns out that he, a skilled huntsman since boyhood, is only brought to vibrant life by stalking and killing the most dangerous prey - man.
Zaroff offers Rainsford a deal he literally can't refuse. Escape being slain by the count by outwitting him for a number of hours and he goes free. Eve elects to accompany the intrepid hunter on his journey through impenetrable backlot settings. Romance is in the humid air.
Zaroff is, of course, evil but he's also oddly sympathetic. What's a count to do when he can buy anything and only the most extraordinary hunting will bring him happiness? In that light his trophy room becomes understandable, his bloody diversion almost sympathetic. Banks is very effective in this role where he swings between culture and carnage.
Directors Irving Pickel and Ernest B. Schoedsack made "The Most Dangerous Game" on the same sets they'd employ a year later for the universally revered "King Kong." This film is only 63 minutes long indicating they intended it to be a second feature. What they got was a truly engrossing movie with Fay Wray and Joel McCrea turning in first-rate performances. Max Steiner's score is excellent (did he ever compose a bad one?).
Released on DVD by Alpha Video, it's both a bargain and a pleasure.
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ma-cortes1 March 2019This tale was efficiently developed in this first of several versions using Richard Connell's famed novel , one of the most anthologized short stories of all time . The picture gets adventure , noisy action , a love story , thriller , exciting pursuits with numerous odds , risks and perils and results to be pretty entertaining . After their luxury cabin cruiser crashes on a reef, and sinking itself , Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) finds himself washed ashore on a far island . He finds a remote fortress-like house and the owner , Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks film debut) who seems to be quite welcoming . While their host is initially hospitable, he quickly reveals his true purpose : to hunt down and kill each of his visitors , as he has done with everyone unlucky enough to set foot on his island . Apart from Zaroff's servant "Ivan the Cossack" (Noble Johnson, a multi-talented African-American actor) , the only other people present are Eve (Fay Wray) and her brother Martin (Robert Armstrong) , also survivors of their own shipwreck . As the crazed hunter Zaroff kidnaps people and turns them loose on his private estate , where he hunts them for sport . Bob along with the stirring heroine in distress who's threaten by the nutty villain go out throughout the lush jungle . Maniac Hunts Humans . In A Jungle Hell! ...Defenseless against the deadly hunter . Hunting Humans Was His Favorite Game He hunted humans for the sheer sport of killing ... and made his island paradise into a Hell on Earth! The foulest passion of them all! A race for life in a chase against death¡ How far will you go to Stay Alive?
This is a classic of the horror genre with spellbinding direction by Ernest B. Schoedsack , dealing with Count Zaroff kidnaps people and releases them into his jungle island and then hunts them down . The movie contains terror , adventure , action , moving pursuits with an "outdoor chess" game and a deep disquisition about human nature . The yarn is compellingly paced in this first of a great number of adaptations based on Richard Connell notorious novel . This film and "King Kong" were filmed at the same time, though "Kong" was released later probably due to the special effects required for it . The sets are perfectly atmospheric and production uses most of actors , scenary , set design , exteriors and some of the screams of the sailors as the ship sinks are the same as the screams of the sailors from ¨King Kong¨ (1933) . Most of the standing sets and jungle scenes were also used for simultaneous shooting of jungle scenes in King Kong . Thus , here appears same King Kong's actors : Fay Wray , Robert Armstrong , composer Max Steiner and filmmaker Ernest B. Schoedsack who usually shot with Merian C. Cooper. The flick will appeal to terror fans and adventure cinema-goers . The movie all still holds up after more than 70 years . Rating : Good , if you haven't seen it , you don't miss the chance the next time .
It has been remade several times , as the reboots of Richard Connell's famous short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," about a madman who hunts human prey on his personal island habitat are the following ones : ¨A Game of Death¨(1945) by Robert Wise with John Loder , Audrey Long , Edgar Barrier, Russell Wade . ¨Run for the sun¨ by John Boulting with Richard Widmark , Jane Greer , Trevor Howard . ¨Bloodlust!¨(1961) by Ralph Brook . ¨The Suckers¨(1972) by Stu Segall . An erotic rendition titled ¨La comtesse perverse¨ (1974) by Jesús Franco with Robert Woods , Alice Arno , Lina Romay . ¨Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity¨ (1987) by Ken Dixon . ¨Surviving the Game¨ (1994) by Ernest Dickerson with Ice T , Charles S. Dutton , F. Murray Abraham , Gary Busey and Rutger Hauer that is more violent and noisy than preceding ones . -
Snow Leopard28 September 2004A solid little thriller with several things going for it, "The Most Dangerous Game" easily holds your attention all the way through, even at the more predictable points. It takes good advantage of an often-used plot idea, without trying to squeeze too much out of it. Joel McCrea makes a likable and confident hero, and he fits in well with Leslie Banks and with "King Kong" stars Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong. Banks's performance is a little on the eccentric side, but he has enough energy to make the character and the plot work most of the time.
The opening sequence is a little slow, but it does set up some of the themes of the rest of the movie. The first half of the movie is generally predictable, yet even so it builds up a good amount of tension. In the last half, the suspense is sustained quite well for an extended time, and though the last few scenes may lack plausibility, they work well dramatically because they were set up carefully. Overall, it is an effective and rather efficiently-made thriller. -
ironhorse_iv26 February 2016It's time to play the game. 'The Most Dangerous Game" in fact. Directly adapted for film at least eight times, though only twice under its original title, this 1932 movie directed by Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack is the very first film version of the 1924 short story by author Richard Connell of the same name. Like the book, the movie tells the story of a big game hunter, Sanger 'Bob' Rainsford, (Joel McCrea) being hunted for sport, by another big game hunter, named Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks) on a jungle island. However, unlike the book, this RKO Pictures' film change the plot, somewhat around, when they added, female character, Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray), and her brother Martin (Robert Armstrong), into the mixed to tag along with Rainsford. This big change from the source material is a hard watch for me, as I never like, the idea of Count Zaroff being alright in hunting down, people that he views are not a challenge to him. After all, what contest is he getting off, on, if he's killing drunk fools and helpless women! I get that, his character is a social Darwinist, but it always seem like his character was a man, looking for a real fight. Man Vs Man. It just doesn't seem right, to see him, picking on helpless people. Another thing that bug me, about the movie, is the fact that many of the sets and looks, are taken from previous films. I hate that Count Zaroff's castle looks like something out of 1931's Dracula. I also hate the fact that film was shot at night on the 1933's King Kong jungle sets. It's just way too jarring. Even, the fact, Count Zaroff looks like actor Bela Lugosi in 1932's White Zombie & his assistant, Ivan (Noble Johnson) seem a little too similar to the zombies-like henchmen in that film is distracting. White-face, anyone! Despite that, I do like how the style of the assistant was later used for Ygor in 1939's Son of Frankenstein, played by no other, than Bela Logosi. So that was nice. I just wish, the writers kept Zaroff, as General than a Count. It's seem to me, that Leslie Banks was acting like an over-the top- Count Dracula rip-off. Another thing, that kinda bug me, is Fay Wray's character. She adds nearly nothing to the film. Her own purpose is to weights the hero down. I hate that, she always has to be rescue by Rainsford. It's like watching 1933's King Kong, all over again. Unlike the book, it seems to me, that Rainsford was never really given a fair fight in this movie. Three days is cut off, as a day. Despite that, Joel McCrea was alright as the hero role. His character was kinda a jerk, but at least, he wasn't the 'All-American Boy Scout' mode that most films, at the time, would portray their main characters. I like the fact, that his character survived a shipwrecked, rather than falling overboard like a fool. It's a nice important. Better than the novel's idea, of getting him, on the island. I also like how the movie didn't go with "The Hounds of Zaroff", titled like the novel. I always felt that, 'The Hounds of Zaroff' title, sounds like a Sherlock Holmes's 'Hounds of Baskerville' rip-off. I'm glad, they went with 'Most Dangerous Game', instead. I'm also happy that this movie was released before the Hays Code was widely enforced. As a result both Joel McCrea and Fay Wray were able to get away with wearing relatively little clothing in comparison to other films of the era. Even the violent in the film, seem a lot more graphic than most films at the time. However, some of the trophy room scenes were cut in the final version, as the studio felt like, seeing a few more heads in jars and mounted stuff sailors was a little too much for the audience. I just wish, these shots would one day, be released to the public. Even seeing, Robert Armstrong playing a drunk bum, was controversial. At the time this film was released, Prohibition was still in effect, but the law was widely ignored. Producer of the film, Merian C. Cooper was strongly critical of alcohol use and of the glamorization of drunkenness in movies. Another great message is the conflict between, reason vs instinct, the effects of war, and how the color red even shine in the darkness. Even with the strong moral message of the film, within a few years, the film was considered indecent and too revealing. It was barred from re-release and was not shown publicly for several decades. Until, the failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market. However, some of them are either severely or badly edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duplicated from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film. Overall: While, not a lot of people have saw this movie. Its basic concept has been borrowed for numerous films and episodes of television series. Even if you haven't saw this film, you see, the movie themes live on, with films like 2000's Battle Royale, 1987's Predator, and 2012's The Hunger Games. In the end, while this film might be a little dated action. It's still worth checking out. You would find out, you had never slept in a better bed, after watching this film.
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lugonian21 February 2005THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (RKO Radio, 1932), directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel, from the short story by Richard Connell, is a highly suspenseful drama with a neat twist in theme. But for the benefit for those who have never read Connell's original story nor seen the movie, this is something to really consider, especially for action and adventure fans. Categorized as a horror film, the only horror is the thought of a hunter being the hunted, especially by a crazed individual.
The story begins with an explosion and the sinking of a yacht with Robert Rainsford (Joel McCrea) becoming the sole survivor of the perished crew. He swims to safety on a remote island and soon encounters an ancient mansion where lives the Russian Count Zoroff (Leslie Banks), and his muted servant, Ivan (Noble Johnson) and Tatur (Steve Clemento). After getting into some dry clothes, Rainsford is introduced to Zoroff's other guests, Eve (Fay Wray) and her brother, Martin Trowbridge (Robert Armstrong), also shipwreck survivors. Gathering in the living room, Zoroff discusses his interest in game hunting, but instead of hunting animals, which now bores him, he hunts his new interest - a most dangerous game. Later that night, Zoroff has made the drunken Martin his latest prey, and after returning from his all night hunt, Zoroff shows Eve and Rainsford his trophy room, consisting of human heads and corpses, with Martin's body being among them. Because Rainsford is a noted author and hunter, Zoroff wants him to go game hunting with him, the hunting of man. Refusing to take part in his mad scheme, Rainsford, in turn, becomes Zoroff's next prey. Zoroff promises that if Rainsford eludes him until sunrise, he and Eve are set free, and if he doesn't, gets to recapture Eve alive, since he doesn't hunt the "female animal." Being given a 12 hour head start for preparation, Rainsford, with Eve's help, works against time using his brains instead of his feet to try and outsmart the hunter, but after midnight, the hunt begins, with Zoroff's tracking them down with weapons ranging from bow and arrow, rifle, and, as the last resort, the release of his vicious dogs, climaxed by surprises for both hunter and the hunted.
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME ranks one of the very best stories ever transferred on screen. In spite of alterations to Connell's original story, such as adding a female to accompany Rainsford, this adaptation is a fast-pace 65 minutes that never lets up for a minute. The first half hour devotes itself to character study, with Robert Armstrong's drunken performance somewhat slowing down the pace instead of providing humor. However, second half of the movie is tight on suspense, with the camera capturing every move and reaction from the three central characters, with Max Steiner's underscoring setting the mood and pace. Of course there's plenty of close calls and near misses to add to the excitement, making this a well staged and truly memorable experience after it is all over. What makes THE MOST DANGEROUSGAME worthy is the uncanny performance of British actor Leslie Banks, in his Hollywood debut, hamming it up to perfection, making his insane hunter come to life as intended by the author. Closeups of his eyes during the hunt is truly effective. If the jungle settings look familiar, it's the same set used for the much more famous adventure, KING KONG (RKO, 1933), that also features Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong.
While Joel McCrea has been on screen since the silent era, starting from small roles to the elevation of leads, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME showcases him to best advantage, but cannot take away from the performance of Leslie Banks. While never a high rank leading man, McCrea did become a Hollywood survivor, better known for westerns, retiring from his successful career by 1962.
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME was remade as A GAME OF DEATH (RKO, 1945) with John Loder and Edgar Barrier; RUN FOR THE SUN (United Artists, 1956) with Richard Widmark, and recycled numerous times, but none have captured the greatness to the 1932 original. It's also interesting to note that the theme was used as the basis in one of the better episodes to the comedy series, GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, titled "The Hunter" with Rory Calhoun guest starring as the title character who hunts people, namely Gilligan (Bob Denver).
Once regarded a "lost" movie, a print of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME was discovered in the 1970s, and introduced to the small screen for the first time on public television in 1976. Prints shown in its initial premiere were crystal clear, but sadly, by the early 1980s, in the wake of home video, transfers circulated by distributors had that third to fourth generation look. A public domain title, it's unfortunate that a movie as good as this couldn't be available with better better picture quality. Aside from TV showings on various cable channels such as Nostalgia Television, and currently on some public TV stations after the midnight hours, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME had yet to be shown on any commercial free classic movie channels until Turner Classic Movies aired it on June 28, 2007, but because of its reputation, continues to circulate in the VHS and DVD markets to a very favorable audience. An instant classic not to be missed. (***) -
bsmith555225 February 2003"The Most Dangerous Game" is a surprisingly good little thriller that runs just over an hour. It was made the year before "King Kong" by many of the same people that were involved that classic. In fact many of the "run through the jungle" scenes are very similar to those in the later film.
The film opens with a realistic staged ship wreck (achieved mostly with convincing miniatures) from which only Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) survives. He crawls ashore on a mysterious island and finds his way to a creepy castle inhabited by a Russian Count named Zaroff (Leslie Banks). There he meets the lovely Eve (Fay Wray) and her drunken brother Martin (Robert Armstrong), who were also ship wrecked.
It turns out that the "Game" of the title is the mad Count hunting down and killing human prey. Naturally, McCrea and Wray ultimately wind up as the hunted.
A very young McCrea is excellent as the hero and Wray, fetching as the heroine. Banks, however, and Armstrong for that matter, are way over the top in their roles. Banks in that early talkie style, enunciates every syllable and bugs out his eyes at every opportunity.
Still and all, "The Most Dangerous Game" is exciting and well made and worth a look. -
gbill-7487729 November 2017What a deliciously creepy and suspenseful film this is. We know what's coming, but that doesn't stop us from feeling real tension that builds into a crescendo with an extended hunt sequence in the second half of the film. Leslie Banks is fantastic as the intellectual and cruel Count Zaroff, and Joel McCrea and Fay Wray play their parts well. The film is hokey in places (such as a rather comical fighting/wrestling scene), but that adds to its camp value, as did recognizing some set elements from 'King Kong'. I found it easy to overlook the sillier things because the story itself is so strong – well ahead of its time, and re-used in countless movies and TV shows over the decades. A small example of that is the ending, which may remind modern viewers of 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'.
Early on we're given some food for thought with this line: "I was thinking of the inconsistency of civilization. The beast of the jungle, killing just for his existence, is called savage. The man, killing just for sport, is called civilized. It's a bit inconsistent, isn't it?" We get action in the form of a shipwreck and shark attack. We get eeriness and sadism in the Count, as well as a pre-Code ominous hint of intended rape ("Kill! Then love."), and that's all before an exciting game of "outdoor chess". There's a lot to like in this action-packed and fun film. -
Red-Barracuda29 November 2021Like the Spanish Dracula, this is another 30's film made at night on the set of a much more famous movie. In this case, this one was made using the jungle sets of King Kong, while also using several of the actors from that film, most notably Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray. Its about the survivors of a shipwreck who become the prey of a crazed big game hunter, who sets them free in the jungle and then hunts them down for sport on the remote island he lives on. This is pretty nifty little movie which clocks in at just over an hour. Its fast paced and involving and has been remade several times over the years.
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bkoganbing28 May 2007The Most Dangerous Game is a film totally dominated by Leslie Banks's florid portrayal of the mad Russian Count Zaroff who has built is own little world on a Pacific island where he hunts for sport and pleasure what he considers The Most Dangerous Game.
Though I'm sure he must have had a lot of offers from American studios after this film, Leslie Banks went back to the United Kingdom where he was a stalwart presence in a variety of roles for British cinema. Still Banks never got a part as good as Count Zaroff in which he could chew enough scenery for a three course meal and not be noticed.
Joel McCrea plays an American big game hunter who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck who is washed up on Banks's island. In the palatial home he's built out of an old Portugese fort, McCrea encounters brother and sister Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray. Armstrong, in an unusual part for him, plays a wastrel playboy who is consuming the liquor at the home at a prodigious rate. He's taken to the 'trophy' room and not seen again.
The next night McCrea and Wray discover that The Most Dangerous Game is man himself. Banks sends his guests out into the woods and stalks them like wild animals. Supposedly if they can elude him for 24 hours they earn their freedom, but no one ever has.
The Most Dangerous Game is one of those films where you have no doubt who the hero and villain are. No moral ambiguities in this one. For all of Banks's talk about man being the most challenging animal to hunt, the only other man besides McCrea we see him hunt is drunk and pathetic Robert Armstrong. In McCrea because he's a hunter Banks finally meets an opponent who's a challenge. If Armstrong is a sample of what he hunted before, Banks ranks as one of the most malevolent villains ever portrayed on screen.
If the sets look familiar to you remember the team of Meriam C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack is bringing you this film. A year later these same sets were utilized by RKO for the classic King Kong. Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong got to know that back lot jungle very well.
Banks meets a most fitting end for one as evil as he which I can't reveal, but viewers will find it poetic indeed. After 75 years, The Most Dangerous Game is still one exciting, heart pounding, entertaining film. -
AAdaSC18 September 2019A yacht is travelling through dangerous waters in which buoys mark out a safe route through. However, the Captain (William Davidson) suspects that something is wrong. The buoys are slightly off-position and he recommends going back. No way says the owner of the yacht Hale Hamilton. Bad call.
The majority of the film takes place on an island where nutcase Leslie Banks (Zaroff) has invented a new sport that involves shipwrecked survivors. He always wins and he has a trophy room to prove it. Shipwreck survivor Joel McCrea (Bob) provides Banks with his biggest challenge as he also is a hunter by profession. So, armed with a knife, McCrea is given a head start on the island. Survival is the game. Fay Wray (Eve) is there as well from a previous shipwreck and provides screaming duties. She's not too annoying, just a little bit.
It's an enjoyable film with a horror moment worthy of frightening audiences today. It's over fairly quickly but it's a memorable storyline and exceeds expectations for a short film. I love a waterfall scene - yes, there's a waterfall scene! You know, the type of thing like in "Last of the Mohicans" (1992) where the chase takes you behind the waterfall and you know this is a doomed path to take. Someone is right there on your trail. -
Captain_Couth4 November 2003The second most used plot device (boy meets girl is the first) happens to be one of my favorites, Man Vs. Man. The Most Dangerous Game (based upon a short story) is about an eccentric hunter who has hunted every single animal there is to hunt except one. Man. On his tropical island surrounded by dangerous coral reefs he seeks out prey so he can add them to his trophy case. That is until the day he happens to meet the world's most famous big game hunter. This excellent film was shot by the same crew that was shooting King Kong (both films nearly have the same cast) Between takes they would shoot this one. If you want to see where it all started, then this is it!!
Highly recommended.
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ackstasis11 October 2007When a VHS cover proclaims a film to have come from the makers of the 1933 masterpiece 'King Kong,' it's difficult to pass it without showing any interest. A year before they brought Carl Denham, Jack Driscoll and Ann Darrow to the magnificence and horror of Skull Island, director Ernest B. Schoedsack and associate producer Merian C. Cooper exercised their skills with another gripping island adventure film, an adaptation of Richard Connell's well-known 1924 short story, 'The Most Dangerous Game.' Directed by Schoedsack and Irving Pichel, and working from a screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman, the film is extremely short, concise and suspenseful. No time is wasted on cumbersome sub-plots that would only drag down the excitement, and, though the result doesn't exactly present itself as being intelligent, the film certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat, and that's all I would ever have asked of it.
Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) is a world-famous American game-hunter, who has spent his life travelling the world and having adventures. He is the typical cinematic hero young, handsome and just a bit cocky and his love of hunting sits above all else. He has a great respect for the animals he shoots, confidently asserting that this feeling is mutual between himself and his prey. Had he been in the place of the leopard, for example, Rainsford would feel absolutely no different or, at least, that's what he likes to tell himself. After a disastrous shipwreck off the coast of an isolated island (via the accomplished use of scaled models, lifted from the test footage for Willis H. O'Brien's abandoned 1931 film, 'Creation'), Rainsford finds himself the only survivor. He is surprised to discover the luxurious fortress of Count Zaroff (a freaky Leslie Banks), as well as two recently-acquired guests, Eve Trowbridge (a radiant Fay Wray, before Ann Darrow gave her legendary status) and her drunken brother Martin (Robert Armstrong, who, of course, went on to play Carl Denham).
The film, at a quaint running time of just 63 minutes, never fails to hold our attention. Though the first half seems to be simply going through the motions, working towards the thrilling climax, it does this adequately enough. The dialogue is a bit stagnant and predictable, and the characters seems a lot stupider than they should be (how many mounted human heads do you need to see before you realise which species is "the most dangerous game?"), but that is almost irrelevant once you come to the nail-gripping chase through the perilous jungle. Banks, of course, steals the show, making good use of scary facial expressions to translate his character's derangement onto the screen. McCrea plays a noble hero with great charisma and bravado, whilst Armstrong is downright annoying (in a good way!) as the drunken brother. Though it was 'King Kong' that brought her unending recognition, I really thought Fay Wray was better in this film. Unlike Ann Darrow (who, to be honest, had little to do but scream at the top of her lungs), Eve Trowbridge has a quiet sense of pride and courage about her, and you really get to recognise what a beautiful woman she was.
The film's final half an hour is nothing short of brilliant, and no small thanks to composer Max Steiner, whose thrilling score alone is enough to double your pulse-rate. The very final shot of 'The Most Dangerous Game' shows the directors' keen eye for a good shot; Bob and Eve are escaping in the small boat, just as, in the foreground, a fatally-wounded Count Zaroff tumbles from the window to be devoured by his loyal pack of hunting dogs. If you didn't think that early thrillers could still be thrilling, you haven't seen this one. -
Aaron137527 September 2021I have read the story this movie is based on and I have seen other portrayals of the film and this is an average take on the tale. Unfortunately, it is not a bad film, but it is a very underdeveloped one as it goes by with so little understanding of the characters and such. One just has to take each new character with a grain of salt as not much is really revealed and the hunt is on.
The story starts out interestingly enough as a hunter and a group of elderly gentlemen aboard a ship discuss things before the ship hits something and begins to sink. The only one left alive, the hunter makes it to an island where he finds a castle belonging to the strange Count Zarloff who is hospitable at first, but it soon becomes clear he has dangerous intentions. A woman and another man also are the Count's guests, the female feels there is something wrong and tries to convey this to the hunter while the other guest is very oblivious due to his constant drinking. Soon the Count reveals to the hunter that he too is a hunter and that the game he hunts is quite different and most dangerous!
I thought the cast did good, I just wish I knew a bit more about them. The film also is just so short that one never really can get into the thing before it is over. Faye Wray is in it and she is good and adds something to the plot as the original story did not contain a character such as her. It was mainly just one guy trying to outwit the person hunting him.
So, it had its moments and the effects during the boat crash were pretty good, but I found myself incapable of fully becoming invested in what happened to the characters. Granted, they probably stretched the premise out as far as it could go as the story it is based on is rather short. -
Ignoring the captain's fears, a ship makes its way through two signal buoys that are slightly off from where they're supposed to be. This is a big mistake, leading to a shipwreck, death, and the sole survivor, named Bob (Joel McCrea) having to swim his way to an island.
Said island is inhabited by a man named Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks), who lives in an enormous, fortress-like house, with his frightening henchman, Ivan (Noble Johnson). Bob is introduced to two other "guests", named Martin (Robert Armstrong) and Eve (Fay Wray). As the evening wears on, the Count takes inordinate interest in the fact that Bob is a hunter. Zaroff reveals his own love of hunting, and soon facilitates his next big hunt. Obviously, this is when the title comes into play.
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME is an excellent thriller, filled with foreboding and macabre imagery (i e: the "trophy room"). The house is loaded with dark hallways and vast rooms, and the jungle hunting ground is well-realized. Banks is perfect in his devilishly demented role. McCrea is a strong, heroic lead, and Ms. Wray puts in another great performance. Highly recommended!... -
joker-scar17 September 2018I finally saw this film after growing up with my large hardcover Horror and Fantasy picture book or issues of Ackerman's magazine with great stills from this film appearing once in awhile. I knew the story decades before from great rip-off adaptations like in Star Trek and the seemingly hundreds of other films and shows that borrowed the concept. But I had to see the original especially with actors like Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray in the cast. I knew going in that made in 1932, it might suffer from that early 30's stagey look and thin & linear storylines. I wasn't wrong but I was also impressed nonetheless. Utilizing some of the Kong sets was a pure thrill well worth the watch in itself. I am not one to endorse remakes... sorry the politically correct, corporate branding and user friendly term is re-booting, of old films but this one is due a serious re"make" with much needed story lines fleshed out or discarded elements from the book re-inserted.
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This classic was co-directed by Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack and while some of its effects might seem rather rudimentary by today's standards it's still a cracker. The basic story has been filmed countless times in one form or another but "The Most Dangerous Game" still knocks its competitors for six. Set in one of those exotic South Sea Islands so beloved of filmmakers in the 1930's, (you know, the kind of place where King Kong hung out), this is the one about the big game hunter, (Joel McCrea), becoming the hunted, victim to the monstrous Count Zaroff, (a splendidly over-the-top Leslie Banks). There's also a woman involved, (a screaming Fay Wray, naturally), and it's both exciting and superbly designed, (Zaroff's 'fortress' home could just as easily have housed Dr. Frankenstein or Count Dracula). Clocking in at just 63 minutes, this is a B-Movie with A-Movie credentials and is hugely enjoyable.
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Cineanalyst1 November 2020The first screen adaptation of Richard Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" was Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper's side hustle to "King Kong" (1933), employing much of the same cast, crew and sets for one film during the day and for the other at night. One of the greatest and most influential films ever made, a landmark that irrevocably and utterly changed filmdom, technically and thematically brilliant, and it remains culturally iconic to this day are things one could say about "King Kong." "The Most Dangerous Game" isn't bad, either, though.
"Listen here, you fellas. This world is divided into two kinds of people--the hunter and the hunted. But luckily, I'm a hunter, and nothing could ever change that."
Clearly this team was at the top of their game. It seems they decided to take it easy with something effective and snappy to come down from their more ambitious labors of the daylight project. Immediately after Joel McCrea's famous last words quoted above, he and the rest of his shipmates are tossed into shark-infested waters. He survives only to take shelter under the home of another hunter, this time another man, Count Zaroff, with a creepy performance by Leslie Banks to go along with the name and his sport of hunting men (in addition to the prospect that he'll rape Fay Wray's damsel in distress afterwards). So, we get a battle of wits and brawn, as well as a chase, on some jungle and swamp-filled island.
Nothing more required, it's some well-paced action and with a score from Max Steiner, to boot, that has proved popular and influential in its own right, as Connell's story has been continually remade and reworked in other motion pictures. Some streaming channel has recently tried to lure subscribers with a version starring Christoph Waltz, and there's "The Hunt" (2020), for which its most dangerous game appears to have been establishing when and where to release it, but this wilderness hunt also reminds me of action movies such as those starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, such as some of the "Rambo" and "Predator" series. -
Oft imitated but rarely equalled, The Most Dangerous Game stars Joel McCrea as big game hunter Bob Rainsford, who survives a shipwreck in the Pacific only to be washed up on a nearby island where deranged Russian aristo Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks, chewing the scenery in an unforgettably OTT performance) enjoys hunting humans for sport, man being 'the most dangerous game'.
Pre-Hays code, the film is quite the eye-opener, from the opening ship wreck scene in which crew members are boiled alive and hapless survivors are dragged into the murky depths by ravenous sharks, to Zaroff's trophy room which features the severed heads of previous victims, to random moments of nasty violence (gotta love the impalement of Zaroff's henchman Ivan on a sharp stake). And let's not forget gorgeous Fay Wray (as Eve, survivor of a previous wreck) providing the eye-candy in a very clingy dress.
The film also benefits from marvellous production design (Zaroff's impressive fortress and the surrounding jungle sets, some of which were also used for the original King Kong), a snappy run-time of just sixty-three minutes, and plenty of excitement, as Bob and Eve are sent into the jungle with just a knife to defend themselves from Zaroff (who tips the odds in his favour by arming himself with a bow and arrow, and later, a rifle and a pack of hounds).
8.5/10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb - just don't watch the colourised version if you can help it. -
Cristi_Ciopron22 March 2015The Cossack count, a matinée villain, is a form of one of the tropes that dominated the popular narrations for half a century, the colorful exotic villain. 'The Most Dangerous ' is an exciting, lively, dynamic, very likable movie, and a true classic, (ancestor, as style, of, e.g., some Zombie comedies from the '40s), with most of the (small, but distinguished) cast going for the funny, almost comic book, style; because the humor is mostly in the performances, with a bit of sitcom in the interplay of the Cossack and the drunken brother, who refuses to acknowledge the menace of the host, which humiliates the threatening hunter. What does one enjoy most in this movie? The rhythm, the sets, in the _faux stylish, _faux classy taste of the early '30s, the reshaped Gothic, the gusto and liveliness of the scenes and interplays of the characters, the performances, perhaps especially Leslie Banks as Zaroff, momentarily upset by his drunken guest's insouciance; I felt a sure quality in the role of the Cossack killer. The story is done, is rendered as a comedy, an actually zestful genre of the '30s was the humorous drama, the comic drama, the alternation of comedy and drama in a storyline, as here, in balanced proportions. As this genre was outmoded, the code itself became liable to misinterpretations, with people having an anachronistic standpoint and being either annoyed by the comedy, or unable/unwilling to read it as such; yet from the '30s standpoint, the genuine one, both comedy and drama were played. The 2nd half of the movie, with the trophies cellar and then the chase, is straight adventure. As a matter of fact, the whole show was nicely directed for what it was meant to be: an adventure drama played with a goofy knack.
Another reason to see the movie would be the actress, who got 2nd billing on the credits, and was then at the height of her career; in this she seems cordially at ease with her role, in fact in the long scene of the arrival at the fortress all the performers seem to have a good time, and Zaroff is funnily overbore by Eve's drunken brother, a case when a victim is unimpressed by the villain's whims and unconsciously ignores his threats and menacing persona, and as such we see the Cossack a little disconcerted, annoyed by his unsuspecting guest. To enjoy the movie, one must be aware of its nature. Because this classic is certainly enjoyable; I have seen it one Saturday evening, from 9.20 to 10 ¾, with a break from 9.47 to 10.10. -
"Until you've hunted men, you haven't hunted" -Jesse Ventura, April 2001.
The story of a hunter having the tables turned on him is overly familiar to today's audiences. The basic premise of Richard Connell's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" has also been reinvented as a Game of Death, Run for the Sun, Hard Target, Surviving the Game, The Running Man, and even Predator (starring the Governor Ventura himself). But the irony and purity of the story are exercised best in this 1932 quickie, made by the King Kong team, using the same cast members and sets. It's legacy has been somewhat overshadowed by the popularity of Kong, but don't let it slip away, The Most Dangerous Game is a game worth playing.
Robert Rainsford (Joel McCrea) is a big game hunter who is shipwrecked somewhere off the east coast of South America. He washes up on a beach of a lonely island and makes his way through the jungle where he is greeted by the eccentric Count Zaroff who has settled in a restored Portuguese fortress. The Count escaped Russia before the revolution and travelled the world hunting animals. But having killed all of the most savage he has grown bored and needs an animal with wits, cunning, and intelligence. Man; the most dangerous game of all.
Finding his match with Rainsford, the Count releases him into the jungle, along with the screaming Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray), and promises him freedom if he can survive the next 24 hours. The sets, the Gothic atmosphere, and even the loneliness creates a wonderful atmosphere. As one of the first "talkies" the film is backed-up by a score (in a time when music really had to carry wordless motion pictures) that really stands out to me for several reasons. It's certainly the earliest film I have seen with a recognizable melody and even goes as far as having the Count play the theme on his grand piano; a nice little in-joke. I never thought I'd recommend a score from a 1932 movie for being mysterious and action-packed but, if you excuse the pun, I suggest you hunt it down.
At 63 minutes the film doesn't outstay his welcome, but James Ashmore Creelman's screenplay was written as a film lasting no less than 85 minutes, so I'm curious to know what RKO Pictures cut out to keep the budget down.
Criterion did a good job with the DVD, but the film desperately needs a full HD restoration. I suppose the original camera negative is gone, but a 4k master from a complete 35mm print is what this film needs. No nicks, no scratches, no missing frames. If The Most Dangerous Game doesn't get this an overlooked classic may be lost forever. -
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
"Death is for others, not ourselves."
Don't let the stale first scenes (a good and necessary half hour in the one hour film) bother you. They set up the movie with a stiff, talkie, unconvincing banter...and then the adventure begins, and it's pretty good. This is the year of Frankenstein, and the effects date from those years, but go with the drama, including a shark attack (no spoiler there), and then some more parlor chitchat. And then...it takes off. The concept is clear, and the short story this is based on is a primitive masterpiece in its own way (http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/danger.html) and the movie doesn't match, but it's great stuff to consider.
Remember, this is 1932, before the code, and so there's a freedom here to the filming even though there aren't any truly racy scenes. Music by Max Steiner (which helps a lot) and camera-work by the forgotten Henry W. Gerrard, who after this finished Little Women (1933) and Of Human Bondage (1934) before dying prematurely. This is a Selznick picture while working for RKO, and Irving Pichel gives us his first attempt as director (he did the interesting Quicksand at the end of his career).
Joel McCray, meant to be the everyman hero (who also is a big game hunter) makes for a stiff leading man, for sure. Maybe he was handsome for his time, but he doesn't have depth, or emotional qualities, and you have to look the other way on that. The other characters we don't expect too much from. The leading woman, an actress better known for another early 1930s movie, King Kong, is none other than Fay Ray. (In fact, many of the night scenes are shot on the RKO sets used for King Kong.) You'll see the main evil man, Count Zaroff, comes down the stairs (and sounds) like another famous count of 1932, played by Lugosi. But the evils here are purely human. And the action builds once the set up is clear, and McCray and Ray are set loose. -
Ron Oliver21 January 2000Imagine this: a remote jungle island set in a lonely sea. A solitary chateau outfitted with every luxury & inhabited by a charming lunatic. A lovely young woman & her drunken, boorish brother. And a celebrated big game hunter who suddenly finds himself to be the prey.
This is an excellent adventure movie, imitated many times but never equaled. Once the hunt begins, the suspense doesn't let up. It keeps on pounding until the last bark of the savage hounds used to track down the helpless quarry.
The film was shot, largely at night, on the same jungle sets being used by day for KING KONG; four cast members appeared in both films. Joel McCrea & Fay Wray make a fine romantic couple, with Robert Armstrong suitably annoying in the small role of the intoxicated brother.
But it is Leslie Banks as the mad Russian, Count Zaroff, who remains in the mind the longest. Like a sophisticated & urbane serpent, he coils himself around his florid role of the master huntsman who has discovered a new sensation - that of stocking his island & hunting through its jungles the most dangerous big game of them all... -
Platypuschow17 April 2019I came across The Most Dangerous Game as it's based on the same short story as Mindhunters (2004). I can confidently say the connection is minimal.
It tells the story of a group of people who find themselves trapped on an island after their boats mysteriously run ground. Upon arriving they are welcomed by an affluent man who takes care of them, but his intentions are more than slightly macabre.
Truth is this concept has been done before, many times before in fact. Movies, television show episodes, we've seen this countless times. However, this is certainly the earliest and possibly the original.
Fairly short at just around the hour mark we see our hero trying to survive this deadly game. Alas him bragging about being a hunter and his baffling rather offensive philosophies and beliefs around hunting made me incapable of caring about him.
Regardless this was a well structured little movie especially considering its run time. I enjoyed it and would consider it well ahead of its time.
The Good:
Robert Armstrong
Interesting plot
The Bad:
Needless animal suffering -
In this warm-up to "King Kong," one never feels the producer or directors are quite so possessed about making a great movie as they are about testing some ideas -- establishing a sense of place, framing a shot, having garrulous characters make ironic comments, grafting music onto scenes to see if it truly enhances the effect. Some of this does indeed come off remarkably well, but so much of it has a set-pitch-swing-and-a-miss calculated quality, it can scarcely be compelling, let alone transport the viewer into the story. Clearly, more attention should have been paid to the dialog, the acting, and the pace and flow of the narrative as executed in the edit lab -- and maybe more shots to establish the lay of the land in some scenes. Remember that, by the time you sit with Kong on his lonely mountaintop watching the sun set, you are so totally THERE it's just ludicrous. And that is a feeling you never get while watching this perfectly perfunctory "Most Dangerous Game."