Island of the Fishmen [DVD] [1979] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I'm not writing this review so much for newcomers as for old fans of Island of the Fishmen ( aka L'Isola degli uomini pesce). If you've seen earlier versions of this film, you haven't really seen this film. This is the must see version for longtime fans.I've seen several versions of Island of the Fishmen (aka Screamers) over the past 30 plus years. The American TV broadcast version. The VHS version. But this restored DVD version has many differences:* This version is widescreen, and it makes a difference. The director has framed some beautiful compositions, which are lost on full screen.* Many restored scenes.* Earlier American VHS and TV versions (of what was originally an Italian film) included a new 10 minute scene (lifted from a Roger Corman film) and inserted as a new opening scene, retitling this film Screamers. This restored version of Island of the Fishmen drops that opening scene, which had characters that were (naturally) unrelated to the rest of the film's characters or story.* This version has done a beautiful job restoring the color and sound. Great music.So what's this film about? It's yet another 1970s Italian exploitation ripoff, of sorts. Richard Johnson is the usual rich white guy who rules an uncharted island and sponsors a mad scientist to conduct experiments. They're turning the native islanders into fishmen. Johnson uses them to salvage the lost gold of Atlantis.If you like Italian exploitation films, if you think Johnson is a great villain (though he was also a fine hero in 1963's The Haunting), if you think Barbara Bach is gorgeous, if you like killer fishmen and Italian exploitation films, you should love this one.The DVD has both Italian and English soundtracks, take your pick.There's also a one hour "making of" featurette, with interviews of the key creative people, but unfortunately, it's entirely in Italian. Not even any subtitles. The trailer is also in Italian.Director Sergio Martino, and actors Richard Johnson, Claudio Cassinelli, and Barbara Bach all collaborated on another Italian horror film that same year -- 1979 -- called The Big Alligator River (aka The Great Alligator). Coincidentally, Mel Ferrer appears in that film and in Screamers Corman prologue (but not in the original Italian version).So if you loved Screamers and /or L'Isola degli uomini pesce, you'll want to see The Big Alligator River..You will also want to read my review of Screamers, for a fuller comparison of both films, and the history behind each.

The film has been released in a number of 'versions', re-titled and played with/edited by the Corman company at one point, who felt it needed something 'more'. These alterations & subsequent lack of common release for many years has caused the film to have a reputation borne of either nostalgic memory lapses or random video rental of a tacky print.This release by MYA is actually colourful, widescreen and as good a version as is likely to be released. Certainly it doesn't have the choppy additional frames that add nothing to the overall film, and it isn't as popcorn tossingly barmy as the glorious gory monstrocity that appeared in 1980, Humanoids from the Deep with good old Doug McClure. However, it is a rollicking yarn, an adventure fantasy peppered with weird voodoo, mild depravity & the usual island-bound running around trying to evade capture. Throw in some mad scientist and the villain of the piece virtually twirling his moustache (he was in The Haunting & Zombi Flesheaters!) and this is mild italian exploitation.Eye candy and fairness of face is present, and Barbara Bach can be seen to balance the other very male pastimes of casual threats of violence & weird surgery. What may fail to draw in the crowd is perhaps lack of bloody excess, or the charming gradual decline into madness & chaos, which does seem to be one of the plot points but does take a while to go anywhere. The general theme remains similar to War Gods of the Deep, but is actually better than that, though lacking Vincent Price.So, italian, exploitation, good print, good sound, a bit more bolshy than say Lost Continent, fine cinematography, the director is Sergio Martino who knows how to use his limited budget. IF you want it stronger go see Humanoids from the Deep, avoid any altered print of this, like Screamers. This is uncut, clean & will actually live upto a nostalgic desire for mild aquatic shades of Lovecraft monstering, or perhaps a whiff or faint flavour of H G Wells polemics against tyrannical science.

Good to see this rather obscure Italian re-working of Island of Dr. Moreau making it's way to Blu ray in a restored HD print from the original 35mm negative, courtesy of the U.S. company, Full Moon Features.Comparing this new Blu ray version to the No Shame DVD of this film, which I own, the improvement in picture quality is immediately evident, which makes it worth the upgrade if you like the film.Richard Johnson, billed third, presides over a remote, uncharted Island, and for personal gain, uses an army of 'fishmen' created by disgraced scientist, Joseph Cotten, to plunder what he believes to be the lost city of Atlantis. Leading the cast is lovely Barbara Bach, playing Cotten's daughter, and Claudio Cassinelli, a military doctor, who is shipwrecked on the island with a group of convicts.Filmed in 1978, this entertaining, colourful Sergio Martino offering is certainly worth purchasing if you're either a fan of this kind of film or the attractive cast.The Blu ray is the original Italian version entitled, L'Isola Deglia Uomini Pesce, but has English dialogue.It's also attractively packaged, but sadly only contains a trailer.And, I can confirm that this Blu ray is Region Free, which is great, obviously, if you do not own a region free player.

Much better than I expected. It’s an amalgamation of lots of other scifi films. Such as the City Under the Sea (with Vincent Price) and also The Island of Dr. Moreau. It has all the ingredients for a good science fiction film. I enjoyed it.