The Most Dangerous Game
Directed by Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Shoedsack
Written by James Ashmore Creeland from a short story by Richard Connell
1932/US
Produced by Merion C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack; Distributed by RKO
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Bob: This world’s divided into two kinds of people: the hunter and the hunted. Luckily, I’m the hunter. Nothing can change that.
I’ve seen this film several times through the years and, if anything, my affection for it has grown. The filmmakers make every minute count in this 63 minute thriller/horror film.
Bob (Joel McCrea is a big game hunter. As the movie opens he tells the rest of his party that hunting is sport for both the hunter and the hunted. He soon will find out how wrong he is when their fancy yacht is shipwrecked on a small island.
The island is ruled by psycho-sadist hunter Zaroff. Bob is introduced to the Tartars who work for him and shown his ravenous savage dogs. Zaroff has arranged that his island benefit from numerous shipwrecks it seems. Currently Eve (Fay Wray) and her recklessly alcoholic brother (Walter) are in residence. Eve takes Bob aside and says that something is wrong. The shipwrecked sailors that were there when the two arrived have disappeared.
Zaroff is excited to meet Bob, having read his books. Zaroff says that his trophy room is open to visitors only right before they go on a hunt. Martin asks to see it and is never seen again. Eve and Bob break into it and gasp at the gruesome mounting of disappeared humans therein.
Now it is Bob’s turn to become prey. The deal is that the hunt will begin at midnight. If Bob can survive until dawn, he will win and he and Eve can depart on the launch. If Zaroff kills Bob he will take Fay Wray and make her his own. This would be a fate worse than death and she decides to accompany Bob. Bob is armed only with a large knife. Zaroff has access to an arsenal of unique weapons. The remainder of the film is non-stop action as the pair surmount one scary obstacle after another. Noble Johnson plays the Count’s main lackey.
I’ve always liked this one because Joel McCrae runs around in rags displaying his very attractive chest. But it’s a cracking action movie as well and moves at an admirable pace.
There is nothing “early talkie” about this. McCrea and Wray are fine. Leslie Banks goes way over the top in a manner that suits the material perfectly. Max Steiner composed one of the very first movie score to fully integrate the musical score with the images on-screen and to score individual scenes for their content and create leitmotifs for individual characters, as opposed to simply providing vaguely appropriate mood music. Nothing high brow but awfully entertaining. Recommended.
The movie was filmed concurrently with King Kong (1933) during the breaks for special effects work. The same sets were used for the swampy forest setting in which the hunt takes place.
