The Most Dangerous Game

The 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.

I must have been about 5 years old when I saw this film just before the WAR, in a flea-ridden "picture-house" in Dublin, Ireland, where I was born and brought up. It made such an impression on me that I remembered it all my life, but never remembered the name or any of the cast. I tried without success, and as time passed I began to believe that the Island owner was, perhaps, Conrad Veidt, this was the sort of persona he portrayed to me. I remembered that there were people on a luxury yacht, suddenly wrecked, and that a man and woman were washed up on an island, and after having been given hospitality by a recluse in a large house, were set loose to be hunted. The young man was a famous big game hunter, and he had only a knife with which he devised traps to catch their pursuer who hunted them with a bow and arrows. One trap, I remember was an old log which was triggered somhow to fall and kill whoever who set it off. This film always stayed in the forefront of my mind, and, when, at age about 70, I met a compatriot, a little older, I began to tell him about this film, asking him if he'd ever seen it or knew anything about it. He interrupted me to tell me that it was a story, and gave me the name of the writer, Richard Connell. How did he know this immediately, having barely heard the beginning of my story?? He was a retired English teacher who admired this story so much that,year after year, he always set it for his classes. So then I was able to look it up on the internet and not at all to my surprise found the close connection of the cast and scenery to KING KONG. You see, KING KONG has been my all-time favourite film. I think I've seen it at least 25-30 times and have several video copies of it.

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!...

"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.

"The Most Dangerous Game" is an adventure-horror film with thriller elements, and a remarkably bold cinematic effort that tackles the theme of "man as prey."

The plot follows the famous hunter Bob Rainsford, who is sailing along the northeastern coast of South America on a luxurious yacht. However, a shipwreck occurs under suspicious circumstances. Bob ends up stranded on a remote island ruled by the mysterious Count Zaroff - a passionate hunting enthusiast. Seemingly hospitable, the Count harbors a dark secret about a deadly game played on the island...

Directors Pichel and Schoedsack skillfully blend adventure, thriller, and horror elements through a tight, suspenseful narrative. Tension becomes evident with the appearance of Count Zaroff and continues to escalate from that point on. This is enhanced by the fact that the plot is concise, with no wasted scenes. The island's atmosphere emphasizes isolation and danger, while the nighttime sequences contribute greatly to the sense of fear and uncertainty.

The set design is masterfully conceived for its time. The cinematography is particularly striking during the chase scenes at night, as those are the most suspenseful moments in the film. Sound effects and the impressive soundtrack fully align with the film's tense atmosphere.

Thematically, the film focuses sharply on the notion of absolute power in the hands of one individual who decides the fate of others. However, moral dilemmas, the perversion of sport, corruption, and a lack of empathy within aristocratic circles are strongly implied throughout the narrative.

Joel McCrea portrays the calm and courageous hunter Bob Rainsford, who comes face-to-face with the dark side of his own passion for hunting as a hobby. In certain, especially dangerous scenes, I get the impression that Mr. McCrea appears a bit too composed, which may lessen the impact of the tension and slightly undermine the credibility of his performance.

Leslie Banks is both charismatic and deeply unsettling as Count Zaroff. His character perfectly enhances the unease that arises during his dialogues with the other characters, and he delivers a very solid performance overall.

Fay Wray plays Eve Trowbridge, a young woman who survived the shipwreck. Her reactions to Zaroff's behavior - ranging from suspicion to discomfort and terror - deserve praise for their expressive authenticity. Furthermore, Ms. Wray subtly influences the dynamic relationship between Eve and Bob, giving her character unexpected narrative weight.

This film marks a departure from the typical horror films of the early 1930s. I would describe it as an exciting and engaging work that will always have its audience.