Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two, man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug, it is already too late.
- Rouben Mamoulian
- Robert Lee
- Samuel Hoffenstein
- Percy Heath
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Rating: 7.271/10 by 280 users
Alternative Title:
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - DE
Arzt und Dämon - DE
Das Phantom von London - DE
El hombre y el monstruo - ES
Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 38 minutes
Budget: $535,000
Revenue: $1,300,000
Plot Keyword: london, england, double life, based on novel or book, transformation, alter ego, jekyll and hyde, pre-code, marriage engagement, torment, abused woman
I have no soul. I'm beyond the pale. I'm one of the living dead! It's one of the most famous pieces of literature ever written, a genius piece of story telling from the trippy mind of Robert Louis Stevenson. That it has consistently been ripe for film and stage adaptations, and continues to be so since it first surfaced in written form in 1866, is testament to what a devilishly intelligent piece of work it is. This 1931 version, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and staring Fredric March, may not be 100% faithful to the source, but it's arguably the finest adaptation to screen, led by a superb performance from March and featuring technical guile by Mamoulian and his team. It's wonderfully stylish, and coming as it did before the Hayes Code, it's sexy and dangerous, awash with terrifying cruelty, with the subversive and Freudian psychological beats making for a Gothic horror classic. Split personality a go go, inhibitions cast asunder, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is priceless. 8/10
