Film Review
This, the most celebrated adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's short
novel
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,
created something of a sensation when it was first seen in 1920.
The critics were ecstatic in their praise of John Barrymore, some
proclaiming him the finest actor of his time on the strength of his
performance in this film. The truth was that Barrymore was, by
1920, one of the most talked about actors of his day, although this was
mainly through his stage work.
Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde was the film that established
him as a screen actor, effectively launching his legendary film
career, and making him one of the first of the great Hollywood
icons. (A similar fate would befall Fredric March when
he featured in the equally well-regarded 1931 version.)
It was whilst making this film that John Barrymore was preparing for what would be the
greatest performance of his career, as the lead role in a stage production
of Shakespeare's
Richard III. Presumably there was some
merging of the two roles, with the villainous crookbacked monarch
providing the basis for the grotesque Mr Hyde. What stunned the
critics was Barrymore's skill in creating two completely different
screen personas for this film, with minimal make-up, relying almost
entirely on muscular control to alter his physical appearance.
Even if Barrymore had had access to today's prosthetic trickery it is
doubtful that he could have delineated the good Dr Jekyll and the vile
Mr Hyde more vividly.
John Barrymore's gripping, tour de force performance is complemented by
the film's striking near-expressionistic design, with menacing shadows
and claustrophobic sets bringing a palpable sense of stifling
oppression. R.L. Stevenson's story is embellished with
ideas taken from Oscar Wilde's
The Picture of Dorian Gray,
emphasising the tragic poignancy and moral subtext of the drama.
Camera trickery is used sparingly but highly
effectively. The sequences in which Jekyll transmutes into Hyde
are flawlessly realised, and consequently quite terrifying.
Spared the censorship nonsense that would prevail in Hollywood in the
following decade, director John S. Robertson and his team were able to
give audiences genuine horror thrills by the cartload. The scene in which Hyde
viciously attacks and murders Sir George is shocking even by today's
standards, but the one scene that cannot fail to freeze your blood is
the one in which an ethereal giant spider (presumably symbolising our
darker nature) climbs onto Jekyll's bed and smothers the prostrate
doctor like a giant hairy claw... Ugh, definitely not for the
faint-hearted, and possibly lethal for the arachnophobes.
There had been a number of adaptations of Stevenson's novella before
this but this was the first which recognised and took advantage of the
truly horrific potentialities offered by the story. Even
today, the film manages to be pretty scary, partly because it deals
with a terrifying concept (namely that our good side may be completely
overtaken by the bad), but primarily because it is such a
skilfully rendered horror film. It is
relentlessly
creepy, well-paced, imaginatively photographed, and with several
shock scenes that really do make you want to jump out of your seat.
A major hit for the company that made it (Famous Players-Lasky
Corporation, later to become Paramount Pictures), this film was
instrumental in the creation of the horror genre in cinema.
Predating Murnau's
Nosferatu (1922) and
Universal's first popular horror offerings, this version of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is ahead of
its time and may be considered the first in a long line of classic
horror films. This is where the screaming started...
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Dr Henry Jekyll is a man of flawless repute, a philanthropist who
divides his time between treating the sick poor of London and
conducting scientific research in his laboratory. So preoccupied
is Jekyll with his good works that he neglects his fiancée,
Millicent, prompting his prospective father-in-law, Sir George Carew,
to mock his unstinting selflessness. Ashamed of his bestial
nature, Dr Jekyll resolves to separate it from his better side, so that
he can indulge his dark desires without tainting his immortal
soul. He drinks a potion that unleashes his alter ego,
transforming his outward appearance so that he becomes a misshapen
fiend, whilst his behaviour becomes that of a callous lecher. In
this guise, as Mr Hyde, the good doctor can live a debauched and wicked
life, secure in the knowledge that his soul will not be
corrupted. But this is mere delusion; Nature is not so easily
deceived. Over time, the bad side of Jekyll's character begins to
take over, growing more assertive, more violent. In the end, the
once good man can no longer control his wild impulses and must submit
to the evil that is Mr Hyde...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.