Last night I watched the 1931 classic film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the first time. While watching it I realized I have never seen a Dr. Jekyll movie. I am very familiar with the characters created by Robert Louis Stevenson in his novella, The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They have become so popular that it is common language to refer to someone with a split personality as Jekyll and Hyde. There have been over 100 adaptations of the story for stage, film and television but I have never seen any of them.
The film stars Frederic March as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in an outstanding performance that earned him an Oscar for Best Actor in 1932. He does not just rely on make-up to transform into Mr. Hyde. He changes his body language, voice and style of movement. He overacts Hyde with a larger than life performance suitable to such an evil monster. Hyde is everything evil, brutal, beastly and sadistic inside every man and March portrays this with gusto.
Dr. Jekyll is a noted scientist and a man of sterling reputation. He believes a man's soul is two parts that can be separated. The evil can be pulled out and subdued, allowing the good to soar to even greater heights. He experiments with chemicals to find a way to bring about this separation. But his success brings on a nightmare. It is the evil side, once set free from the constraints of the good, that thrives. As Hyde he can behave in ways a gentleman could not. He can give in to his lust and violent urges. But when he becomes Hyde his face takes on a hideous countenance that represents the evil within.
Jekyll soon finds that becoming Hyde is addictive and he swears to give up the formula. But it is too late because now just thinking evil thoughts brings about the transformation, leading to further murderous rampages.
Seventy nine years later the film still holds up. the transformation scenes were technical marvels for their time and were something audiences had never seen before. Director Rouben Mamoulian used stylized, inventive, visual techniques that have become standard form in movie storytelling. He experimented with long, tracking POV shots. He used split screens and stylized cinematography to create mood and atmosphere. The transformation special effects are just camera filters and careful editing to create the effect.
The acting style and dialogue is arch and stiff, much like other films of the day. But the explicit level of sexual frustration expressed by the long delay in Hyde's ability to marry his fiance and the release of that frustration by becoming Hyde, is quite unique. The movie was made before the Hollywood production code went into place and the film is quite suggestive. The bond between sexuality and violence is visible in the twisted relationship between Hyde and the barmaid Ivy.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was released at the same time Universal Pictures was making Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Invisible Man, but it never achieved the same classic status as these monster films, even though it is as good, or better than some of the Universal pictures. The fault for this lies with MGM.
In 1941 MGM remade Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Spencer Tracy starring in the leading role. When they secured the rights to the story they also purchased the rights to the 1931 Paramount film. In an effort to avoid comparison and ensure the success of their film, MGM recalled every available print of the 1931 movie and locked it away in storage.
While the Universal monster movies were shown repeatedly on television, gaining popularity with new generations, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was not seen by the public and slipped into obscurity.
MGM held the film in storage for 45 years until Ted Turner purchased the MGM film library in 1986. The library later became owned by Warner Bros and the movie has been made available to the public on DVD home video and is on TCM.
By coincidence Universal purchased the rights to all pre-1950 paramount films. If MGM had not purchased this film individually it would have become part of the library Paramount sold to Universal and today Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would be a classic movie monster on par with Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman and The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
If you have not seen this movie and love classic films I suggest you give yourself a treat this Halloween and pay a visit to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's laboratory.
At The Movie House rating **** stars.
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