|
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1920)
See - before
your very eyes - the most amazing change of character
ever achieved by a modern actor.
Director: John S. Robertson, Unrated
  Starring:
John Barrymore, Martha Mansfield, Brandon Hurst, Charles Lane, Cecil Clovelly,
Nita Naldi, Louis Wolheim, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Julia Hurley, May Robson,
George Stevens
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
- good
"In the impenetrable
mask of another identity, Hyde set forth upon a sea of
license... to do what he, as Jekyll, could not do." -
Narrator
Why watch this? One
of the truly great early horror performances on film.
Plot Summary:
In London, the virtuous and charitable Dr. Henry Jekyll is
prompted by his future father-in-law to consider the more
hedonistic side of life. This inspires Jekyll to develop a
potion that separates the good and evil parts of a person's
nature, creating the monstrous alter-ego, Mr. Hyde. As Hyde's
destructive behavior becomes more difficult to control, Jekyll's
carefully constructed double life spirals toward a tragic and
inevitable end.
| |
Dad's Preview:
The ageless concept of man's duality of good vs. evil comes
forward in this classic Robert L. Stevenson story about a man of
science pushing the limits of ethics to split the two apart. John
Barrymore (grandfather of Drew Barrymore) gives a superb
performance, showing one side as innocent and kind, while the
other is monstrous and cruel. Yes, there is very creative
make-up, but that is the point. Early movies like this
created the gothic model that would become the standard in so
many of Universal's early horror efforts - creeping fog,
shadowed top hats and capes, the lower world of bars and
brothels. Though a silent film, you will see that Mr. Hyde is
very frightening, with his misshapen skull, gangly claws
and devious sneer. |
|
Famous
Players-Lasky; Artcraft Pictures;
Paramount Pictures
|
