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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) r
1930s scifi-horror done right - also surprisingly bleak and brutal for its time.
Dr. Jekyll is a brilliant scientist and philanthropic but also a man with large ego and strong impulses. He has a duality theory that men are comprised of good and evil and that it's possible to separate them, that it's possible to remove evil from man and leave behind a virtuous, angelic being. He creates a potion for the task but instead of making him a saint it puts his evil in charge creating Mr. Hyde.
Basically Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is yet another cautionary tale about man reaching beyond his position and stepping on God's toes. I kinda dislike such anti-science stance but it does yield good basis for a story and obviously fits to a film set in Victorian era London. There are heavy Darwinian influences in duality of Jekyll and Hyde the latter being a step down the evolutionary ladder, an animal not only in its inability to control its impulses but also physically transforming to resemble an ape.
The relationship between Hyde and Ivy is brutal. It's perversity is amplified by the fact that (at least in my opinion) some of the scenes between the two are made almost erotic despite of their violent nature. Both actors are good but it took me a while to get used to March's animalistic manners as Hyde. Rest of the cast is alright but they really don't have as much chances to shine.
Cinematography is good and creative for such an old film. I personally don't like first person view so the beginning is certainly not to my liking but other uses of the technique work quite well. The meeting with Jekyll and Muriel in the garden has some brilliantly framed shots and works really well. Split screens are used with good taste. Overall the film is visually better than majority of the other old ones I've seen. The effects feel (obviously) outdated but not distractingly so.
Entertaining scifi-horror with some creative cinematography, good acting and surprising brutality. Definitely superior to Mad Love.
1930s scifi-horror done right - also surprisingly bleak and brutal for its time.
Dr. Jekyll is a brilliant scientist and philanthropic but also a man with large ego and strong impulses. He has a duality theory that men are comprised of good and evil and that it's possible to separate them, that it's possible to remove evil from man and leave behind a virtuous, angelic being. He creates a potion for the task but instead of making him a saint it puts his evil in charge creating Mr. Hyde.
Basically Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is yet another cautionary tale about man reaching beyond his position and stepping on God's toes. I kinda dislike such anti-science stance but it does yield good basis for a story and obviously fits to a film set in Victorian era London. There are heavy Darwinian influences in duality of Jekyll and Hyde the latter being a step down the evolutionary ladder, an animal not only in its inability to control its impulses but also physically transforming to resemble an ape.
The relationship between Hyde and Ivy is brutal. It's perversity is amplified by the fact that (at least in my opinion) some of the scenes between the two are made almost erotic despite of their violent nature. Both actors are good but it took me a while to get used to March's animalistic manners as Hyde. Rest of the cast is alright but they really don't have as much chances to shine.
Cinematography is good and creative for such an old film. I personally don't like first person view so the beginning is certainly not to my liking but other uses of the technique work quite well. The meeting with Jekyll and Muriel in the garden has some brilliantly framed shots and works really well. Split screens are used with good taste. Overall the film is visually better than majority of the other old ones I've seen. The effects feel (obviously) outdated but not distractingly so.
Entertaining scifi-horror with some creative cinematography, good acting and surprising brutality. Definitely superior to Mad Love.