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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
USA 1920
produced by Adolph Zukor for Paramount
directed by John S. Robertson
starring John Barrymore, Brandon Hurst, Martha Mansfield, Charles Lane, Cecil Clovelly, Nita Naldi, Louis Wolheim, George Stevens, J. Malcolm Dunn, Julia Hurley
screenplay by Clara Beranger, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
silent Jekyll and Hyde
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Young Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) is a man as noble as they come: He
has dedicated his life to medical research, runs a clinic for the poor on
the side, and knows virtually nothing about temptation and vice. So he
seems to be pretty much the perfect mate for virtuous Millicent (Martha
Mansfield). But of all people Millicent's father Sir George (Brandon
Hurst) believes young Henry is wasting his life away, and thus takes him
to a music hall, where Henry falls for the charm of a dancer, Gina (Nita
Naldi), an emotion all new to him. So he develops a serum that will
separate the virtuous from the baser instincts, make them into seperate
persons pretty much. He's very successful at that, too ... too successful
it turns out, as every time he takes the serum he turns into hideous Mr.
Hyde, a base creature that indulges in every vice imaginable, including
heavy drinking and partying, having business with prostitutes, and taking
Gina as his mate, and later ditching her at the drop of a hat. Of course,
Jekyll keeps this secret from everyone, but he enjoys being Hyde so much
that he takes the serum more and more often, despite his conscience
telling him otherwise. Jekyll's friends start to worry about him, as he
more and more drops from sight, but when they go to investigate, they only
run into Hyde, who kills a street urchin in an accident then tries to pay
up with a check signed by Jekyll - which gets the friends suspicious. Sir
George goes to see Jekyll on his daughter's behalf, and actually sees him
turn into Hyde, something he has to pay with his life. After that, Jekyll
vows never to become Hyde again, gets rid of all the serum, and tries to
resume his virtuous life. But it turns out he doesn't need the serum
anymore to turn into Hyde, and thus he locks himself inside his lab to not
cause any more trouble. But somehow Millicent manages to gain access to
Jekyll's lab, and Jekyll, in his Hyde persona, poisons himself rather than
causing her any harm. A rather faithful adaptation of Robert
Louis Stevenson's novel, this movie, more than most that followed, gets
the drug-like aspects of Jekyll's serum right, and thus doesn't make Hyde
a separate (evil) entity that he is so many later movies, but a direct
result from Jekyll's addiction to Hyde - and as a consequence the blame
for all that's happening is squarely put on Jekyll's shoulders, as Hyde is
little more than a result of his addictions. That of course is thanks to
clever writing and a very strong and compelling performance from John
Barrymore. Direction-wise, the film might seem a bit stale compared to
other horror extravaganzas from the silent era, but its slowburn, subtle
approach serves the story well. Worth a look for sure.
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