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As a medical doctor, Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) maintains a human "repair shop" for the poor and destitute at his own expense. Generally acknowledged as too good to be true, Jekyll is challenged by socialite Sir George Carew to experience more of life for himself, before he marries Carew's daughter Millicent (Martha Mansfield). "Think what it would mean! To yield to every evil impulse - yet leave the soul untouched!"
After meeting night club dancer Gina (Nita Naldi), Jekyll becomes consumed by obsession, spending day and night in his lab developing a drug that will give him the freedom to explore his baser nature. Jekyll's early transformations are almost comic in their execution, he flails his body wildly and even falls down completely as his body transforms into the hideously deformed creature Mr. Hyde. As Hyde plunges deeper into vice, his evil nature threatens to overcome Jekyll's entire life. Jekyll even creates a will leaving his effects to the sinister alter ego in case he's unable to come out of one of his mutations.
A particularly well done scene explores Jekyll's psyche as he lies in bed contemplating his fate; he imagines a huge hairy spider crawling up on his bed and bonding with his own body. Symbolically it cements the viewers understanding of Jekyll's transformation into a creature of evil and monstrous intent.
As Sir George confronts Jekyll, he changes into the most gruesome countenance of Hyde yet, and beats Sir George to death. Without the drug that will keep him normal, he's no longer able to control his transformations. Despondent, he takes his own life, or should I say, Mr. Hyde kills Dr. Jekyll to put an end to the reign of terror in his Soho neighborhood.
At times over the top, John Barrymore's performance is well presented, his portrayal leaves one with an appreciation for his art and his interpretation of the John Louis Stevenson character. Martha Mansfield is demurely pretty as the pining lover who patiently keeps her love for Dr. Jekyll alive, even though she has no idea what a monster he has become. Though a silent film with occasional word screens, one has no trouble in following the details of the story to it's dramatic conclusion. The only mitigating factor for the print I viewed was the musical score that at times did not match the on screen drama, seeming instead to be more upbeat than it's subject matter.
score 7/10
classicsoncall 17 August 2005
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1152353/ |
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25-2-2021 05:01:21