I have no soul. I'm beyond the pale. I'm one of the living dead! It's one of the most famous pieces of literature ever written, a genius piece of story telling from the trippy mind of Robert Louis Stevenson. That it has consistently been ripe for film and stage adaptations, and continues to be so since it first surfaced in written form in 1866, is testament to what a devilishly intelligent piece of work it is. This 1931 version, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and staring Fredric March, may not be 100% faithful to the source, but it's arguably the finest adaptation to screen, led by a superb performance from March and featuring technical guile by Mamoulian and his team. It's wonderfully stylish, and coming as it did before the Hayes Code, it's sexy and dangerous, awash with terrifying cruelty, with the subversive and Freudian psychological beats making for a Gothic horror classic. Split personality a go go, inhibitions cast asunder, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is priceless. 8/10
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
“Put yourself in her place! The dreaded night when her lover became a madman!”
Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men: one that is good and one that is evil. He believes that by separating the two, man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug, it is already too late.
Quick Stats
7.2
TMDB Rating
338
Votes
1h 36m
Runtime
$535K
Budget
$1.3M
Box Office
243%
Return
Key Crew
DirectorRouben Mamoulian
WriterPercy Heath
CinematographyKarl Struss
ComposerM.M. Paggi
EditorWilliam Shea
Production DesignHans Dreier
Produced by
Paramount Pictures
Where to Watch
Rent
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Critics & Reviews
1 featuredCast
Fredric March
Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde
Miriam Hopkins
Ivy Pearson
Rose Hobart
Muriel Carew
Holmes Herbert
Dr. John Lanyon
Halliwell Hobbes
Brig. Gen. Sir Danvers Carew
Edgar Norton
Poole
Tempe Pigott
Mrs. Hawkins
Leonard Carey
Briggs, Lanyon's Butler (uncredited)
S
Sam Harris
Party Guest (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin
Police Inspector (uncredited)
Arnold Lucy
Utterson (uncredited)
Murdock MacQuarrie
Dissenting Doctor at Lecture (uncredited)
Eric Mayne
Lanyon's Associate at Lecture (uncredited)
Robert Adair
Ivy's Admirer at Music Hall (uncredited)
Pat Harmon
Music Hall Customer (uncredited)
