Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931)
9/10
Dr Jekyll seeks to evolve humankind by separating the evil person from the good person. Somehow a potion that produces the evil man... um... well, as long as we got the evil man, if you use up all the evil man time, we'll be left with the good man... I don't know, let's just go with it and see what happens.
Couldn't have been better unless it had some other things to say. Still not a correct replication of the short novel (which I read, and highly recommend), but it's the closest film adaptation to the book that I've yet seen, but of course entirely inadequate to the book. In fact, check out the book "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" from the library for free, because there is no substitute, it's a good book, and it's a short book too (64 pages). Then we can talk about the book.
Anyway, the film... the shot direction is full tilt! The director, Rouben Mamoulian, uses first person, lot's of movement... it's really exciting direction.
Fredric March, playing the lead, Dr Jekyll, won the Academy Award for Best Actor, playing an American in London... that is, he's the only one with an American accent, but nobody talks about it...
The script dialogue is definitely bold, no holds barred...
Quote:
Poole: You should go out, sir. London offers many amusements for a gentlemen like you, sir.
Dr. Jekyll: Yes, but gentlemen like me daren't take advantage of them, Poole. Gentlemen like me have to be very careful of what we do or say.
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Quote:
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Mr. Hyde: Perhaps you prefer a gentleman. One of those fine-mannered and honorable gentlemen. Those panting hypocrites who like your legs but talk about your garters.
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