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...And now our feature presentation

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Cast                                                                          Credits

John Barrymore . . . Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde         Studio . . . . . . . . . .Paramount Pictures 
Brandon Hurst . . . . Sir George Carew                      Director . . . . . . . . John S. Robertson
Martha Mansfield. . Millicent Carew                          Story by. . . . . . . . .Robert Louis Stevenson
Charles Lane. . . . . .Dr. Richard Lanyon                    Cinematography. . Roy F. Overbaugh
George Stevens . . . Poole   

                                                           Run Time: 88 minutes

The possible ratings are as follows:

   Abysmal. Complete trash-- bad acting, writing, cinematography, etc.

   Bomb. One or two redeeming qualities, but inferior overall.

    Average. Not outstanding in most respects, but worth checking out.

    I had a ball. Solid acting, writing, cinematography, etc. Superior in many respects.

Excellent. A true classic. Few, if any, flaws.

TAKE ONE: BOOMER

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the classic tale of the duality of human nature. Within all of us lives a saint and a demon. If you have any doubt about this, simply look at very small children as they play. They have yet to be socialized regarding the proper way to treat one another. The same child who will pull hair, bite, spit, and give you a solid left hook one minute can be the most loving, innocent child the next. I am not saying that children are inherently evil; rather, I am merely pointing out that competing forces do exist in all of us. Here is an interesting question though: What if you could harness the barbaric side and house it in a separate body? Would this leave the soul pure? Such are the questions asked (and answered) in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The story is set in London. Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) is the emodiment of virtue. He runs a health clinic for the poor and uses his own money to fund the clinic. He denies all that is hedonistic to protect the purity of his soul. His friends, by and large, respect him a great deal but think he is prudish and just a little strange. Sir George (Brandon Hurst), however, decides that he should tempt the good doctor just a bit by showing him all that he is missing by leading such a righteous life. He takes the doctor to the dance hall where he tries to get Gina (Nita Naldi), an Italian dancer, to seduce Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll resists, but gets an idea. He will try to separate the prurient, vile side of the human mind from the good, righteous side and house them in different bodies. In this way, the Doctor could enjoy the seemier side of life and protect his soul at the same time. Would it work? You know the answer--of course not. His alter ego, Mr. Hyde (John Barrymore), a self-absorbed, murderous animal, slowly takes over and becomes the dominant force. In the end, Jekyll must kill himself to keep stop Hyde.

What of the story? Some may try to pass this off as some ancient science-fictionesque tale with no relevance to the real world. However, this is a film about compulsion and addiction. This is a powerful work which should seem very relevant in today's society. Too often, people, especially young people, are seduced by the dark side of nature. Drug addiction, sex addiction, the overwhelming desire to hurt people all start with someone beliving they can control their behavior and will only indulge to a safe point. Yet invariably, control is lost and the self-destructive cycle, already set in motion, cannot be stopped. On a very real level, this movie serves as a cautionary tale to all of those who indulge in potentially dangerous behaviors.

On another level, the movie also forces the viewer to admit that just below the calm exterior lies an animalistic side which needs to be fed. For some this is very obvious, for others, this is frightening beyond belief. When we see kids spraying bullets in a crowded school yard for no apparent (or at least significant) reason, we cry out, "Why?" The answer is as close as the last time you stuck your middle finger up at a driver who cut you off and lurks just below the surface, kicking to get out. We all have the potential to lose control and snap. Most of course will not snap, but everyone who is honest will admit that, at times, it is very difficult to keep Mr. Hyde tucked away inside us. It is this basic truth about human nature which makes Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde a very scarry movie.

The technical aspects of this film are all above par. The acting is universally good, and this film will show the viewer why John Barrymore is considered by many to have been the greatest actor of all time. The movie is shot abslutely beautifully and does not suffer from focus or lighting problems in the least. In many respects, this film looks and feels like a late 20th Century film.

My overall rating: 
 

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