Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Movie Review
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1920 silent horror film directed by John S. Robertson and starring John Barrymore in the main role. It’s a pretty good adaptation of this classic novella.
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“A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses.
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it“
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First and foremost, this iconic 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella was adapted many times, and this is not the best such adaptation. That honor still goes to the 1931 Fredric March movie that is fantastic and clearly the quintessential adaptation. Still though, this 1920 version comes close enough to that movie’s great quality for a variety of reasons.
Looking at the movie online, you could see that the word Paramount is thrown along with its title, which is done in order to differentiate it from the other movie adaptation of this source material released in the same year, but that one is much weaker apparently. So yes, there was a lot of craze going on about this novella apparently during the early twenties, resulting in this very good movie that most definitely satisfied the audiences of its time.
And it still manages to satisfy, at least it did do that for me. That’s because the story is so faithfully adapted with all the most important plot points and scenarios having been beautifully brought to life on the big screen. I also have to commend the movie for including some great quotes from Oscar Wilde himself. That was a terrific choice in my book having in mind that ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ has a lot in common with this particular source material, both in style and thematically speaking.
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My only issue with this movie version is the lack of tension. Yes, a movie from the twenties could never be scary per say for modern audiences, but it could have been a bit intense at least, and it simply wasn’t in my opinion. Not that it failed at doing that, but the problem is that the filmmakers did not even try. The movie is too straightforward, too literal and too dramatic without ever being truly suspenseful and/or atmospheric.
Brandon Hurst was quite good as George Carewe, and I also really liked the inclusion of Millicent Carewe into the proceedings as a necessary female character in a story that initially did not include one. It was also wonderful seeing Nita Naldi here, but she only got one scene or so, and mostly in a thankless filler part of the movie.
John Barrymore is the real star here. Though not his first role in a film, it was certainly one of his earlier, more memorable roles that really catapulted his career to greater heights. And it’s easy to see why that happened for him and why everybody loved him. Barrymore steals the show throughout this movie as a genuine cinematic star. Yes, he is a bit over-the-top, but that only suits not just the silent medium, but this theatrical role itself. He was excellent at both personalities and particularly expressive when it comes to his face and mannerisms.
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is also technically quite strong. You can clearly see that this was a precursor to the 1931 classic in terms of production design and the overall look to it. It set the stage perfectly for future adaptations to follow with many fabulous sets, great costumes and some truly memorable imagery. The direction is solid as is the dialogue while I particularly admired its stylish, very unique intertitles as well as a very effective score.
