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Directed By
Victor Fleming
Written By:
John Lee Mahin
Cast:
Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp, Ian Hunter, Barton MacLane, C. Aubrey Smith, Peter Godfrey, Sara Allgood, Frederick Worlock, William Tannen, Frances Robinson, Billy Bevan, Forrester Harvey, Denis Green
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
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Movie Review by BillyBob
February 8th, 2008
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Mr. Hyde-And-Seek
Peek-A-Boo! Can anyone find Mr. Hyde? Where in tarnations is he hiding?
Of course, everyone (and his or her 'other' self) knows this fascinating story of Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde (or DJAMH for short). I'm sure we all know it backwards. But just in case there are a few clueless stragglers out there who aren't hip, yet, I'll clue you in.
WARNING : Do Not Try This Experiment At Home!!
DJAMH is a story about this rad (yet highly-dignified) Doctor-Dude who, one night in a drunken whirl, while mixing Martinis in his fabulous, high-fashion lab, accidentally drops a whole box of chewy Ex-Lax into a beaker of frothing battery acid. He absentmindedly drinks this deadly concoction and miraculously survives the ordeal, but turns into the meanest and snarkiest Grinch that ever stole Christmas. (or evacuated his own bowels, for that matter)......Hee-Hee. Just jokin', folks! But, hey, doesn't this sound like a totally awesome plot-synopsis for a movie!?
DJAMH was adapted for the screen from the novel 'The Strange Case of DJAMH' written by, none other than, Robert Louis Stevenson, of the 'Treasure Island' fame.
DJAMH was directed this time (1941) by Victor Fleming, of 'The Wizard of Oz/Gone With The Wind' fame. This would be the 2nd 'talkie' version of the story. The 1st was released in 1932 and was a fine piece of work, in its own right.
In this version of DJAMH the grotesque physical (especially facial) appearance of the transformed Mr. Hyde was toned-down almost to the point of being unnoticeable (at least, to the naked eye). But, it was there, alright. This really made a lot of sense since the true nature of Hyde's drastic transformation came from within his unseen character, and it really wasn't intended to be a surface-job, or werewolf-type change. The thoughtful screenplay was written, keeping this perspective very much in mind. The final product deserves a lot of merit. It completely allowed actor Spencer Tracy a chance to get his finely sharpened acting-chops into a really meaty role. And, boy, does Tracy play his 'Hyde' character to the hilt! He portrays Hyde with such a cruel and ruthless brutality that you'll absolutely love to hate him and his vile and villainous ways. You really will.
Another notable performance in DJAMH is that of Ingrid Bergman, one of Hollywood's most radiant beauties from the 1940's. Here she plays the total victim to Hyde's outright cruelty. It's a mighty strange relationship between these 2, indeed, continually hinging on a dangerous mix of attraction and repulsion. Bergman is absolutely fascinating to watch at times as she fearfully tries to find a way out from Hyde's savage lust and torment.
If I'm not mistaken DJAMH was nominated for an Oscar as 'Best Picture'. This would be the first (but not last) time that a horror film would be considered a prime candidate for that much honored award.
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