Mary Reilly (1996)

A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Hyde.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Valerie Martin (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Stars:

Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, George Cole

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Roberts	...	Mary Reilly
John Malkovich	...	Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde
George Cole	...	Mr. Poole
Michael Gambon	...	Mary's Father
Kathy Staff	...	Mrs. Kent
Glenn Close	...	Mrs. Farraday
Michael Sheen	...	Bradshaw
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Annie
Linda Bassett	...	Mary's Mother
Henry Goodman	...	Haffinger
Ciarán Hinds	...	Sir Danvers Carew (as Ciaran Hinds)
Sasha Hanau	...	Young Mary
Moya Brady	...	Young Woman
Emma Griffiths Malin	...	Young Whore
David Ross	...	Doctor

Storyline

We are somewhere in England in the 19th century. A Pretty housemaid works in a nice house, which is Dr. Jekyll's house. Mary Reilly think she found her best job, because she is poor and the doctor is well-known and rich. The film tells the 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' story as a woman sees the two men, one of them is good and the other is evil. And she loves them ...

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Plot Keywords:

housemaid | 19th century | servant | prostitution | split personality | 

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Taglines:

The Battle between Good and Evil has many Victims...and one Witness.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for notable gore and some strong violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

A gonosz csábítása

Filming Locations:

Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$5,600,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film represented a reteaming of several of the cast and crew of Dangerous Liaisons: director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Christopher Hampton, actors John Malkovich and Glenn Close, producer Norma Heyman, composer George Fenton, cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, production designer Stuart Craig and casting director Juliet Taylor.

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Goofs

Mary's accent disappears & reappears several times during the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Henry Jekyll: I'm not going to bite you.
Mary Reilly: I'm sorry, sir, you gave me a fright.
Dr. Henry Jekyll: You're up very early.
Mary Reilly: I'm generally up by five, sir, otherwise I get behind.

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Connections

Version of InHyde (2004)

User Reviews

Nothing Wrong With A Little Subetly Once In A While

I am glad to see a few other reviewers calling this "underrated." I figured I was the only person who actually liked this film. All the national critics sure hated this low-key re-telling of Jekyll and Hyde.

The muted colors with the grey overtones caught my eye and were very interesting to observe. Julia Roberts also was interesting to watch: no makeup, no smile, just sad, somber looks yet still appealing. Despite critics' comments to contrary, I found this an intelligent adaption of the famous story.

People don't care for subtly in films anymore. They want in-your-face smash- ups, gore, violent contrasts....and a lot of it. This movie is extremely low-key and subtle, although there are some bloody scenes.

I have to admit that I agree with one criticism, that it's hard to believe Roberts' character "Mary Reilly" would not recognize Jekyll from Hyde (played by John Malkovich) when he didn't change facial appearances! And, yes, the film, generally- speaking, is a real downer, a depressing tale.

Yet, for some odd reason, despite the above paragraph, I recommend the film to people who enjoy slower films and subtle suspense, even if they have to suspend a little believability. I thought it was oddly fascinating.