Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself.

Director:

John S. Robertson

Writers:

Robert Louis Stevenson (by), Clara Beranger (scenario) (as Clara S. Beranger)

Stars:

John Barrymore, Martha Mansfield, Brandon Hurst

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Barrymore	...	Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde
Brandon Hurst	...	Sir George Carewe
Martha Mansfield	...	Millicent Carewe
Charles Lane	...	Dr. Lanyon
Cecil Clovelly	...	Edward Enfield
Nita Naldi	...	Miss Gina
Louis Wolheim	...	Music Hall Proprietor

Storyline

Based on the Robert Louis Stevenson story: Doctor Henry Jekyll's enthusiasm for science and his selfless acts of service have made him a much-admired man. But as he visits Sir George Carew one evening, his host criticizes him for his reluctance to experience the more sensual side of life. Sir George goads Jekyll into visiting a music hall, where he watches the alluring dancer Gina. Jekyll becomes fascinated with the two contrasting sides of human nature, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of separating them. After extensive work in his laboratory, he devises a formula that does indeed allow him to alternate between two completely different personalities, his own and that of a brutish, lascivious person whom he names Hyde. It is not long before the personality of Hyde begins to dominate Jekyll's affairs.

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Plot Keywords:

gothic horror | silent film | cult film | self experimentation | character names in title | 

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Taglines:

The world's greatest actor in a tremendous story of man at his best and worst!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1920 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Dobbeltmennesket (Dr. Jekyll og Mr. Hyde)

Filming Locations:

Tilford Studio - 344 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min (1971 alternate) 73 min (Kino Print) 82 min (DVD) 79 min (Kino)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The very first shot shows Dr. Jekyll intently looking through a microscope, but then he takes a glass slide, places a drop of liquid on it, inserts the slide beneath the microscope lens and looks closely at something that in the next shot is shown to be microbes. Because Jekyll was initially looking through the microscope and studying nothing at all, this may seem a mistake. However, as Jekyll later shows us, his laboratory is lit by gas, and is not electrified. 19th century microscopes were illuminated by a mirror below the slide holder and angled to reflect light from a candle or window up into the lens. As the scene starts, Jekyll is doing what all users of those microscopes did, adjusting the mirror prior to insertion of the first examination slide.

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Goofs

After the first transformation scene when Hyde attempts to change back into Jekyll, as he throws himself onto the floor, you can see one of his prosthetic fingers fly off.

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Quotes

Sir George Carew: What's the matter - afraid of Temptation?

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Crazy Credits

Except for John Barrymore whose name appears above the title, actors were not originally credited in this movie at the start or at the end. Instead, four additional actors and their character names are credited in the inter-titles right before they appear on-screen.

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Alternate Versions

There is a tinted version, brown for the interior scenes, green for outdoor scenes and the titles - in made in Yugoslavia in 1965.

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Connections

Featured in Rosario (2010)

User Reviews

John Barrymore at his best!

Nearly everybody has seen the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in one of the more modern versions, but nobody has ever portrayed it as successfully as John Barrymore did. This movie, a silent classic, has amazing special effects for its day. Specifically I refer to the metamorphosis of Dr. Jekyll. You will literally not recognize or believe that the same actor playing Dr. Jekyll is also playing Mr. Hyde. The make-up, the lighting, and Barrymore's excellent acting give you the feeling that this is truly a different, darker, more evil man. Berrymore completes the transition from clean-cut Doctor to dementedly violent madman so naturally that you almost forget it's not real. You have to see this! It'll still scare you after all these years!