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 | doctor jekyll | dr jekyll | mister hyde | mr hyde | 

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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:

Famous Players-Lasky Corporation

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

In the short Renaissance flashback memory sequence, where Hyde is explaining to Gina about the poisonous mysteries of his secret ring, set pieces and costumes were brought from "The Jest". That was a hit play in which John Barrymore had starred with brother Lionel Barrymore on Broadway in 1919 before shooting this picture.

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Goofs

When the giant spider apparition (manifestation of Hyde) climbs onto Jekyll's bed, the legs of the actor manipulating the costume are clearly visible.

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Quotes

Dr. Henry Jekyll: Poole, there's a friend of mine named - Hyde. I want him to have full liberty and authority about the house...

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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

Version of Nightmare Classics: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1989)

User Reviews

Demon drink

I'm afraid this is my favourite film version of the tale. I say afraid because I think all the versions following this were technically better, but I still come back to this one. It's faults are legion, mainly from the technological standpoint, and you can also sometimes shake your head at the acting talents displayed, but the atmosphere of the film as a Victorian melodrama is unbeatable. The age of the film itself actually helps in this case (in these digital times), with plenty of blurred smoky foggy images to contemplate. As in the case of Hitchcock's 39 Steps, I preferred the film to the book.

Barrymore/Hyde's convulsions can be mirth inducing, but you can't argue with the fact that if you saw him in real life you'd cross the road to avoid him. Watch his expression after he kills Carew!

This DVD version ran a sedate b&w 82 minutes - after a lifetime of watching a tinted 59 minuter it took some getting used to, and the music was totally unsympathetic to the action too. Therefore the next time I trot this out it really will be silent! But well worth watching seminal stuff especially if you're interested in seeing the best film (that survives anyhow) from 1920.