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:

Both are Barrymore! See him as Dr. Jekyll- beloved of woman- sought by society- serving the weak and poor. see him as the fiendish Hyde-revelling in London's underworld dives- strewing his wake with victims of his crimes and depravity. The finest acting achievement ever shown on the screen. (Print Ad- Bourbon News, ((Paris, Ky.)) 2 December 1921)

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, this film was not shot at the Astoria Studios in Long Island. Principal photography took place between December 1919 and January 1920 in the rooftop auditorium of the Amsterdam Opera House on 44th St. in Manhattan, in order for Barrymore to make his regularly scheduled Broadway appearances. In between February, 1920 and September, 1920, Paramount used the downstairs auditorium when it became available. The Astoria studios opened the following month.

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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

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

In 1993 Jeff Forrester / USA Networks produced NEW copyrighted versions of mainstream silent films w/ EXCLUSIVE scores & NEW inter-titles. All but one were in black & white. There were 7 in total. They were aired on the SYFY (SCI-FI) Channel during the Christmas holiday in 1993 as part of SCI-FI Channel's Silent Cinema marathon. It was hosted by renowned film critic Jeffrey Lyons & was taped @ the AMERICAN MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE in Astoria, NY. These particular versions have NEVER been available in ANY home video format. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. They were distributed by JORDEXX TELEVISION, INC. The DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1920) score was composed & performed by Michael Murphy.

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Connections

Version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)

User Reviews

John Barrymore's Double Feature or The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (Paramount, 1920), directed by John S. Robertson, ranks the best known silent screen adaptations from the famous 1886 story by Robert Louis Stevenson and the 1897 stage play starring Richard Mansfield. Featuring the then unlikely John Barrymore, a matinée idol better known as "The Great Profile," this early horror film features the young actor to good advantage in portraying two entirely different characters in one motion picture. Those familiar with the Stevenson story, especially with its latter remakes during the sound era, whether starring Fredric March in 1931 (for which he won an Academy Award as best actor) or Spencer Tracy in 1941 (a very good film but often dismissed due to its miscasting) the story itself has its alterations.

Set in 19th century England, Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore), "an idealist and philanthropist, by profession a doctor of medicine," spending his time not only conducting experiments in his laboratory attached to his home, but treatinghis patients at a free clinic for the poor at his own expense. He's engaged to Millicent Carewe (Martha Mansfield), but their relationship appears to be mainly platonic. Arriving late at a dinner gathering at the Carewe home, Sir George Carewe, (Brandon Hurst), Millicent's father and Jekyll's mentor, soon becomes Jekyll's evil influence when he suggests the possibilities of man living by his instincts, yet having another side to his nature. Carewe later accompanies Jekyll to a London music hall where they are not only surrounded by a class of patrons beneath their status, but watch a flirtatious young dancer named Gina (Nita Naldi) perform. "For the first time in his life, Jekyll had awakened to the sense of his baser nature." Spending days and nights in his lab with his experiments, Jekyll, after drinking down his invented formula, soon transforms into his evil self. Becoming the uncontrollable person he names Edward Hyde, Jekyll's evil self begins a relationship with the sultry Gina, eventually making her life miserable. Hyde goes on a murderous rampage, taking control over Jekyll's immortal soul. Jekyll's experiment gets the better of him when he keeps changing into the evil Hyde against his will, returning to his gentler self through an antidote, becoming a recluse and spending more time away from Millicent. When Jekyll's antidote supply runs dry, he tries to fight the urge of evil. After murdering a child of the streets in the poor district of town, and later Sir George who witnessed the evil change in his future son-in-law, Jekyll realizes that he's unable to undo his evil deeds, and suffers more as he tries to prevent himself from making Millicent his next victim.

Supporting Barrymore in the cast are Charles Lane as Doctor Richard Lanyon; Cecil Clovelly as Edward Enfield; Louis Wolheim as the music hall proprietor; and George Stevens as Poole, Jekyll's butler.

Produced shortly before what future star Lon Chaney would have achieved in a role such as this, Barrymore's performs his most memorable moments during his transformation scenes. Every transformation captured on film shows the viewer a more hideous manifestation of Jekyll's other self. Quite theatrical to say the least, but what's amazing is Barrymore's constant jerking of his body with his hair flopping about before the closeup of that hideous facial expression, which must have been quite intense for 1920 audiences. It's been reported that Barrymore changed into the evil Mr. Hyde without the use of makeup, unlike Chaney, who would have done his transformation similar to Fredric March's 1931 sound version, looking more like a hideous animal than a grotesque human creature. For Spencer Tracy's 1941 performance, like Barrymore, he's still in human form but his facial gestures appear inhuman. More added touches of evil include Jekyll's somewhat pointed head as well as close up of Jekyll's hand becoming a withered claw. Something worth noting is one where Jekyll sleeps in his bed and imagines a ghostly giant spider crawling upon him. Because of Barrymore's "great profile" image and matinée idol reputation, the camera takes full advantage in his numerous profiled closeups, yet this was the film that firmly establish Barrymore's movie career.

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE became one of the final thirteen movies aired on public television's THE SILENT YEARS (1971) as hosted by Orson Welles. Accompanied by an organ score by Gaylord Carter, the film runs at length to about 62 minutes. In later years, the silent version to DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE was distributed on video cassette, with the print shown on THE SILENT YEARS released through Blackhawk Video in the 1980s. At present, the length of the movie varies. It could be as long as 75 minutes or more, depending on the projection speed. Shorter prints could be the possibility of a deleted sequence or two taken from reissue copies. For the Blackhawk edition, a sudden cut is noticeable as Millicent (Martha Mansfield) is seen sitting sadly alone, longing for her fiancé, followed by an immediate cut showing Millicent, surrounded by some people, running happily up the stairs with a letter clasped in her hand. Besides JEKYLL AND HYDE's availability on video, it's also been recently distributed on DVD.

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE consisted of several earlier American-made versions (1912, 1913, and another in 1920 to compete with the Barrymore film), but for whatever copy is available for viewing, this 1920 production featuring Barrymore is the only easy access for viewing. Out of circulation on the TV markets since the 1970s, it finally resurfaced on Turner Classic Movies October 24, 2004, as part of its annual Halloween fright feast. The print with the Gaylord Carter organ score has circulated on TCM until its March 6, 2011 presentation consisting a new orchestral score composed by Al Kryszak that's one I would not recommend after listening better scores in the past. (***)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

None English

Release Date:

28 September 1920 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Dr. Jekyll and 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:

69 min 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