Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

just watch it!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Less a horror film than a morality fable (you can choose evil but then you cannot choose good again), this entry of Stevenson's story is sublime. Supremely endowed by Mamoulian's directorial prowess and effective proclivity to innovation, the film towers above its own dated restrictions freeing itself to an aesthetic highland where even pose and verbose dialogue cannot hinder its virtues.March is neurotically fierce as Jekyll and grotesquely fearsome as the Neanderthalian Hyde, Hopkins does her usual superlative work and, above all, Mamoulian brings it home thundering his well-honed, yet experimental, mastery (pov narration, split screen imagery, pioneering use of sound, camera movement, editing pace, visual effects, you name it..). A master('s)work.

Robert Louis Stevenson's old Victorian, horror-in-the-smog horror classic gets its first sound movie adaptation.In the hands of director Rouben Mamoulian, it is a sexy, sophisticated and stylish affair - but with the odd melodramatic creak along the way (no surprises considering the script is based on a stage adaptation from the 1800's).Fredric March gives spirited and energetic performance(s) in the titular roles and he is more than matched by the cheap, tarty, indolent sexuality of Miriam Hopkins as the bubbly swilling object of Hyde's lustful attentions.Brilliant camera-work and make-up jiggery-pokery are the icing on the cinematic cake for this movie tour de force.

This is a great movie. It is one of the best horror movie ever made. Dr. Jekyll discovers man has two souls. A good soul and an evil soul. He tries to divide to two souls. He creates a formula that turns him into a monster that is his evil self. It starts to take him over. Do not think that because this movie is old that it is not scary. It is one of the scariest movies ever made. Based on one of the best horror stories ever told. This movie is a must see. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. This movie is very intense. It is one of the best horror movie ever. I need more lines. And I am running out of things to say.

(Halloween Horror Reviews #17)It is hard to believe that such a refined and dynamic film as this came out of this early period in horror. The harsh emotions, the creepy imagery and sets, all massively ahead of their time. The themes and ideas of the novel remain respectfully intact here, nowhere near as diluted as they would have been expected to be.Fredric March is truly incredible as both Jekyll and Hyde. The emotional range is stellar, the physical investment from the actor is truly admirable and quite spectacular. Miriam Hopkins also offers a chilling performance in her role, captivating the audience with her simple yet effective displays of fear and bewilderment. Between these two actors, the film becomes a powerhouse of great early sound acting and a real marvel to watch 82 years later. The supporting actors also do a fine job, but are ultimately overlooked and passed over by the main stars.The set design and lighting are both also stellar, perhaps some of the best examples of such things from the early sound era of horror. The lamp lit streets, the chaotic laboratory and the jolly pub, these are all great sets and give the film a vibrant charm of its own.In conclusion, this is a near perfect film and an outstanding accompaniment to the classics of Universal. A sadly often overlooked gem here.