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Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932)

  NR Closed Captioning

Rouben Mamoulian

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Plot Summary

This first sound version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic morality tale starred Fredric March as the kindly, philanthropic Dr. Jekyll, who makes the fatal mistake of delving into secrets that Man Should Never Know. Fascinated with the notion that within each man lurk impulses for both Good and Evil, Jekyll develops a drug to release the wickedness in himself. The result: the lecherous, lycanthropic Mr. Hyde (one has to keep reminding oneself that the handsome, soft-spoken March plays both roles; small wonder that he won the Academy Award). Jekyll is the honorable suitor of the virtuous Muriel Carew (Rose Hobart), while Hyde is the brutish pursuer of the sluttish "Champagne Ivy" Pearson (Miriam Hopkins, as sexy as she'd ever be in films). It isn't long before the kindly Jekyll is unable to control the wicked Hyde, with tragic results. Director Rouben Mamoulian could often seem like the Brian De Palma of his time, showing off like a first-year film student instead of telling a story. But Mamoulian's excesses work beautifully in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, notably the dizzying first transformation scene (that heartbeat you hear on the soundtrack belongs to Mamoulian himself). Withdrawn from circulation when MGM refilmed the Stevenson novel in 1941, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde resurfaced in the early 1970s, albeit only in the heavily censored version prepared for the 1938 reissue. The current video version restores most of the missing scenes—including the famous opening reel, photographed from Jekyll's point of view with a subjective camera.

Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews

TOMATOMETER

93%
  • Reviews Counted: 27
  • Fresh: 25
  • Rotten: 2
  • Average Rating: 8.2/10

Top Critics' Reviews

Fresh: Fredric March is the stellar performer in this blood-curdling shadow venture. – Mordaunt Hall, New York Times, Jul 16, 2008

Fresh: A remarkable achievement that deserves to be much better known. – Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader, Jun 24, 2010

Fresh: 'Dr Jekyll' combines gothic horror, aristocratic romance and madcap Freudian psychodrama into a dizzying, exhilirating brew. – Tom Huddlestone, Time Out, Jun 24, 2010

Fresh: While some of the dialogue and acting may now seem arch, this remains a standout take on the classic novel, visually inventive and often surprisingly strong given the era in which it was made. – Jim Hall, Film4, Oct 9, 2012

Read More About This Movie On Rotten Tomatoes

Customer Reviews

One of the best Universal Monster- wait! It's a paramount monster?

Wow! To tell the truth, this movie was so good that I at times thought this was a Universal Monster movie. Check it out. Oh and apple, can you please upload Frankenstein meets the Wolfman. I know it has its share of mistakes, but hey! Who doesn't like monster crossovers?

clever

i love how they did the "mirror" in the preview! X)

a classic story

i agree that the inner battle between good and evil is not shown in movies enough

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932)
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  • $9.99
  • Genre: Horror
  • Released: 1932

Customer Ratings