The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

1961 "LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN!"
6.3| 1h28m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 03 May 1961 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

After a series of scientific experiments directed towards freeing the inner man and controlling human personalities, the kindly, generous Dr Henry Jekyll succeeds in freeing his own alter ego, Edward Hyde, a sadistic, evil creature whose pleasure is murder.

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Reviews

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted
SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
kateskye The acting is fine, the costumes are fine and the dialogue is fine... This is one of those films that's not so bad that it becomes good again, and it's not good enough to be a classic. It's just a middling film from early 1960's Hammer horror.On one hand, the film was trying to switch things up. Mr. Hyde has so often been depicted as an ugly monster in other films (see the 1920, 1931 and 1941 adaptions for good examples). Instead, this film portrays Hyde as a seemingly suave gentleman with an evil heart; a wolf in sheep's clothing, essentially.The premise falls short because the film does not truly emphasize how terribly Hyde has behaved. He drinks and carouses, but the vast majority is off screen. When Jekyll laments there is no depth of depravity that will satisfy Jekyll, it's hard to believe because he doesn't seen to have yet pushed the boundaries very far. It's not until late in the movie when Hyde does truly horrible things.The best moments of the film are when Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde struggle against one another while in the same body, even if Jekyll's facial hair looks painfully fake from the movie's first shot.
BA_Harrison Studying the mind and its locked secrets, brilliant scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie, with facial hair) attempts to separate the two forces that struggle for supremacy in every man: man as he could be, virtuous and noble; and man as he would be, free of moral restrictions. Before he can develop a drug that can take his mind to its higher state, he decides that he must first understand his baser nature, injecting himself with a serum that removes the shackles of decency, transforming himself into the degenerate Mr. Hyde (Paul Massie, without facial hair).The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll treads very familiar ground, but in the hands of seasoned Hammer director Terence Fisher, and with a sterling central performance from Massie, the film still proves a fascinating watch, one of the better movies to be based on Robert Louis Stevenson's much-filmed novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Massie handles his dual personality superbly, his internal struggle between good and evil palpable despite the iffy use of a patently fake beard and moustache to visually separate his two personalities (standout scenes see Jekyll arguing with his Hyde persona, reminiscent of Gollum from Lord of the Rings). Lending excellent support are Hammer regular Christopher Lee as debauched philanderer Paul Allen, who shows Hyde the dubious delights to be experienced in Victorian London, and Dawn Addams as Jekyll's deceptive, adulterous wife Kitty.Fisher's bold use of colour ensures that the whole film is a visually arresting treat for the eyes, but his film is also surprisingly daring for the day in terms of content, not shying away from depicting the depths of depravity that man (and woman) can sink to, with adultery, violent robbery, prostitution, drunkenness, rape, addiction, gambling, and murder all present and incorrect, making for a far more entertaining watch (Lee stoned out of his gourd on opium is a rare treat).7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the risqué snake act and the lively can-can dance routine, both of which add extra gratuitous titillation to proceedings.
jacobjohntaylor1 This is a very scary movie. Doctor Jekyll discovers that man has to souls. He creates a formula that bring out his evil side. Evil side tries to take him over. If you do not get scared of this movie. Then no movie will scary you. This is a true horror classic. The story line is great. The acting is great. The special effects is great. This movie is a must see. It is very intense. Paul M.a.s.s.i.e is great as Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. David K.o.s.s.o.f.f is great as Doctor Ernst L.i.t.a.u.e.r . Christopher Lee is great as Paul Allen. Christopher Lee was in a lot of horror movie. He play Dracula in the Horror of Dracula. He played S.a.r.u.m.a.n in the middle earth movies. This is one of the greatest horror movie of all time. See it.
Spikeopath Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie) has no life anymore, chained to his work and stuck in a loveless marriage to Kitty (Dawn Addams), he busy's himself working on a character altering potion. Firstly testing it on primates, Jekyll ignores the warnings from his friend Dr. Ernst Littauer (David Kossoff) and experiments on himself. The result brings out Jekyll's alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde, a debonair gentlemen who holds within a sadistic dangerous streak. Hyde spells danger for anyone who gets too close to him, particularly Kitty, Jekyll's morally bankrupt friend Paul Allen (Christopher Lee) and more worryingly, Jekyll himself.The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is by Hammer Film Productions. It's directed by Terence Fisher and is adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from the famous story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Tho very much a middle tier offering from the house of Hammer, this version of the often told tale puts a different slant on things to make it unique and always interesting. Jekyll here is a bland and reclusive person, the people closest to him cheat on him and he is powerless to stop it. Contrast with Hyde, handsome and charming and able to take what he wants either by cunning or brute force. This was a deliberate shift from the normal by Fisher and Mankowitz, they didn't want Hyde as some furry half man beast frothing at the mouth, they sided with evil lurking behind a charming facade. It's also notable for its ending too. Where they had the courage of their convictions to stay with a differing formula.The problems come if one is searching for a horror film in the Hammer tradition. For although Hammer traits such as a smouldering sexiness hang over proceedings, the film is in truth lacking in terror. Something which is sure to annoy the horror purists. But if you can accept this as a more restrained psychological horror piece, one that deals in the duality of man, the pursuit of something more and the often treacherous nature of the human being, the rewards are there to be enjoyed. The cast are fine, Massie is competent without the ham, and Lee is elegantly vile to fit seamlessly into character. But the bonus is with a flame headed Dawn Addams who comes up with something more than the usual heaving bosom Hammer leading lady. The cast also features an early appearance from none other than Oliver Reed, suitably playing a night club pimp type bit of muscle. Shot in Megascope and Technicolor the film thankfully looks gorgeous and has transfered excellently on to DVD. With the sultry red lipped Addams and Jekyll's garden particularly benefiting from the pinging colours.A dam good story with wit and cautionary observations of the human condition, this isn't one for the blood and gore brigade. But it has many other qualities just waiting to be discovered by the more literary minded horror fan. 7/10