Has anyone seen any film versions of J&H? I've seen the 1931 version, and it wasn't bad. The only problems I had with it were the ending, and how they made Hyde look like a monkey. :blink:

The 1931 version is the best and is absoloutely magnificent (granted, if you can look over the Hyde-monkey aspect of it. :) ) But I heard that the director said that he thought that Hyde WASN'T evil, but the animal, primitive side of human nature, hence the primitive, animal-like Hyde. I don't entirely agree, but it's interesting. Fredric March is also wonderful, and I know he won an oscar for his performance. The version available on video includes seventeen minutes that were cut when the film was first released, and I must say it's pretty intense stuff for the time period, including a scene in which Ivy, the prostitute attempts to seduce Jekyll and undresses in front of him and bits where Hyde tortures her. If you can, see the whole thing, it's awesome! :D

This movie was re-made witth Spencer Tracy, who's Hyde is the complete opposite of March's... I heard that someone came onto the set during rehersal and asked "who's he playing now, Jekyll or Hyde?" I thought he was okay in this movie, but not great.

The other great one is the 1920 silent one with John Barrymore. He too, gives an awesome performance.

Oh, and there's "Mary Reilly," which is the story through the eyes of Jekyll's maid... John Malkovich makes an awesome Jekyll/Hyde, but the rest of the movie is pretty blah.

Those are the only ones I've seen so far, Though I got a copy of one with Jack Palance... though I don't have high hopes for it, because he was pretty hammy in the 1973 "Dracula".

Oh. yeah, a while back I also saw a 1990 TV movie with Michael Caine... it was really cheesey and the transformation was positively bizzare... He starts screaming and his skin actually bubbles; his hair grows INTO his head until he's almost completely bald, then his head grows to TWICE the size it was, and he also grows fangs. Hyde can't speak, but just runs around in circles, grunting and jumping through windows. Jekyll's fiance is sleeping when suddenly Hyde jumps through the window, smashing through the glass, promptly rapes her then jumps back out the window, still snorting and grunting. :P

Tonight I just finished watching the 1931 version and the one with Spencer Tracy. The one with March was superior to the other (even though I couldn't get over the monkey look :P. Honestly, close-ups of that face weren't necessary), and I agree with you when you say it's intense for its time. I read somewhere that it was made just before rules were developed about the limits of what could be shown in a movie.
I don't like how some directors make Hyde have a physical deformity. He didn't have one in the book, except for being somewhat short in height. I mean, if he looks like some distorted, inhuman monster it would be pretty hard for him to go around unnoticed and get a prostitute. (Your description of Caine's Hyde made me laugh until I choked. The movie sounds ridiculous! :lol: ) What is the one with Jack Palance like?

From the J&H movies I've seen, Malkovich's portrayal is my favorite, especially his Hyde. :D

I was looking all over for a photo of Caine's Hyde, and couldn't find one, but I DID find a web site with a photo of a bust of Hyde's head, and it looks identical to his face in the movie. Here it is:

http://assall.de/movie-prop/horror_new/index_01.htm

I actually haven't watched the Jack Palance version all the way through yet, but I turned it on for a bit and it wasn't too bad.. Hyde looks very much like Jekyll, actually and isn't deformed or anything. I was surprised; his Hyde was actually pretty well done and sinister.

I too hate when people make Hyde deformed - but a lot of folks just like seeing ugly people in movies, I guess. :P

I also found a nice basic filmography of Jekyll-related movies; each movie has a photo and a review. One of the movies has Udo Kier in it - he's the guy who I mentioned as starring in "Blood for Dracula" and "Flesh for Frankenstein"... of course, his version of J&H is supposed to be equally weird as those interpretations are... I don't really know rather I want to see that version; read the review on the site for more info. :)

So here that is:

http://www.cathuria.com/bcd/bcjekylls.htm

Malkovich's Hyde is one of my favorites too... but why didn't he have a different voice than Jekyll? :huh:

Thanks for the links!

I almost rented Bloodbath of Dr. Jekyll out of sheer curiosity, without knowing much about the movie itself. After reading the review of it, I'm very glad that I decided to get March's version instead!

The photo of the bust of Hyde's head in the Caine version makes me wonder how he was able to jump through windows without knocking his head against the frame. :P They must have been pretty big windows.

I did some research, and the movie has about a million different titles; but the version called "Bloodbath of Dr. Jekyll" is a cut, cencored version. It certainly sounds like bizzare movie... but not much more so than Udo Kier's other movies. I thought it was weird that he bathes in a vat of chemicals in order to transform. :huh:

:D That is certainly a VERY good question, and I guess the windows WERE pretty big... But I can picture it now: Hyde walks through a door; "It's the feeling of being Edward - OUCH!" as he hits his head. :P Caine's Hyde was certainly the stupidest I've ever seen.

I was just reading on the Internet Movie Database about another movie called "Dr. Jekyll's Dungeon of Death"... it looked even worse than "Bloodbath of..." The title pretty much says it all.

ROFL!!!! :lol:

That's the funniest thing I've heard this month! *takes a breath, regains control* I bet that probably happened on the set.

IMDB has lots of info on movies. I just did a search on "Jekyll", and found this version called "Edge of Sanity". Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates from Psycho) plays Jekyll and Hyde, but it seems a bit weird. For one thing, the cast list says Perkins plays Dr. Henry Jekyll/ Jack 'The Ripper' Hyde. :blink: Why did they do that?

Thank you. *bows* It probably DID happen on the set; he had so much latex on his face, I doubt he could see anything. I rented the movie a while back and I 'm rather glad I didn't buy it... though there have certainly been worse J&H films. :D

I'll have to see "Edge of Sanity"... It sounds interesting (I don't know about "good", but interesting. :)

Hammer studios made two Jekyll movies: "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" and "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde". I'd really like to see both of those.

IMDB also listed one called "Jekyll + Hyde"... it says 2005 but don't know if that's correct. Here's the official site for the movie: www.jekyllandhydethemovie.com It looks like a pretty gory movie. I don't know... But it DOES have music by Patrick Doyle, which is good. He wrote wonderful scores for Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" "Love's Labour's Lost" and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein". So if I don't watch the movie, I guess I'll get the soundtrack. :)

Well, the book does say that Hyde's ape-like.... Unfortunately I haven't seeen any movie versions yet. It's pretty hard to get them here... But I looked around on imdb, and found a few.. interesting things. For example, Dr. Jekyll and His Mistres Hyde. I don't know where they got this idea... But Jekyll + Hyde sounds interesting. There's another upcoming film, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I don't know much about it, but I don't like it so far....

I have alot of J/H films. I'l give you a list & rating of the movies I have IMO
1911 - James Cruze/Harry Benham - 6/10 - silent - the earliest surviving J/H film
1920 - John Barrymore 7/10- silent
1925 - Stan Laurel - 5/10 - 20 mi. comedy version - silent
1932 - Fredric March - 8/10 - first talkie version - one of my favorites
1941 - Spencer Tracy - 7/10
1953 - Boris Karloff - 5/10 - an Abbot & Costello movie
1954 - Michael Rennie - 4/10 - t.v. episode from the show "Climax!"
1960 - Paul Massie - 5/10 - a Hammer film - "Handsome Hyde"
1968 - Jack Palance - 6/10 - a t.v. film
1973 - Christopher Lee - 6/10
1981 - Udo Kier - 5/10 - its like a weird art/porn film to me
198? - Anthony Andrews - 7/10 - t.v. episode from "Nightmare Classics" - "Handsome Hyde"
1989 - Anthony Perkins - 3/10 - the WORST J/H film ever
1990 - Michael Caine - 5/10 - Caine's Hyde is just not good
1994 - Tim Daly - 4/10 - comedy - Jekyll (Jacks) is a man, Hyde is a women
1996 - John Malkovich - 7/10 - a good version
1999 - Adam Baldwin - 2/10 - a VERY loose adaption, takes place in Hong Kong
2001 - David Hasselhoff - 5/10 - ......he is bad
2002 - Mark Redfield - 6/10 - a cheaply made indie film, but Redfield gives a good performance
2003 - John Hannah - 8/10 - my favorite version - is VERY hard to find in North America, I ad to buy a special region 3 DVD....
2005 - Bryan Fisher - 6/10 - a modern version - I like the music that plays during the opening credits
2006 - Tony Todd - 6/10 - cheap indie film - black Jekyll & Hyde

*phew*
there are MANY others, but those are just the ones that I have. :P

Isn't Hyde MEANT to be grotesque? He is described that way in the book.