Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde backdrop
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde poster

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

1931 • US HMDB
December 24, 1931

Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two, man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug, it is already too late.

Directors

Rouben Mamoulian Rouben Mamoulian

Cast

Fredric March as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde

Fredric March

Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde

 Miriam Hopkins as Ivy Pearson

Miriam Hopkins

Ivy Pearson

 Rose Hobart as Muriel Carew

Rose Hobart

Muriel Carew

 Holmes Herbert as Dr. John Lanyon

Holmes Herbert

Dr. John Lanyon

 Halliwell Hobbes as Brig. Gen. Sir Danvers Carew

Halliwell Hobbes

Brig. Gen. Sir Danvers Carew

 Edgar Norton as Poole

Edgar Norton

Poole

 Tempe Pigott as Mrs. Hawkins

Tempe Pigott

Mrs. Hawkins

 Leonard Carey as Briggs, Lanyon's Butler (uncredited)

Leonard Carey

Briggs, Lanyon's Butler (uncredited)

Sam Harris

Party Guest (uncredited)

 Boyd Irwin as Police Inspector (uncredited)

Boyd Irwin

Police Inspector (uncredited)

 Arnold Lucy as Utterson (uncredited)

Arnold Lucy

Utterson (uncredited)

 Murdock MacQuarrie as Dissenting Doctor at Lecture (uncredited)

Murdock MacQuarrie

Dissenting Doctor at Lecture (uncredited)

 Eric Mayne as Lanyon's Associate at Lecture (uncredited)

Eric Mayne

Lanyon's Associate at Lecture (uncredited)

 Robert Adair as Ivy's Admirer at Music Hall (uncredited)

Robert Adair

Ivy's Admirer at Music Hall (uncredited)

 Pat Harmon as Music Hall Customer (uncredited)

Pat Harmon

Music Hall Customer (uncredited)

John Rogers

Music Hall Waiter (uncredited)

G.L. McDonnell

Hobson, Carew's Butler (uncredited)

 Douglas Walton as Blonde Student (uncredited)

Douglas Walton

Blonde Student (uncredited)

Harry Adams

Pub Patron (uncredited)

William Begg

Party Guest (uncredited)
Dramma Horror Fantascienza

Comments

Crew
Production: Adolph Zukor (Executive Producer) — Rouben Mamoulian (Producer)
Screenplay: Percy Heath (Screenplay) — Samuel Hoffenstein (Screenplay)
Music: Herman Hand (Music) — John Leipold (Music) — Ralph Rainger (Music) — Rudolph G. Kopp (Music)
Cinematography: Karl Struss (Director of Photography)

REVIEWS (1)

Marco Castellini

•
A well-known and respected doctor discovers a serum capable of changing the personality of those who take it. He tries it on himself and turns into a mad killer, but after some time the effectiveness of the serum fades and the doctor returns to his former self, but every time he takes this potion he loses control of himself again... The first cinematic adaptation of Stevenson's novel and also, to this day, the most effective.

Comments

Where to Watch

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS (1)

John Chard

John Chard

8 /10

I have no soul. I'm beyond the pale. I'm one of the living dead!

It's one of the most famous pieces of literature ever written, a genius piece of story telling from the trippy mind of Robert Louis Stevenson. That it has consistently been ripe for film and stage adaptations, and continues to be so since it first surfaced in written form in 1866, is testament to what a devilishly intelligent piece of work it is.

This 1931 version, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and staring Fredric March, may not be 100% faithful to the source, but it's arguably the finest adaptation to screen, led by a superb performance from March and featuring technical guile by Mamoulian and his team. It's wonderfully stylish, and coming as it did before the Hayes Code, it's sexy and dangerous, awash with terrifying cruelty, with the subversive and Freudian psychological beats making for a Gothic horror classic.

Split personality a go go, inhibitions cast asunder, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is priceless. 8/10

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