Dashing young doctor Jekyll is a raging success.
He lectures at the medical college, lives in a
mausoleum of a house with staff and plays a giant
pipe organ proficiently. Add to this his
betrothal to one of London's most eligible
debutantes. Can it get any better? Well, yes. The fiance's father is resistant to give his
permission and Jekyll is obsessed with
experiments in the duality of human physiology,
that of good and evil. But what could go wrong?
Surely you know the story. I'm not that familiar
with Frederic March's early filmography, but I'm
inclined to believe this film is something of a
cornerstone in his long career. He's good as
Jekyll but he's superlative as Jekyll's alter ego Hyde.
Some schmaltzy scenes and aged print
detract, however the production is a tribute to the advancement
of movies in 1931.
CAST: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart
DIRECTED BY: Rouben Mamoulian
WRITERS: Samuel Hoffenstein, Percy Heath, Robert Louis Stevenson