Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Starring: John Barrymore, Martha Mansfield, Brandon Hurst, et al.

Product Description

These extremely rare motion pictures are two of the earliest versions of Robert Lewis Stevenson's immortal classic about the doctor who tampers with good and evil and reaps disaster.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920, B&W, Silent): This 1920 Pioneer Film Corporation production is the third screen version of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and stars Philadelphia native Sheldon Lewis, and was directed by J. Charles Haydon. Noted for playing villains, Lewis appeared as the scoundrel Frochard in D.W. Griffith's Orphans Of The Storm (1922) and had prominent roles in Seven Footprints To Satan and Tarzan The Tiger, both released in 1929. This rendition of the Stevenson classic boasts a high moral tone (Dr. Jekyll does a great deal of charity work with poor children) and a surprise happy ending.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1911, B&W, Silent): This production by the Tanhouser Company, shot in New Rochelle, New York in 1911 and released in 1912, stars James Cruze as Dr. Jekyll and is the earliest film version still in existence. Cruze, who would go on to prominence directing, most notably, The Great Gabbo (1929) and I Cover The Waterfront (1933), appears with his future wife Marguerite Snow who portrays the minister's daughter. Actor Harry Benham plays Mr. Hyde in several scenes, a tactic employed by Tanhouser to speed up production, due to the drastic make-up changes involved. This epic is said to have taken five days to complete, almost double the time that was typical in those days. Directed by Lucious Henderson.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 089218638298
• Release Date: October 2014
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Publisher: Alpha Video
• Director: John Robertson
• Starring: John Barrymore, Martha Mansfield, Brandon Hurst, Nita Naldi, Charles Lane, Louis Wolheim, J. Malcolm Dunn, Cecil Clovelly, George Stevens
• Runtime: 1 hour, 3 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: multiple_formats
• Weight: 0.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.5" x 5.3" x 0.5"

Customer Reviews

You can’t Hyde your “Lyin’ Eyes” - Song by Eagles.

“In each of us, two natures are at war—the good and the evil. All our lives, the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose … What we want the most to be we ARE.” The bulk of the time at the beginning of this movie, everyone debates whether devoting yourself to others is neglecting your development. This comes up in many movies, but is the hinge point for this one. And Dr. Jekyll is too good to be true. There are several film versions of this story, some with various titles. However, this is the one that all others are based on. This movie is silent with English intertitles (not enough.) The intertitles give the names of the actors playing the parts. The background music is not coordinated with the visuals. There are some creepy double-exposure scenes. At 17 minutes and 31 seconds, the intertitle ="Shut you fice—you're 'iding the stige!" I had to look it up, as in the context, it’s a bit of British slang. "Shut you fice" translates to "Shut your face, translates to "Be quiet," and "'iding the stige" is "hiding the stige," with "stige" being slang for stage, meaning "blocking the view." It would be good if they did a bit of updating of the intertitle. In the scene where Dr. Jekyll is being tempted by a Spanish dancer, Gina (Nita Naldi), I was thinking the dancing was done better than Brigitte Helm in “Metropolis”. This film is based on a novella that was written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, which was first published in 1886. So, the book may read a tad dated. Everyone agrees that John Barrymore is the quintessential Jekyll/Hyde, as when Hyde, he makes a spooky face and pointy fingers. When he takes off his hat, he is the original conehead. In this version, Hyde purchases his own Hyde-away (Number nine Bransbury Road, Soho) to do his nefarious Hydey stuff. He even takes up smoking. Gina shows Hyde her bauble. We learn the terms Hyde diddle, diddle, and tan your Hyde. If he disappears, they will see neither Hyde nor hair. I will not go through the story as if you have not read the book; you are in for a few surprises. I will say this, you will want to watch again for the nuances you missed.