Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) / (Mod)

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Mark Roth
• Number of Disks: 1
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.5" x 5.3"

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.