I Watch Films: The Two Faces Of Dr Jekyll

 

The Two Faces Of Dr Jekyll

It’s Jekyll and Hyde again! It’s Christopher Lee again (who would later go on to play a thinly disguised Jekyll and/or Hyde (Dr. Charles Marlowe / Mr. Edward Blake) in I, Monster). Dr Jekyll (Paul Massie) is a thoughtful, bearded scientist, outcast for his heretical opinions. His wife, Kitty, is carrying on all over town with her lover Paul Allen (Lee). He gets his debts paid by Jekyll, for no good reason that I can see, maybe because he stood by the Jekylls when his publications caused him trouble? Because he squires Kitty about letting Jekyll get on with his work late at night?

Jekyll succeeds in making his potion, and becomes clean-shaven, suave, handsome cad Edward Hyde. He goes out on the town where he meets Allen and Kitty and several other characters in various louche and debauched places. Eventually he moves on from shagging, drinking and gambling (it takes a week for Allen to have shown him everywhere worth seeing in London) and goes on to murder. After he kills Allen and rapes Kitty, who kills herself, Jekyll tries to destroy the potion, Hyde takes control and everything ends in disaster.

An entertaining version of Jekyll and Hyde, with Hyde’s lack of self control matched by a smooth manner and superficial charm to let him work his way through London’s lighter and darker pleasures. The straight-backed, good-looking Massie is made up and acts old to be Dr Jekyll, an interesting choice that differentiates this version from others.

Watch This: A garishly technicolour Jekyll And Hyde revolving around a love triangle
Don’t Watch This: For all his flamboyance, Hyde is just a dissolute narcissist