The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1961)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

During the course of his experiments, the reclusive Dr Jekyll (Paul Massie), creates a personality changing drug which he tests on himself turning him into a much younger and handsome man called Edward Hyde who turns out to be his evil alter ego. He visits the high class Sphinx club in London where he discovers Jekyll's friend, the parasitical Paul Allen (Christopher Lee), a compulsive gambler who scrounges money off him to pay his debts, is having an affair with his wife Kitty (Dawn Addams). Meanwhile, Hyde begins an affair of his own with Maria (Norma Marla) a snake woman at the Sphinx while offering to bail Allen out of his debts in return for introducing him to the city's forbidden pleasures in the vice dens. But, Jekyll starts losing control of his transformations into Hyde - even destroying his formula proves useless as they start occurring of their own accord - and his tendencies become homicidal. He sets a trap for Allen and Kitty - the former refused to loan him his mistress in return for settling his debts - and meets his demise at the hands of Maria's snake. On discovering Allen's body, Kitty commits suicide and Hyde strangles Maria as he turns back into Jekyll. Both personalities are battling it out for control, but to destroy one would mean destroying the other...Hammer's adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story was a spectacular flop on its original release in 1960. But, seen today, it emerges as an interesting film with enough merits of its own leading one to conclude that it was unfairly overlooked at the time. In any case, Hammer and Terence Fisher films are almost always worth watching.It is graced by fine acting all round with Lee offering one of his best performances as the parasitic, unscrupulous playboy Paul Allen. We would have expected him to have played the Jekyll and Hyde part, but on his own admission he said that he wanted it but Hammer "shot that one down". Yet, the star would get a shot at it a decade later in the flawed but worthwhile Amicus film I Monster (1971) in which Jekyll and Hyde were for reasons unknown called Dr Marlowe and Mr Blake. Paul Massie does fine work in the role though. He skilfully brings out Jekyll's unashamedly evil alter ego in Hyde and the former's kind hearted nature. There is a stand out scene where Jekyll sees his alter ego reflected in a mirror and he asks him why he committed the murders. "To punish you", he replies. "Society will blame you and you will have to hide as I have had to hide". Then he adds "I can't destroy you without destroying myself" before urging him to "end the struggle (he) must lose." Dawn Addams also offers a strong performance as Jekyll's bored and neglected wife who has an affair with the unscrupulous Allen in search of a more exciting and fulfilling life.Terence Fisher's direction is as accomplished as ever displaying his talent as a storyteller and a strong feeling for character, place and period. He succeeds admirably in bringing out the central theme of the story, which is summed up admirably in the closing sequence in a coroner's court. The coroner in delivering his verdict looks directly into the camera as if he is addressing us and says the case is "a solemn warning to us all not to interfere in things that are the divine will of nature" referring, of course, to the doctor's obsessive and reclusive quest for forbidden knowledge.The film also benefits from exquisite set design (Bernard Robinson) and Jack Asher's technicolor cinemascope cinematography is gorgeous in every single frame and they combine to heighten the atmosphere and sense of place of the proceedings.

Studying the mind and its locked secrets, brilliant scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie, with facial hair) attempts to separate the two forces that struggle for supremacy in every man: man as he could be, virtuous and noble; and man as he would be, free of moral restrictions. Before he can develop a drug that can take his mind to its higher state, he decides that he must first understand his baser nature, injecting himself with a serum that removes the shackles of decency, transforming himself into the degenerate Mr. Hyde (Paul Massie, without facial hair).The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll treads very familiar ground, but in the hands of seasoned Hammer director Terence Fisher, and with a sterling central performance from Massie, the film still proves a fascinating watch, one of the better movies to be based on Robert Louis Stevenson's much-filmed novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Massie handles his dual personality superbly, his internal struggle between good and evil palpable despite the iffy use of a patently fake beard and moustache to visually separate his two personalities (standout scenes see Jekyll arguing with his Hyde persona, reminiscent of Gollum from Lord of the Rings). Lending excellent support are Hammer regular Christopher Lee as debauched philanderer Paul Allen, who shows Hyde the dubious delights to be experienced in Victorian London, and Dawn Addams as Jekyll's deceptive, adulterous wife Kitty.Fisher's bold use of colour ensures that the whole film is a visually arresting treat for the eyes, but his film is also surprisingly daring for the day in terms of content, not shying away from depicting the depths of depravity that man (and woman) can sink to, with adultery, violent robbery, prostitution, drunkenness, rape, addiction, gambling, and murder all present and incorrect, making for a far more entertaining watch (Lee stoned out of his gourd on opium is a rare treat).7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the risqué snake act and the lively can-can dance routine, both of which add extra gratuitous titillation to proceedings.

This is an interesting approach to a classic tale.Christopher Lee, as mentioned in other reviews here, gets to spread his wings a bit.We get to see him out of his cape and attitude in this Hammer production, which is atypical for Hammer too.But he's not the focal point. Paul Massie is, and he does a decent job with his dueling identities.Some of the extra-loose morals and gratuitous language and violence certainly give the Victorian era we've come to know and love a new identity.Dawn Addams is hot.'Nuf said. She could have been better utilized in the story, but I'm not complaining.Anytime she's on screen in ANY film, I'm watching.The scenes with the can-can are well-produced and choreographed. Reminds me of the film "CanCan" which was just on TCM.Overall, this film is worth watching to see how fast and loose the story runs when compared with the earlier versions of the famous Stevenson classic.

This is one of Hammer's lesser known films, their attempt to due justice to this second-string horror tale.The film's biggest weakness is Paul Massie, who plays Jekyll and Hyde, and none of Jekyll's intimates can figure out Hyde is Jekyll with a shave and a sissy accent. You all though Lois Lane was dense, and usually the EVIL one has the beard.Hyde engages in all sorts of Victorian depravity, which apparently includes seeing a woman's knees in public. But Jekyll/Hyde really only wants to have sex with his wife, it seems.The real villain in this movie is Christopher Lee, as Jekyll's friend who is also having an affair with his wife, but is still tapping his friend for money. When he and the cheating wife get theirs, you cheer. Then Jekyll turns on everyone else, and you don't feel so much sympathy for him.You have the typical Hammer Reveal at the end of the film, but overall, it's not really great.