Review of The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) by Stuart K — 17 Jan 2012
After tackling Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy, Hammer Films turned their attention to an adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This is a very lavish and gripping horror film, which distanced itself from previous film adaptations, and took liberties with the story in places, but it still works.
The marriage of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie) is in doubt, his wife Kitty (Dawn Addams) has cheated on Jekyll with his friend Paul Allen (Christopher Lee). Despite the warnings from his colleague Dr.
Ernst Littauer (David Kossoff), Jekyll has been experimenting with a potion that he's hoping will expand his mind, but instead, it transforms him into another person entirely, Mr. Hyde, who is young, handsome, cool and charming, everything that Dr.
Jekyll isn't. Mr. Hyde makes a friend with Paul, who doesn't realise it's really Dr. Jekyll in his transformed state. But, the potion isn't lasting, and Dr. Jekyll transforms back to his old boring self, but he has to have more of the potion to become Mr.
Hyde again, but this has bad consequences, and it leads to murder. It's a very good film, and one of Hammer's best from that era, a lavish film well filmed and with good performances. Lee in particular plays against type as a caddish rogue ala Terry-Thomas.
It doesn't use alot of special effects, but it builds a dark mood.
This review of The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) was written by Stuart K on 17 Jan 2012.
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll has generally received mixed reviews.
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