Pre-AP English  -5

April 22, 2015

 

Document Jekyll and Movie Hyde

 

Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde is one of those classic horror stories that falls right in line with Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It has the old-time charm mixed with absolute originality, seemingly only achieved by timeless horror tales such as itself. The movie adaptation starring Spencer Tracy, however, differs in ways that both add to and take away from Robert Louis Stevenson’s original intent.

 

— Negatives

 

~ Firstly, in the opening scenes of the film, during the dinner party scene, Jekyll openly discusses his theories and experimentation ideas. This takes away from the suspense in the novel by making Jekyll’s intentions and plans known to the characters and audience.

 

~ Secondly, in the movie adaptation, Jekyll is romantically involved with the character Beatrix Emery, whom is not a character in Stevenson’s book. In addition, Hyde, as well as the occasional Jekyll, lusts after the loose Ivy Pearson, a barmaid from “the wrong side of the tracks”. The romance/lust plot provided in the film distracts from the main plot of Jekyll vs. Hyde.

 

~ Finally, in the book Mr. Utterson is a major character while in the movie Dr. Lanyon seems to take his place. Not only does this take away from the suspense even more, but it also leads the change from Hyde/Jekyll’s death in the book and his death in the movie. While in the book, Utterson is called upon by Poole, and upon breaking down Jekyll’s cabinet door discover the self-murdered body of Edward Hyde, in the movie, Lanyon tells the police of Jekyll’s secret and they shoot him dead after he begins to transform.

— Positives

 

~ While Jekyll’s intentions being known in the movie takes away from the overall suspense, it does add insight into Dr. Henry Jekyll himself, thus providing the reader with a more intimate understanding of this curious major character.

 

~ Furthermore, though the film does slightly stray from the book, it stays true in Jekyll’s false assumption that he controls his transformations into Hyde. This is evidenced in the book in Dr. Jekyll’s full statement to Utterson and in the movie by Jekyll’s onscreen loss of control.

 

~ Lastly, while the movie adaptation does lose some characters and change some scenes, Hyde’s death by police gunfire rather than his own hand does make for a more climactic, dramatic ending.

Overall, Victor Fleming’s version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is dangerous yet compelling, unless that is you’re one of those die-hard stay true to the book folks. In my opinion, this adaptation is worth the watch.