This was the third version of the oft filmed Robert Louis Stevenson story of a man's battle with his good and evil personalities. Although I consider the Fredric March version filmed ten years earlier to be better, this is nonetheless an entertaining film. Spencer Tracy takes on the title roles in this version with Ingrid Bergman playing the tragic bar-maid (not prostitute) Ivy Peterson and both are great in their roles.
Dr Jekyll (Tracy) is a successful high society doctor who is engaged to Beatrix Emery (the very young and very beautiful Lana Turner) whose father Sir Charles (Donald Crisp) is skeptical of Jekyll's trying to prove that man's soul has two sides...one good and one evil and thus places doubts on his daughter's future happiness. One night while returning home with his friend Dr. Lanyon (Ian Hunter), they come upon bar-maid Ivy Peterson (Bergman) who is being beaten by an unruly patron. Jekyll comes to her aid and takes her home. Ivy is immediately attracted to the suave and debonair Jekyll and tries to seduce him. Jekyll repels her advances but secretly harbors a desire for her.
Meanwhile, Sir Charles having become disillusioned with Jekyll's theories, takes Beatrix on a trip to the continent. Jekyll becomes distraught and buries himself in his work. One night he decides to try a formula he has created to separate good and evil personalities on himself. What emerges is a grotesque and brutal personality whom he names Mr. Hyde.
Hyde immediately remembers the alluring Ivy and seeks her out. He literally takes over her life and sets her up in a classy apartment and keeps her there "for his own purposes". He brutalizes her to the point the she fears his every appearance.
When Sir Charles and Beatrix return from their trip, Sir Charles agrees to an early marriage feeling that Jekyll has finally come to his senses. Jekyll then vows not to become Mr. Hyde again. But unfortunately, he makes an uncontrolled transformation on the street after having assured Ivy that Hyde would no longer bother her when she came to see him earlier.
Naturally Hyde goes straight to Ivy's apartment and confronts her on what she had said about him to Jekyll. She tries to escape but to no avail. Jekyll realizes that now he can no longer control Mr. Hyde and goes to Beatrix to break their engagement with tragic results.
Tracy's makeup is far less monstrous than that created for Fredric March ten years earlier. Director Victor Fleming goes for exaggerations of Tracy's features and the playing up of the psychological differences between Jekyll and Hyde. The first couple of transformations are played as dream sequences involving good girl Turner and bad girl Bergman. We don't see the actual transformation until well on into the movie.
Of note is the fact that although the story is set in late 19th century London, most of the cast speak without British accents. As talented as Ingrid Bergman was, her Cockney bar-maid accent is laughable. Also Jekyll's charitable work with the poor is barely mentioned in this version.
In addition to the above principals, look for Barton MacLane as man gone mad, Sara Allgood as his distraught wife, a clean shaven C. Aubrey Smith as a bishop and former silent movie comic Billy Bevan as Mr. Weller a lamplighter.
Tracy and Bergman make this an enjoyable movie.
Dr Jekyll (Tracy) is a successful high society doctor who is engaged to Beatrix Emery (the very young and very beautiful Lana Turner) whose father Sir Charles (Donald Crisp) is skeptical of Jekyll's trying to prove that man's soul has two sides...one good and one evil and thus places doubts on his daughter's future happiness. One night while returning home with his friend Dr. Lanyon (Ian Hunter), they come upon bar-maid Ivy Peterson (Bergman) who is being beaten by an unruly patron. Jekyll comes to her aid and takes her home. Ivy is immediately attracted to the suave and debonair Jekyll and tries to seduce him. Jekyll repels her advances but secretly harbors a desire for her.
Meanwhile, Sir Charles having become disillusioned with Jekyll's theories, takes Beatrix on a trip to the continent. Jekyll becomes distraught and buries himself in his work. One night he decides to try a formula he has created to separate good and evil personalities on himself. What emerges is a grotesque and brutal personality whom he names Mr. Hyde.
Hyde immediately remembers the alluring Ivy and seeks her out. He literally takes over her life and sets her up in a classy apartment and keeps her there "for his own purposes". He brutalizes her to the point the she fears his every appearance.
When Sir Charles and Beatrix return from their trip, Sir Charles agrees to an early marriage feeling that Jekyll has finally come to his senses. Jekyll then vows not to become Mr. Hyde again. But unfortunately, he makes an uncontrolled transformation on the street after having assured Ivy that Hyde would no longer bother her when she came to see him earlier.
Naturally Hyde goes straight to Ivy's apartment and confronts her on what she had said about him to Jekyll. She tries to escape but to no avail. Jekyll realizes that now he can no longer control Mr. Hyde and goes to Beatrix to break their engagement with tragic results.
Tracy's makeup is far less monstrous than that created for Fredric March ten years earlier. Director Victor Fleming goes for exaggerations of Tracy's features and the playing up of the psychological differences between Jekyll and Hyde. The first couple of transformations are played as dream sequences involving good girl Turner and bad girl Bergman. We don't see the actual transformation until well on into the movie.
Of note is the fact that although the story is set in late 19th century London, most of the cast speak without British accents. As talented as Ingrid Bergman was, her Cockney bar-maid accent is laughable. Also Jekyll's charitable work with the poor is barely mentioned in this version.
In addition to the above principals, look for Barton MacLane as man gone mad, Sara Allgood as his distraught wife, a clean shaven C. Aubrey Smith as a bishop and former silent movie comic Billy Bevan as Mr. Weller a lamplighter.
Tracy and Bergman make this an enjoyable movie.