Playing Dr. Jekyll is one of those roles every man wants to play, like Hamlet and King Lear. However, even though many, many actors have gotten to play the famous double-role, not everyone has actually understood the point. In the Spencer Tracy version, it's really clear either he or director Victor Fleming didn't understand the character and story. The 1932 version is the best, and Fredric March completely nails the three characters; the way he plays it, a post-Hyde Dr. Jekyll is so changed, he's a third person. Freddie understands why he turns into a different person, and he understands why it takes over him. Spence just doesn't get it, and instead the movie is played off as a straight horror flick, not a character insight.
The two ladies in the movie are Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner. In an interesting role-swap, the ladies decided to change and challenge themselves. Lana plays Spence's respectable, prim fiancé, and while she's very pretty, she's not given anything to do. Ingrid gets the real meat of the film, and unlike the male lead, she knows what to do with it. She plays the prostitute who pushes Spence over the edge, and she does a very good job jumping from trashiness to flirtation to annoyance to scared to horrified to destroyed. If you like Ingrid, you might want to watch a few scenes of this movie, but have your remote handy to speed through Spence's parts.
The special effects in this movie are nonexistent, which is extremely disappointing after you watch the incredible effects from the 1932 version. In this one, simple and obvious fades transition the transformation. Ironically enough, with eyebrows, fuller hair, and a set of good teeth, Spence looks less creepy as Mr. Hyde than he does in his normal Dr. Jekyll appearance!
Hidden in the movie are some familiar faces, like Donald Crisp as Lana's disapproving father, C. Aubrey Smith as yet another man of the cloth, and Sara Allgood as the long-suffering mother of a deranged mental patient. It's always great to see Donald, Sara, and C. Aubrey, but it's not worth renting the movie just for them.
The two ladies in the movie are Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner. In an interesting role-swap, the ladies decided to change and challenge themselves. Lana plays Spence's respectable, prim fiancé, and while she's very pretty, she's not given anything to do. Ingrid gets the real meat of the film, and unlike the male lead, she knows what to do with it. She plays the prostitute who pushes Spence over the edge, and she does a very good job jumping from trashiness to flirtation to annoyance to scared to horrified to destroyed. If you like Ingrid, you might want to watch a few scenes of this movie, but have your remote handy to speed through Spence's parts.
The special effects in this movie are nonexistent, which is extremely disappointing after you watch the incredible effects from the 1932 version. In this one, simple and obvious fades transition the transformation. Ironically enough, with eyebrows, fuller hair, and a set of good teeth, Spence looks less creepy as Mr. Hyde than he does in his normal Dr. Jekyll appearance!
Hidden in the movie are some familiar faces, like Donald Crisp as Lana's disapproving father, C. Aubrey Smith as yet another man of the cloth, and Sara Allgood as the long-suffering mother of a deranged mental patient. It's always great to see Donald, Sara, and C. Aubrey, but it's not worth renting the movie just for them.