Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

This version of the classic "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" story is more slow-moving and psychological than most. Rather than emphasizing the more horrific elements of the story, it relies on a good cast to bring out the ways that the characters and their relationships are affected by the doctor's weird experiment. It's not the version to watch if you are looking for excitement or horror, but as a more psychological approach it mostly works.

Spencer Tracy plays the dual leading role, and does pretty well at creating two distinct personalities - the transformation uses only minimal special effects, and relies on Tracy to make the characters convincing. Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman work well as Beatrix and Ivy, and the rest of the cast members are also all very good. What the film lacks in excitement it makes up for in making Dr. Jekyll's world believable.

If you're already familiar with the story in its more horrific versions, this would be worth a look if you're interested in a different take on it. It's probably not the place to start, though, if you don't yet know the story.

Fmovies: If one approaches this movie to compare it to the previous (1931) version of the same story there are bound to be some negative comments. But if one goes back to the original story, this movie becomes the ONLY true translation of the original novel to the screen.

Robert Louis Stevenson intended his story to be a portrayal of a staunchly virtuous man who slowly degraded himself spiritually to something less than human - a sort of psychological self-destruction. Stevenson was very reluctant about using the mad-scientist angle and stated that he felt the potion drinking was "just so much hugger-mugger."

This movie is a perfect encapsulation of Stevenson's original vision. Dr. Jekyll is a staunchly virtuous man who, despite warning from both clergy and friends, feels that he has the strength to tackle the secrets of the soul. Alas, he has not that strength and finds himself strangled to death in the coils of the serpent he unleashes.

Granted there are some bad things about the movie: Tracey could have been a shade more emotional, and it would have been nice if the proper accents were used (a london dance-hall stageshow being done with a Mae West accent????). But the fact that Tracey is able to show the transformation using only the power of the actor rather than the makeup makes this the most exceptional film of its type.

Worth watching!

Spencer Tracy is magnificent in this, doing Mr Hyde basically with changes in behavior and agility rather than heavy make-up. He scared me to death when he vaulted over a railing and down a couple fo flights of stairs.

This is more of a thriller than a horror movie and done long before it became fashionable to throw tons of money and big-name performers at horror classics in order to produce blockbusters that were once just silly.

This supposedly cleaned-up version has Hyde asking Ingrid Bergman if she likes him because he's a little bit Jeckyll or Jeckyll because he's a little bit Hyde.

So many people are fussing that this movie turns the prostitute into a bar maid. Folks, in that part of London at that time, bar maids WERE prostitutes.

I find any moster more scary with no facial hair or deformities added. This Mr Hyde could well exist in real life. In fact, he DOES exist in real life. Once in a while we manage to prove it and put him in prison.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fmovies. I have to disagree with the comment "For all you Tracy fans only", and also with the comments that suggest the 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is far better.

First of all, I am not a Spencer Tracy fan - at least I didn't consider myself as one. Yes, the word dull came to mind. But after seeing the superb 1941 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I found myself wondering if anyone could have played Dr. Jekyll and especially Mr. Hyde any better than him.

In the 1931s original a handsome, wimpy Dr. Jekyll transforms into an ugly, retarded Mr. Hyde. While this Mr. Hyde hardly resembles his alter ego Jekyll, except for neediness, I do not find that as a strong, interesting controversy in the film. Fredric March was a great actor, but in this film with this script different actors could have played the parts of Jekyll and Hyde and it wouldn't have made any difference. Awkward, still boring film.

I was expecting so much, but stopped taping this pretty soon into the film. The psychology is awful (I am not suggesting that all films should emulate "real" life, but all films should be "real" in a world of their own, whatever it is.) I had seen the 1941s version earlier, and boy, it doesn't have a dull moment. I started watching this for Lana Turner, and there she is, looking pretty. Yes, she should have played the part Ingrid Bergman took, but you can't have it all all the time. Perhaps Ingrid Bergman was the girl to play the waitress. I truly enjoyed her masochistic portrayal of the bad girl.

Yes the film owns a lot to the original - filmed on same location, same choreography? The makers of this film had a decade to learn from the mistakes of the original and turn it around with better lines and nuances.

With one look from Spencer Tracy, a trouble maker changes his mind. "I'm sorry governor". Imagine Fredric March, in his monkey make up, doing that? He would have been laughed out the club, or not get in at all.

To add the grade to 10, Peter Godfrey as the butler. The end of this film is truly spiritual, merciful and frightening at the same time. And all of this is accomplished without any phony art stuff, as they would have tried these days.

A true classic.

I think what made Spencer Tracy so good in this role was that his prior movies showed the actor as he seemed to be, a nice guy. As Dr. Jekyll, he is a caring and understanding doctor, but when turning into Hyde we see a performance unlike any Mr. Tracy has played before. Hyde is all evil, totally delighted by being menacing with no regard to anyone else. For this reason I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, without the gore. The rest of the cast is excellent, especially Ingrid Bergman as Ivy, who is the subject of Hyde's sick amusement. This is a chilling movie, made in black and white which seems to add to the suspense.

Many versions of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic of "DJ&MH" come and go, the one with Spencer Tracy is the absolute favorite of mine. I just love the trick camera work of this one. Where Dr. Henry Jekyll becomes the revolting and sinister Mr. Edward Hyde. The translation of the novel was well made, and as I recall, the way Hyde looked at himself in the mirror, really made my blood curdle. When Hyde went to the bar and be spilling the pounds all over, man that is one man I wouldn't be around. The dinner scene is great, and the church scene is really good as well, the only scene that really tops it was when Hyde kills a man with the cane that belonged to Jekyll. That to me is really going too far. Turning from one man into another is a game one person shouldn't play, there's always going to be a price to pay. And Jekyll had to pay it. When they showed that Jekyll was transforming into Hyde, the police never wasted any time. The book is everything, the movie is a classic. It is everything a novel lover should have. 5 stars