
Dr. Henry Jekyll is a dull, bookish scientist who spends more time with his lab animals testing theories of alternate personalities than with his beautiful, young wife. Kitty Jekyll has given up trying to find any passion in her distant, preoccupied husband and is involved in an affair with one of Jekyll's old 'friends,' Paul Allen, a weak slacker and wastrel who relies on Jekyll to pay his numerous gambling debts. After experimenting on himself, the bearded, tweedy Jekyll tr... (Full plot summary below)
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Dr. Henry Jekyll is a dull, bookish scientist who spends more time with his lab animals testing theories of alternate personalities than with his beautiful, young wife. Kitty Jekyll has given up trying to find any passion in her distant, preoccupied husband and is involved in an affair with one of Jekyll's old 'friends,' Paul Allen, a weak slacker and wastrel who relies on Jekyll to pay his numerous gambling debts. After experimenting on himself, the bearded, tweedy Jekyll transforms himself into the young, dynamic, and self-confidant Edward Hyde. In his new character he befriends Allen, who has no idea that this clean-cut, handsome playboy prone to outbursts of violence is really Jekyll. As Hyde, he encourages Allen to introduce him to the dark underbelly of London's night life including opium dens and sex clubs, where he begins an affair with the sensual courtesan Maria, an exotic dancer and snake charmer. When he tries to seduce Allen's mistress, in reality his own wife, he is frustrated to find she prefers her decadent lover to him.
Leave your thoughts about The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll.
| Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)John BeifussJekyll's tragedy in this unique Stevenson revamp is that he doesn't understand that much of humanity already lives a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence -- including his unfaithful bride, who is a 'perfect wife' by day and a 'perfect mistress' by night. |
| The SpectatorIsabel QuiglyThe Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is as silly and nasty a piece as Hammer and Terence Fisher have turned out which is saying something. |
| Alternate EndingTim BraytonOne of the top-shelf Hammer horror films, and probably the most perpetually undervalued. |
| CinePassionFernando F. CroceTerence Fisher's version of the Stevenson story is actually British bedroom farce, so dry and subtle that reviewers could only complain about the 'lack of horror' |
| User ReviewKrista BQuite possibly the greatest Jekyll/Hyde film made to date, and certainly one of the best, smartest movies to come out of Hammer Studios. More than just a monster movie, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll takes time to play with theories of human nature, and explores much deeper, more complex relationships than many other films of the era. The performances are also excellent. Watching this film, one would never guess that Jekyll and Hyde are actually played by the same actor, and Christopher Lee pulls off a fantastic performance as slimy, womanizing Paul Allen. One of Hammer's best, Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is certainly a recommendation. |
| User ReviewCarlos IWOW.....WOW....SUCH AN ENJOYABLE CLASSICS HORROR MOVIE 2 WATCH WITH SUCH A FANTASTIC CAST THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE IT IS SUCH A FANTASTIC CLASSICS HORROR MOVIE 2 WATCH WITH SUCH A BRILLIANT CAST THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE......WARNING THIS MOVIE CONTAINS STROBE LIGHTNING EFFECTS THROUGHOUT SOME SCENES THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE....... |
| User ReviewGreg WDr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie) is working on a serum that brings out the animal instincts of man. After testing it on a monkey (who goes berserk), he turns to himself. As his alternate self, Edward Hyde, he stumbles upon his friend's treachery and his wife's sordid affair. Hyde, the animal that he is, is ready to go on his own little excursion into debauchery and hedonism. I was really blown away by this film. The Jekyll/Hyde story has been told again and again and the main character has been portrayed by countless actors. Yet, this may be the great version out there -- definitely the best one I've seen yet. The Canadian actor playing both roles was a new face for me, but is pretty amazing and I couldn't see the two personas as the same actor no matter how hard I tried. It was quite impressive. Christopher Lee, ever-present in the Hammer films (did he ever have a day off?), plays friend Paul Allen. Wow. I've praised Lee in "Scream of Fear", but he should be praised no less in this, where he's a convincingly sleazy gambler and womanizer. Not the way I picture Lee to be, but it seems so natural here. The more I see this man in action, the more I see what the generation before me saw. I had always been a Peter Cushing fan, but maybe it's time for me to switch sides? I enjoyed the philosophical questions raised by this film. There's the portrayal of Hyde as younger, more handsome and more charming... not the monster he's usually shown to be. I think this fit well... he still had the spontaneous violence, but not unlike the devil himself, knew his way to get to people with savoir faire. Early on, Jekyll also talks of the man "beyond good and evil", the "higher man", evoking the words of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, though certainly not in the way Nietzsche would have endorsed. Both Nietzsche's and Jekyll's higher man use their wills to gain what they most desire, but Hyde is something of an unhinged creature, not the refined and academic man Nietzsche preferred. Nietzsche also spoke of "beyond good and evil" as a transcendence of morality, moving beyond our traditional concepts and accepting that there is good and bad, but no overarching divine good or evil. In this regard, Hyde may be comparable. He certainly has no care for his "evil" actions... though one suspects that not even Nietzsche would support these "bad" actions destroying those around him. You must pick up this film (preferably in the four-disc set of Hammer films also containing "The Gordon" and "Scream of Fear"). You don't need to be as analytical or philosophical as I am when digesting it, but you'll love the film for its great characters and hedonistic wickedness... drunken, licentious men in 1870s London? Let the depravity begin. 5 Stars 7-9-13 |
| User ReviewTom BA great spin off to the classic short story, of course there's a few plot holes in the film, but the acting is superb, from Paul Massie's take on the famous character, to the Christopher Lee, as the sponging adulterer. Apart from a few niggles, the story is excellent on whole |
| User ReviewStuart KAfter 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. |
| User ReviewScott WAnother cool flick that further shows Fisher's modern story-telling through abrupt transitions to keep the audience on edge. The script itself seems to be a bit edgy in tongue, which to a current audience might be surprising. On a side note, this is probably one of Christopher Lee's coolest performances. |