Review – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)

Though this movie suffers from many of the production oddities endemic to the early days of talking pictures, it’s still one of the best cinematic versions of the Stephenson classic. Fredric March won a well-deserved Oscar – one of very few ever to go to an actor in a horror movie – for his portrayal of the protagonist / antagonist. However, a big part of the credit for this production’s success belongs to the technical tricks. Jekyll becomes Hyde rapidly thanks to twists of lighting and filters as well as makeup. The results are impressive, an excellent accent to March’s appropriately over-the-top personality shifts. And though not graphically sexual or violent by 21st century standards, the pre-Hays-Code production is also sometimes a bit shocking. Overall, of all the versions of this story I’ve seen so far, this one is the best. Mildly amusing