Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1941) (1941)
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65% of critics liked it
(20 reviews) -
61% of users liked it
(4,604 ratings)
Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman headline this screen version of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale, directed by Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz legend Victor Fleming. Tracy stars as Dr. Jekyll, a scientist who downs an experimental elixir that transforms him into a monstrous alter-ego, Mr. Hyde.… More Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman headline this screen version of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale, directed by Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz legend Victor Fleming. Tracy stars as Dr. Jekyll, a scientist who downs an experimental elixir that transforms him into a monstrous alter-ego, Mr. Hyde. Lana Turner co-stars as Jekyll's fiancée, and Bergman as Eva, the woman who captures his heart. A film steeped in heavy Freudian symbolism, this production also tries something unusual by relying largely on Tracy's shift in facial mannerisms (in lieu of heavy make-up) to convey the personality change. As a result, the movie manages to place a much stronger emphasis on emotions than on the terror of physical mutation. Neither critics nor audiences bought it: the film fell prey to critical castigation when it hit movie screens in mid-August 1941, with many indicating that they vastly prefer the 1931 Rouben Mamoulian/Fredric March version. Still, this one has its defenders. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Directed By
- Victor Fleming, Rouben Mamoulian
- Written By
- John Lee Mahin
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Aug 12, 1941 Wide
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Well shot by Joseph Ruttenberg, and the transformations are effectively handled, but it's generally shallow and anaemic.
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Howard Thompson, New York Times
A little Freudian theory is a dangerous thing. It can make a piece of errant hokum dizzy with significance.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Under Victor Fleming's direction, it's sober and turgid but far from unwatchable, thanks exclusively to the caliber of the performances.
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Wesley Lovell, Cinema Sight
If you mess with perfection, you end up with the beast.
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Dan Jardine, Slant Magazine
Conventions of the time did not allow director Victor Fleming to examine the powerful sexual undertones of Stevenson's tale, robbing the film of much of its potential insight
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Cast
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Spencer Tracy
as Dr. Harry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
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Ingrid Bergman
as Ivy Peterson
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Lana Turner
as Beatrix Emery
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Donald Crisp
as Sir Charles Emery
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Ian Hunter
as Dr. John Lanyon
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Barton MacLane
as Sam Higgins
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C. Aubrey Smith
as The Bishop
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Peter Godfrey
as Poole
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Sara Allgood
as Mrs. Higgins
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Frederic Worlock
as Dr. Heath
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William Tannen
as Intern Fenwick
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Frances Robinson
as Marcia
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Denis Green
as Freddie
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Billy Bevan
as Dr. Weller
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Forrester Harvey
as Old Prouty
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Lumsden Hare
as Col. Weymouth
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Lawrence Grant
as Dr. Courtland
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John Barclay
as Constable
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Hillary Brooke
as Mrs. Arnold
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Doris Lloyd
as Mrs. Marley
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Aubrey Mather
as Inspector
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Mary Field
as Wife
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Gwen Gaze
as Mrs. French
- Frederic March
