The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) (1960)
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61% of users liked it
(246 ratings)
This is the film version of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in which Hyde is the handsome, clean-shaven one. Though top-billed Christopher Lee, portraying a caddish playboy, was the beneficiary of all the ad publicity, it is Paul Massie who plays Dr. Jekyll… More This is the film version of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in which Hyde is the handsome, clean-shaven one. Though top-billed Christopher Lee, portraying a caddish playboy, was the beneficiary of all the ad publicity, it is Paul Massie who plays Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The "horror" in the film is mostly sociological, with Jekyll learning first hand of the corruption lurking beneath the respectable facade of the Victorian Era. His metamorphosis into Hyde is meant as an allegory to the evils of drug addiction, another "don't ask--don't tell" element of 19th century London. In still another departure from the Stevenson original, Jekyll becomes Hyde not because he can't control his alter ego, but because he wants to exact revenge on Christopher Lee, who has been siphoning off Jekyll's savings to finance his own gambling and womanizing. In contrast to Stevenson's story, Jekyll/Hyde does not die--though the strain of being Hyde has permanently scarred Jekyll's psyche. Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll was originally released in Britain as House of Fright. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Terence Fisher
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 24, 1960 Wide
- On DVD
- Oct 3, 1995
Critic Reviews
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John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Jekyll'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.
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Terence 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'
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The movie pretty much follows the original story, without using its new twist in any interesting ways.
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Cast
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Paul Massie
as Dr. Jekyll
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Dawn Addams
as Kitty Jekyll
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Christopher Lee
as Paul Allen
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David Kossoff
as Ernest Litauer
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Francis De Wolff
as Inspector
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Pauline Shepherd
as Girl in Gin Shop
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Helen Goss
as Nannie
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Joe Robinson
as Corinthian
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Arthur Lovegrove
as Cabby
- Oliver Reed
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Victor Kendall
as Clubman
- Joy Webster
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Norma Maria
as Maria
