Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

One of the earliest films about a mad scientist, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was a popular choice for Hollywood. Seven different variations were produced between 1908 and 1941 alone. The version I watched was filmed in 1920 and starred John Barrymore. This is a classic silent film where most of the dialogue that the characters say is never revealed; only the “most know” parts are shared with the audience. This means that there is plenty of overacting, intense eye emoting, and overall silliness when compared to acting today. Another aspect of watching a film that is almost 100 years old are the names of various objects or institutions; for example, Dr. Jekyll runs a human repair shop, not a clinic!

“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is the classic story of a kindly doctor who is mocked by Sir George Carew, his future father-in-law, who insists that Dr. Jekyll spends too much time helping others and not enough time for himself. After an encounter at a dance hall, Dr. Jekyll comes to believe that Sir Carew was right. He then locks himself in his lab until he develops a potion that will split his good and evil sides in two. The potion works and he turns into Mr. Hyde. When he is Mr. Hyde, he goes to bars and opium dens and does the things that he could not allow Dr. Jekyll to ever try. The problem like any drug is that the side effects kick in and suddenly his evil side becomes more apparent when he turns back in Dr. Jekyll. It becomes an inner battle between Jekyll and Hyde that will ultimately affect his dear fiancée in the end.