DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE (1920): NOT THAT ONE THE OTHER ONE

In 1920 there were actually 3 film versions of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde made.  The first 1920 version released is also the most appreciated and most well known. John Barrymore does a wonderful Jekyll and one of the most terrifying Hydes ever put on celluloid. The final film interpretation of the classic book, Der Januskopf, is unfortunately lost. It starred Conrad Veidt and a smaller role for the little known Bela Lugosi. It was directed by FW Murnau and sounds very much in the vein of his film Nosferatu. While it may be lost, with one of the world's greatest directors and two of horror cinema's biggest legends, something tells me it was an outstanding film. The one I am discussing today falls in the middle both for it's popularity and on the timeline. It is often referred to as the Haydon version after it's director J. Charles Haydon or the Sheldon Lewis version after it's lead. The director did little if anything after this film which he said he hated, but prior to this movie he did direct a pretty creepy Wizard Of Oz film. Mr. Lewis was in dozens of films before and after this one typically playing a dark or villainous role.
   At only 40 minutes it wasn't unusual for the time, but it certainly wasn't feature length as the other Dr. Jekyll interpretations were that same year. Like many cinematic versions of this classic story, we first see Dr. Jekyll helping out the poor and the sick. This makes us feel for him when he turns into a monster and at times this will have you rooting for the villain. I've always felt that some of the best horror movies have the power to do that. To have us cheer on evil. While Lewis' portrayal of the monster does not come close to the job Barrymore did, it is appealing in it's own way. I don't think they did any kind of extreme make up job, but I did initially think that Jekyll and Hyde were being portrayed by two different actors. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but part of it could be due to the ragged condition of the film which is pretty washed out. Hyde's first attack comes pretty early on and it's not nice especially for 1920. The scenes in the slums are particularly well done and the vicious attack on the woman in the slums seems to go on and on. There are actually quite a number of attacks and basic acts of criminality for a 40 minute film and I think that's part of the reason I enjoyed it so much. Too many horror films don't give you enough of the monster and they could all learn a thing or two from this forgotten gem.
   There have been as of this writing 123 film versions of Robert Louis Stevenson's literary masterpiece. While I may be hesitant to call this version one of the best, I think it's well worth a look if you enjoy the Jekyll/Hyde character or horror movies or silent cinema. It is definitely a version that gets lost in the shuffle and I'd like to see that change. It's not easy competing with the likes of Conrad Veidt and John Barrymore much less the hundred other people who have played the character, but I think this movie as a whole does a good enough job distinguishing itself from some of the more popular efforts. Sheldon Lewis and a few other familiar silent faces fit their parts perfectly and while the direction is nothing special or original it does manage to endear you to the villainous main character. I honestly don't think I was so nervous about the evil doer in a film being caught since Anthony Perkins was sinking Janet Leigh's car into the swamp. Add that to an interesting dual ending, some creepy spider like movements from Hyde and a tense capture and escape from the police and you have a film well worth adding to your collection even if it's not the first film to come to mind when someone says Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from 1920...

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