Going back to the well again, this time with the first proper sound version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The story was well told by this point, but with sound Paramount set the stage for all future versions.
Dr. Henry Jekyll (Fredric March) is a young up and coming doctor, who lectures to a filled auditorium. His latest rounds of lectures have been focusing on the nature of man's psyche, specifically how one might be able to ride one's self of one's baser instincts, possibly through modern chemistry. The students are enthralled, the older medical profession shocked, and Jekyll doesn't care.
That might be a problem; while Jekyll's friend Dr. Lanyon (Holmes Herbert) urges caution and more placating of the upper crust, Jekyll opts to work with the poor and destitute, reputation be damned. This last one is a sticking point for General Carew (Halliwell Hobbs), who insists that things must be done a certain way or not at all. The general is a stickler for 'proper' things, especially when his daughter Muriel (Rose Hobert) is concerned. Muriel is Jekyll's fiancé and they are set to marry in September, a good eight months from now. Why? Because the general was married in September, and an early wedding simply isn't done, that's why. When Jekyll suggests an earlier wedding, then, the general takes it about as bad as a person can.
Storming out of the dinner, Jekyll and Lanyon are passing by Jekyll's clinic when they hear a fight. Rushing to the altercation, Jekyll saves Ivy (Miriam Hopkins) from a street tough and takes the injured woman back to her apartment. Ivy's job, never mentioned in the film, seems to involve a lot of standing around on street corners at odd hours. She's grateful for Jekyll's help, so much so she almost strips down to her altogether when Lanyon takes that moment to barge in. Ivy's bare leg haunts Jekyll as he leaves.
He's so haunted that after a night in the lab Jekyll makes a shocking discovery. The end result- a hairy handed gent named Hyde. When the general takes Muriel away on an extended vacation, Jekyll finds himself with too much time on his hands. Hyde, on the other hand, only has one thing on his mind. Slipping out the backway, Hyde makes his way to Ivy's lodging.
He finds her in a dance hall, where he orders champagne (served in a beer glass). He more or less buys Ivy and spends the next weeks showering her with gifts and abuse. Ivy is left a terrorized wreck, but Hyde snaps out of his when he sees news of the generals return. Turning back into Jekyll, the good doctor is overcome with guilt at his actions. He promises Ivy that Hyde will never bother her again...but Hyde doesn't need Jekyll's potion anymore, and he's got so many things to do yet...
A bit long, but March as Jekyll set the standard. The makeup is top notch, but March uses so much more. His walk, accent, everything is so different one could think they used two different actors. The character is different too. Hyde isn't simply evil, he's base. He's all of Jekyll's baser instincts brought to the forefront. He is the Id given flesh, with no concept of self-control or need for it.
Easily the best version of the story yet.
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