This is the first silent film I've watched since they used to show Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd on the telly before the telly became a huge pile of crap and to be honest with you, they need to show more films like this rather than programmes like 'Real housewives of Accrington', 'Whelk Catchers' and 'The Only Way is Grimsby'. This film was made in what seems like an impossible time ago, 1920, so in our age of information, where we're barraged with noise and data almost everywhere we go, how can a film with no audible dialogue stand up?
Actually, it stands up quite well. The copy I had came with a terrible music soundtrack, so instead I watched the film while listening to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 2. That seemed to work nicely.
John Barrowmore is Dr Jekyll, man of the people, helping the poor and spending what marginal time he was with his girlfriend. Trouble is, his mates think he's boring. They think he needs to get out to some bars, hang around with some loose women, and generally blow off some steam. Jekyll seems to take this on board, but, being a man of science, comes up with a plan. If he can become someone else in order to get involved in a bit of debauchery, then he's in the clear guilt wise with his missus. Makes sense, right?
Jekyll necks his new formula and before you know it, he's Mr Hyde. Mr Hyde likes his hooch, and likes his women, but he's also as mean as hell. Worse still, he's becoming the dominant personality and folks are noticing that Jekyll doesn't seem to be around that much any more. This might be some allegory on the duality of man and the struggle ever person faces with doing what's good and what's wrong. I don't know much about that, but I sure loved the bit where he stomped on that kid and then paid off the family. Or how about that bit where he beat the guy to death? Or the bit where Jekyll dreams about a genuinely creepy spider-guy crawling up his bed (I wasn't expecting that and was well impressed)?
John Barrowmore was pretty good as both characters, going from a pale-faced, innocent Doctor to a gurning, hunched wretch. The film zips by pretty quickly (not much time for long drawn out dialogue in silent films) and has some genuinely unsettling moments, from the spider bit above to the bit in the bar where Hyde man handles two hookers. I was glad I broke my silent movie duck on this one.
Actually, it stands up quite well. The copy I had came with a terrible music soundtrack, so instead I watched the film while listening to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 2. That seemed to work nicely.
John Barrowmore is Dr Jekyll, man of the people, helping the poor and spending what marginal time he was with his girlfriend. Trouble is, his mates think he's boring. They think he needs to get out to some bars, hang around with some loose women, and generally blow off some steam. Jekyll seems to take this on board, but, being a man of science, comes up with a plan. If he can become someone else in order to get involved in a bit of debauchery, then he's in the clear guilt wise with his missus. Makes sense, right?
Jekyll necks his new formula and before you know it, he's Mr Hyde. Mr Hyde likes his hooch, and likes his women, but he's also as mean as hell. Worse still, he's becoming the dominant personality and folks are noticing that Jekyll doesn't seem to be around that much any more. This might be some allegory on the duality of man and the struggle ever person faces with doing what's good and what's wrong. I don't know much about that, but I sure loved the bit where he stomped on that kid and then paid off the family. Or how about that bit where he beat the guy to death? Or the bit where Jekyll dreams about a genuinely creepy spider-guy crawling up his bed (I wasn't expecting that and was well impressed)?
John Barrowmore was pretty good as both characters, going from a pale-faced, innocent Doctor to a gurning, hunched wretch. The film zips by pretty quickly (not much time for long drawn out dialogue in silent films) and has some genuinely unsettling moments, from the spider bit above to the bit in the bar where Hyde man handles two hookers. I was glad I broke my silent movie duck on this one.