The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1961)

Hammer Studios put a unique spin on this classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson: Professor Henry Jekyll (Canadian born Paul Massie) is a homely schmuck working on proving that old theory about the duality of humankind. When he tests some experimental serum on himself, he transforms into the much more handsome and suave Edward Hyde. Unfortunately, he can't really control these transformations, and Hyde becomes the dominant personality more and more, and Hyde shows himself to be an effectively conniving and nasty individual.Sir Christopher Lee is great fun in a supporting role, playing Paul Allen, Jekylls' friend and a compulsive gambler. Paul has also been carrying on with Jekylls' wife Kitty (Dawn Addams) for quite some time. It's rare that Sir Christopher got a chance to be this funny, or to be so loose in a performance. Likable Massie is quite good in the two vastly different primary roles. He's so charming as Hyde that you can't help but like Hyde to some degree, until his ruthlessness comes out. It's similarly refreshing that the wife is not that loyal, or understanding, and the lovely Addams does a capable job. David Kossoff (as Jekylls' colleague Ernst), and Norma Marla (as the alluring exotic dancer Maria) offer excellent support. The physically imposing Francis De Wolff only comes in towards the end, not given much to do as a police inspector who picks up Hydes' trail. And keep an eye out for a very young Oliver Reed as a tough talking pimp!Hammer mainstay director Terence Fisher is in fine form, and the production design by Bernard Robinson is sumptuous, as you would expect after seeing his work on other Hammer horror films. The color photography just pops, and it's a treat that Hammer decided to shoot this in Megascope (a 2.35:1 aspect ratio). Screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz crafts an adaptation that is entertaining if ultimately light on horror elements. For one thing, we never seen an on screen transformation from Jekyll to Hyde, or vice versa. It's Massies' performance that sells those moments.Overall, not bad. Worth a look for Hammer fans.Seven out of 10.

Studying the mind and its locked secrets, brilliant scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie, with facial hair) attempts to separate the two forces that struggle for supremacy in every man: man as he could be, virtuous and noble; and man as he would be, free of moral restrictions. Before he can develop a drug that can take his mind to its higher state, he decides that he must first understand his baser nature, injecting himself with a serum that removes the shackles of decency, transforming himself into the degenerate Mr. Hyde (Paul Massie, without facial hair).The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll treads very familiar ground, but in the hands of seasoned Hammer director Terence Fisher, and with a sterling central performance from Massie, the film still proves a fascinating watch, one of the better movies to be based on Robert Louis Stevenson's much-filmed novella, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Massie handles his dual personality superbly, his internal struggle between good and evil palpable despite the iffy use of a patently fake beard and moustache to visually separate his two personalities (standout scenes see Jekyll arguing with his Hyde persona, reminiscent of Gollum from Lord of the Rings). Lending excellent support are Hammer regular Christopher Lee as debauched philanderer Paul Allen, who shows Hyde the dubious delights to be experienced in Victorian London, and Dawn Addams as Jekyll's deceptive, adulterous wife Kitty.Fisher's bold use of colour ensures that the whole film is a visually arresting treat for the eyes, but his film is also surprisingly daring for the day in terms of content, not shying away from depicting the depths of depravity that man (and woman) can sink to, with adultery, violent robbery, prostitution, drunkenness, rape, addiction, gambling, and murder all present and incorrect, making for a far more entertaining watch (Lee stoned out of his gourd on opium is a rare treat).7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the risqué snake act and the lively can-can dance routine, both of which add extra gratuitous titillation to proceedings.

Determined to find a cause for human behavior, a scientist's experiments with a special serum inadvertently trigger his change into a boorish, violent degenerate that enables him to live out his inner most devious fantasies, which come to pass when he discovers his wife's affair.Despite having a rather interesting take on the famous story, this entry isn't really all that special. One of the biggest problems here is that the change-over into his new personality doesn't bring about any real reason to fear him, for he looks like himself without the facial hair and lack of old-age wrinkles, or in other words just an ordinary man. This isn't a change into a twisted, deformed brute that looks slightly different from modern society but rather exactly the same as the other people around him, so he doesn't exactly inspire a great deal of fear amongst those around him as he goes through the motions of the story. In fact, several times he's shown to be knocked-out or even manhandled with extreme ease, and it's really only minor details about what he wants his friend to do that inspires any sort of terror. In fact, those actions are downright lame in any sense, not making it seem like there's a big dramatic, horror-inspired fate for what's going on but rather just an ordinary man asking his friend to do some pretty weird things for about an hour, making this one take an eternity to get going. The last half, when he goes about setting on revenge for the affair does it get going as there's some life to the film, as well as the potential for the some chills as he finally engages in actions that put others in the line of his temper, and it goes somewhat towards restoring some fear to him, but the majority of the film is so bland that there's not a lot of good that can come from it.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence, sexual situations and drug use.

This is an interesting approach to a classic tale.Christopher Lee, as mentioned in other reviews here, gets to spread his wings a bit.We get to see him out of his cape and attitude in this Hammer production, which is atypical for Hammer too.But he's not the focal point. Paul Massie is, and he does a decent job with his dueling identities.Some of the extra-loose morals and gratuitous language and violence certainly give the Victorian era we've come to know and love a new identity.Dawn Addams is hot.'Nuf said. She could have been better utilized in the story, but I'm not complaining.Anytime she's on screen in ANY film, I'm watching.The scenes with the can-can are well-produced and choreographed. Reminds me of the film "CanCan" which was just on TCM.Overall, this film is worth watching to see how fast and loose the story runs when compared with the earlier versions of the famous Stevenson classic.