I watched this on TCM real late last nite.
This version is the best,IMHO. The Barrymore version is ok...except Barrymore is such a ham. And the Spencer Tracy version....fergettaboutit. March earned his Oscar as the two-faced monster. Lotsa sexual overtones and drug addiction. Miriam Hopkins also gives a heart rending performance as the tortured prostitute,Champagne Ivy. It was hard for me to picture March underneath the Hyde visage....even though he is shown transforming....seems like a total differnt person. And every time he transforms he just gets physically(and mentally) uglier.-great....just great. A classic of Golden Age horror.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVESREi5JhU
Do you have any Golden Age horrors that just blow you away? :question:
I still need to see the Barrymore version, but I agree the March version is superior to the Tracy version. I liked them both, though.
I've seen the Barrymore version on the big screen & the small screen & enjoy it immensely. One thing that's always puzzled me about the Barrymore version is the insistence you'll see in some writings & criticisms on the film is that he did the part "without makeup", when it's dead obvious that he's wearing quite a bit of makeup as Hyde. Perhaps they mean to say that Barrymore did the transformation without makeup, which is pretty darn impressive. That and the fact that 1919 wasn't all that far away from the 1880's, so the costumes & sets have a highly authentic feel.
That said, I have to say that my favorite Hyde is John Malkovich from Mary C. Reily -- a film that gets no love, though I certainly do -- love it, that is.
Golden Age films? Island of Lost Souls can still creep me out.
peter johnson/denny crane
This Version Of DR. Jekyll And MR. Hyde Is One Of My Favorites , I've Watched It Three Or Four Times Already