Review of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This is one of the earliest of many, many (better say endless) Jekyll & Hyde adaptations, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. The main reason why this version pales in comparison with the celebrated 1931-version is because the narration of Robert Louis Stevenson's story never at one point rises above the basics. The film opens terribly slow and you have to wait long and patiently before it gets to the essence of Stevenson's legendary writings, namely Dr. Jekyll's growing obsession to bring out the dark side that hides in ever human being. However, and this is truly remarkable, off ALL the Jekyll & Hyde movie-versions I've seen thus far, this 85-year-old piece of cinema strangely brings forward the spookiest Hyde-monster ever. In fact, John Barrymore simply dominates the whole movie and he clearly enjoyed the sequences where he turns into the malicious and long-fingered monster. The transformation scenes are amazingly uncanny for their time and the camera-work is pure Expressionism. With a slightly more creative approach of the story-material, this could have been the greatest silent horror film ever.