The past weekend weāve had Hope Dickson Leach’s hybrid adaptation of the text in a brilliant live film production. The action takes the story back to Stevenson’s birthplace ā Edinburgh and focuses on Utterson’s own descent into madness as he pursues not only Hyde, but wealth and power. The National Theatre of Scotland’s film production looks at the story through Utterson’s eyes but also reshapes his character. The ambitious project saw Lorn MacDonald as Utterson and invited audiences to watch the film being made as well as screened live across theatres. Though it provokes a lot of thought, including musings on the homosexual subtext presented, Hope Dickson Leach’s production is an intriguing one.
Now, you must suffer me to go in my own dark way and indulge in exploring the good and evil of Jekyll and Hyde cinematic adaptations. For I am no stranger to the text – in fact it is my favourite. (I even have a cat named Jekyll.) So, if you wish to start your own journey into the cinematic madness that is Jekyll & Hyde, here is a small overview of the countless amount of adaptations of the novella. Fun fact, though there are over 100 filmed adaptations of the novel, there has never been a truly faithful translation of the text. Whilst the core of the story ā the two dualities of an ambitious scientist – is still key to the retellings, most movies change the narrative. The novel itself is told from the perspective of Dr John Utterson – a dear friend of Jekyll – and most films omit or heavily reduce his role, which, as mentioned, is why this latest adaptation is interesting. Almost all add a female love interest for both the man and the monster, often causing friction between the two personalities struggling for freedom deep within. These changes can be attributed to Thomas Russell Sullivan, who adapted the text for theatre, and centred the story around romance. In the novel, Hyde is described as having a deformity – but no one can pinpoint the affliction. The big theory is that he is so amoral that his wickedness appears across his face. However, over time this has evolved with some Hyde’s being hideous, depraved monsters with sickening psychopathy and super-strength. Despite most adaptations following Sullivan’s work, in the very best depictions, the themes of sexual repression and socially bred violence are there. Performed When the novel was published in 1886, the Victorians wasted no time in putting it on stage. Sullivan’s version of the play was opened in 1887. Lead Actor Richard Mansfield played the role for 20 years as it toured Britain. Mansfield’s work as a madman killer was so convincing that people thought that he was the infamous Jack the Ripper – though he was quickly acquitted of the crime.As film became more prevalent in the 1900s, the novella and its subsequent play would begin its cinematic adaptations. Though no copies of the first ever 16-minute short exist, featuring Hobart Bosworth in the eponymous roles, the 1908 short is considered to be the first ever American Horror film. It would also be the start of the hundreds of adaptations – with twelve silent films on the subject matter. The best existing version is John S Robertson’s in 1920, which saw John Barrymore as the two titular characters. Barrymore depicts Jekyll’s obsession with ridding man’s soul from the savage within him.
Walerian Borowcyzk’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osborne (1981) has Udo Kier as Dr Jekyll. The film takes the restrained and repressed Victorian London to a new level as Hyde is unbound in a night of torturous sexual mayhem. There is a lot to admire about this version, most notably the bathtub riving transformations of the titular Doctor and his fiancé. Though Julia Roberts Irish accent Irish accent is…interesting… Stephen Frears’ Mary Reilly (1996) is intriguing. The character played by Roberts is the maid of Dr Henry Jekyll and starts to fall in love with the man and the malicious monster – played by John Malkovich. Based on a book by Valerie Martin, Mary Reilly has an intriguing premise, and the story is a very great brooding Gothic romp.
There have been some really strenuous depictions of the story and the most famous is The Nutty Professor films. Both Jerry Lewis in 1963 and Eddie Murphy in 1996 star as a hapless, nerdy doctor who creates a serum that turns him into someone more confident and attractive. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has even made its way into comic books with Bruce Banner aka The Hulk being a brilliant subversion of the Jekyll and Hyde lore. Mark Ruffalo does an incredible job at portraying the doctor constantly on edge of the beast he has created within. There are many Spider-Men villains who could also fall under this trope – especially as men of science who fall on the blade of their own creation, with Green Goblin being the most sinister in relation to Dr Jekyll. Who am I to deny William Dafoe’s performance on this article?