Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two, man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug, it is already too late.
Fredric March is the stellar performer in this blood-curdling shadow venture.
– Mordaunt Hall,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
A remarkable achievement that deserves to be much better known.
– Jonathan Rosenbaum,
Chicago Reader,
26 Sep 2007
fresh:
Dr Jekyll combines gothic horror, aristocratic romance and madcap Freudian psychodrama into a dizzying, exhilarating brew.
– Tom Huddleston,
Time Out,
12 Dec 2008
rotten:
Camera trick of changing a central figure from the handsome Fredric March into the bestial, ape-like monster Hyde, carries a terrific punch, but in each successive use of the device -- and it is repeated four times -- it weakens in hair-raising effort.