DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, 1941, Warner Bros., 114 min. Dir. Victor Fleming. The erotic chemistry between Spencer Tracy and Ingrid Bergman (as Ivy) is frighteningly intense. Mr. Hyde’s emotionally abusive treatment of the vulnerable girl is a convincing depiction of a sadomasochistic relationship put on screen in mainstream motion pictures until the 1970s.
DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, 1931, Warner Bros., 97 min. Although it’s not as nuanced as the later Tracy version, many people prefer this Pre-Code shocker. Fredric March won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance, going way over the top with facial tics and bestial mannerisms in his Hyde persona. Miriam Hopkins is the unfortunate barmaid Ivy, and Rose Hobart is Muriel, Dr. Jekyll’s devoted fiancée. Director Rouben Mamoulian and cinematographer Karl Struss make revolutionary use of the camera, doing things way ahead of their time in movement, point of view and editing.