Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 film)
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John S. Robertson |
| Produced by |
Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky |
| Written by |
Thomas Russell Sullivan Clara Beranger |
| Based on |
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Starring |
John Barrymore Martha Mansfield Charles W. Lane Nita Naldi |
| Cinematography | Roy F. Overbaugh |
|
Production
company |
Famous Players-Lasky/Artcraft Pictures
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1920 horror silent film, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount/Artcraft. The film is based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and starring actor John Barrymore.
The film was directed by John S. Robertson and co-starred Nita Naldi. The scenario was by Clara Beranger and the film is now in the public domain.
This story of split personality has Dr. Jekyll a kind and charitable man who believes that everyone has two sides, one good and one evil. Using a potion, his personalities are split, creating havoc.
Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) is a doctor of medicine, but he is also an "idealist, philanthropist." When he is not treating the poor in his free clinic, he is in his laboratory experimenting. Sir George Carew (Brandon Hurst), the father of his fiancée, Millicent (Martha Mansfield), is "piqued" by Dr. Jekyll. "No man could be as good as he looks," Carew says. Following dinner one night, Carew taunts Dr. Jekyll in front of their friends, Edward Enfield (Cecil Clovelly), Dr. Lanyon (Charles Lane) and Utterson (J. Malcolm Dunn) proclaiming "In devoting yourself to others, Jekyll, aren't you neglecting the development of your own life?" "Isn't it by serving others that one develops oneself?" Jekyll replies. "Which self?" Carew retorts. "Man has two - as he has two hands. Because I use my right hand, should I never use my left? Your really strong man fears nothing. It is the weak one who is afraid of experience. A man cannot destroy the savage in him by denying its impulses. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. With your youth, you should live - as I have lived. I have memories. What will you have at my age?"
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Wikipedia