Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde concerns itself quite literally with the nature of evil and its occupation of space in the human psyche.

Spencer Tracy plays a very convincing Jekyll and a deeply creepy and unsettling Hyde, making his dual performance particularly noteworthy. The vocal work provided by Tracy gives Hyde a rough and mad quality that his appearance alone could only partially convey. Playing his opposite, Ingrid Bergman’s Ivy Pearson is initially giddy and game, provoking the fixation of both sides of our leading man. This contrasts well with the absolute terror she experiences as Hyde’s plaything.

The transformation into the evil self is highly physical. The make-up work involved in turning the respectable Jekyll into the insane Hyde is substantial both in application and effect. The sequences depicting the change are strange and feel a bit dream-like in their quality. The film used a contemporary technique of overlaying images to create a smooth progression from one extreme to another; watching as the images blur by is appropriately eerie. The viewer is left wondering: at what point does Jekyll become Hyde or vice versa? Can they even truly be spoken of distinctly?

The film makes a convincing argument that decoupling good and evil destroys the human conscience as, near the end, Jekyll can only chemically, temporarily, stave off the possession of Hyde. Finally, after a crazed chase, the transformation is revealed to be complete. Both Jekyll and Hyde meet the same end, one ordained for men who lose sight of the dichotomous nature of good and evil. To attempt to unbind them is to court doom, as your evil side does not go away; rather it manifests itself more fiercely and independently. And now, with the evil side totally detached from the good, the moral compass that only wiggled before suddenly begins to spin.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a fun examination of the nature of good and evil, propped up by solid performances and impressive visual effects and make-up. This is one transformation horror fans won’t want to miss.