Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Photos

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Cast & Crew

John Barrymore

Dr. Henry Jekyll , Mr. Edward Hyde

Martha Mansfield

Millicent Carew

Brandon Hurst

Sir George Carew

Nita Naldi

Miss Gina

Charles Lane

Dr. Richard Lanyon

Louis Wolheim

Music Hall Proprietor

Cecil Clovelly

Edward Enfield

J. Malcolm Dunn

John Utterson (uncredited)

George Stevens

Poole (uncredited)

John S. Robertson

Director

Roy F. Overbaugh

Cinematographer

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Critic Reviews for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Audience Reviews for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• May 03, 2013

  John Barrymore stars as the good scientist who develops a potion that unlocks his wicked side in this silent adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. As usual, Jekyll is a bore and Hyde is a blast---here, he looks like a hairy skeleton with a pin-head---and the scenes of Victorian depravity, with Hyde visiting prostitutes and opium dens and abusing the lost souls there for his amusement, are solid pre-Code fun. Holds its own against the talkie versions.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Dec 21, 2010

  Not the first version and not the best either, if you know the story it's predictable and boring. The characters aren't very interesting, the main actor, Barrymore, is pretty good, but other than that, I didn't care for this version.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Nov 02, 2009

  A classic treatment of a classic tale. Barrymore, as usual, is superb in his dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; while make-up and lighting definitely played a part in the now-famous transformation, it is Barrymore himself that exhibits the starkest contrast between the two halves of the main character's personality through his posture, facial expressions, and exaggerated mannerisms (all, of course, without the use of sound), setting the stage for all future actors who would take on this challenging role (Fredric March, who would win an Oscar for his portrayal of Jekyll/ Hyde some dozen years after this film was made, must certainly have studied Barrymore's performance and likely took several pages from his book). As with most cinematic adaptations of Stevenson's famous 1885 novel, this film does away with the lawyer Utterson as the focal character (and replaces him with the Doctor himself, like virtually all films of this sort do), yet it does indeed utilize more elements from the source text than most, although they generally appear in different places in the cinematic narative (mostly toward the end). All in all, a remarkable silent film, and one that is recommended to fans of either the Stevenson novel or of silent horror films in general.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Oct 08, 2009

  So, I sat down to watch John S. Robertson's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Starring John Barrymore, one of the greatest actors to ever grace the screen. To say the least I was incredibly bored. I understand that this movie is for a different time and i understand that John Barrymore's acting is superb or whatnot. Come on! This is dry, very very dry. I couldn't stomach watching it for more than 15 min before i just began skipping ahead to watch the transformation scene or the ending. You can definitely see where film has gone, from the turn of the century to the 1920's. The story feels more in depth and it looks to me that they have a lot more money to play around with. It does pay off with the transformation scene, when Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde. Although i do believe that Edison's Frankenstein has this trumped on the Special Effects side of things, and that was done way earlier and with less money. John Barrymore's acting cant save this "Masterpiece" from making you fall asleep. The soundtrack, although added way later, doesn't serve this piece well either. If you don't believe me you can go ahead and watch it for your self, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho8-vK0L1_8. On a scare scale i give this film 4/10. Try again Sid
  

  Super Reviewer