The following contains discussions about abuse.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- which is receiving a Blu-Ray release as a part of the Warner Archive Collection on October 25, 2022 -- remains a shockingly modern film. The story it's based on served as inspiration for plenty of films and stories, including providing a major influence on the earliest incarnation of the Incredible Hulk (in turn inspiring other adaptations of Hyde).
The film tweaks the classic source material into a shockingly grim portrayal of an abusive and controlling relationship, portraying Hyde as a monster through his destruction of a young woman who crosses his path. Almost a century later, the film's tragic themes still resonate -- and its portrayal of Hyde as a man in power abusing his relationship to a woman feels particularly relevant compared to other modern horror films.
What Makes Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Special
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian and released before the Hayes Code effectively censored the more prevalent sexuality and morally dubious elements of Hollywood filmmaking -- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was a massive success when it was released in 1931. Eventually earning its star Fredric March an Academy Award for Best Actor, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde follows the broad strokes of Robert Louis Stevenson's original novella of the same name. In it, Jekyll is a wealthy and successful physician in Victorian England, engaged to be wed to the wealthy Muriel Carew (Rose Hobart). However, his secret experiments revolve around finding a way to exorcise the darker sides of his personality, trying to cleanse his soul of dark impulses or influence -- resulting in an exlir that transforms him into the monstrous Hyde.
However, unique to the film is the role of Ivy (Miriam Hopkins). Whereas his formal courtship with Muriel is complicated by her father's limitations and the more proper channels of marriage, Ivy is a sultry young woman who Jekyll encounters early in the film. Saving her from an attacker, Ivy tries to seduce Jekyll -- who resists the temptation.
Meanwhile, as Hyde, he finds Ivy and intimidates her into forging a relationship with him. Increasingly abusive and possessive of Ivy, Hyde's monstrous acts from the original story are instead framed through his abusive treatment of the young woman. She attempts to recruit Jekyll to stop Hyde, only enraging him further and resulting in Hyde killing her with his own two hands.
From Invisible Woman to Barbarian, Movies Follow Jekyll's Themes
The film ends with Hyde -- after Jekyll transforms in clear view of the police -- shot dead for his crimes. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's portrayal of the life and death of Ivy highlight the film's resonance. Ivy is portrayed as flirtatious and confident with Jekyll, presenting her as a passionate alternative to the buttoned-up Muriel. However, her reluctant -- and eventually horrified -- connection to Hyde always portrays her as the victim. When she comes to Jekyll for help late in the film, it's someone begging for help from a relationship she can't escape, a relationship that eventually leads to her death. It's dark and the kind of subject material that feels relevant compared to other modern horror films, as the movie's most unsettling moment has nothing to do with Hyde's transformations.
Rather, it's an extended scene where Hyde forces Ivy onto his lap as he threatens her, with Hopkins' terrified look serving as the focal point -- highlighting his impact on the woman. The Invisible Man likewise reinvented a Stevenson story and focused on the story of a woman trying to escape an abusive and possessive lover. Meanwhile, Last Night in SoHo centered around a woman who was taken advantage of and attempted to break this abuse through her own acts of violence. More recently, Barbarian focused on vicious sexual predators and the pain that stews in their stead.
A classic of its era, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde feels almost prophetic of the kind of movies that would still be coming out over a century later. The fact that films are still contending with this kind of subject also highlights that for all the development and growth of the last hundred years, there is still horror to be found with abusive men -- and the limits they'll go to break the women in their lives.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will be available on Blu-Ray as part of the Warner Bros. Archive Collection on Oct. 25