Release: 3/1913 Duration: 27'
Director: Herbert Brenon
Stars: King Baggot, Jane Gail, Howard Crampton, William Sorelle
IMDB notice Film on YouTube
This is the third adaptation of the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. There is no known surviving copy of the first 1908 adaption and the second one in 1912 (IMDB notice, Film on You Tube) was only 12' long and quite caricatural. A fourth version will be directed in 1920 by John S. Robertson. Contrary to the book by R.L. Stevenson, the film shows at an early stage that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same person. After establishing Dr. Jekyll's character as a respectable Doctor, in love with his fiancée and caring for poor patients, it shows the transformation of Dr. Jekyll into monstrous Mr. Hyde after taking a drug of his invention. Hyde gets a hiding place from where he attacks people at night. One night he is forced to go back to Dr. Jekyll's house to give money to the father of a boy he had attacked. He promises not to tempt fate again, but he starts transforming into Mr. Hyde without taking the drug. After making his will in favour of Mr. Hyde, he can no longer control his transformations and kills a man in front of Alice's house. When he finally runs out of antidote he dies and his dead body transforms back in Dr. Jekyll's.
The film gives a very visual and dynamic rendition of the story, with the use of very few inter-titles. It uses mostly three quarter shots, which makes it possible to have a good view of the expressions on the faces of the actors, as well as full shots and medium close-ups. There are hardly any camera movements. Acting is quite good without the exaggerated mimics often seen at the time. A particular effort is notable for the characterisation of Jekyll's personality. Special effects are rather primitive and used only for the transformations between Jekyll and Hyde. The photography is often interesting with well-composed images and original camera angles. The film is particularly interesting for its very dynamic editing. Cross-cutting is used quite systematically, often with very short takes of just a few seconds which helps maintaining the modern viewer's attention. It also shows early example of expressive editing: e.g. a shot of Jekyll thinking in his office is followed by a mid close-up of Alice looking melancholically out of a window, to suggest what he is thinking about; a shot of Jekyll lying on the floor is followed by a short take of a bell in a steeple to evoke his death. Fade to black is used a couple of time to suggest that some time has passed.
The film includes 10 scenes, each of them made of several shots.
1) Dr. Jekyll sends a note saying he cannot go to the opera with his fiancé Alice and her father, because he must attend charity patients. Dr. Lanyon and Lawyer Utterson ridicule him for his unheard of experiments. Alternating shots: Alice in her father in the sitting room, the doctor's laboratory, office and waiting room.
2) Inter-title: "In the dead silence of the night, Dr. Jekyll plans to set free his evil self". Transformation into Mr. Hyde in the laboratory. Note to the servants asking them to treat Mr. Hyde as himself; the butler and maid terrified, examining the letter. Hyde leaving by the backdoor. Hyde approaching a building. The inside of the building: a tavern with people dancing. Hyde appearing at the window. Hyde entering the tavern and fighting with some of the dancers before going out. Looking through the window again.
3) Inter-title: "The demon souled man provides a hiding place" Mr. Hyde discussing with the landlady in front of a building offering lodging. Paying her inside the room.
4) Inter-title: "The evil man had many adventures by night". The corner of a street, a crippled child is attacked by Hyde, his father catches Hyde, a crowd forms. The backdoor of Dr. Jekyll's house, Hyde opens the door. The laboratory, Hyde pays the boy's father and the butler witnesses the scene. The man goes out of Dr. Jekyll's backdoor. He talks to the crowd at the corner of the street. Hyde mixing a potion in the laboratory. Utterson in front of Dr. Jekyll's backdoor realises that this is where Hyde went in. Hyde transforms back into Dr. Jekyll in the laboratory; inter-title: "Never again shall I tempt fate". Dr. Jekyll standing in his office. Alice looking melancholically out of a window.
5) Inter-title: "Hyde becomes the evil man without the use of the drug". Jekyll transforms into Hyde in his office.
6) Second part, Inter-title: "Dr. Jekyll makes his will". In his office with Lanyon and Utterson; a written note : "In case of my death or disappearance, all my worldly possessions revert to Mr. Hyde". Alice arrives at the front door. Lanyon and Utterson, worried in the waiting room. Alice and Dr. Jekyll in his office, talking happily. Lanyon and Utterson, overhearing their conversation in the waiting room, reassured. Lanyon and Utterson leave the house, talking together; Alice and Dr. Jekyll in his office, talking happily. The waiting room, Alice leaving. Jekyll in his office, talking to himself. Alice, leaving by the front door. Alice sees the face of Dr. Jekyll at the window. She asks Lanyon and Utterson to come back. The laboratory, Jekyll taking the antidote; Jekyll's face at the window. Alice, Lanyon and Utterson at the front door. Jekyll in the laboratory. Lanyon and Utterson at the front door.
7) Inter-title: "Dr. Jekyll is a martyr to science". On the side of a church, Jekyll and Alice cross a religious procession. In front of Alice's house, Jekyll, Alice and her father. Jekyll not feeling well. Alice inside getting a glass of water. Jekyll outside transforms into Hyde, kills a man and runs away. Alice outside discovers the crime. Utterson runs after him. Outside in a street, Hyde asks a boy to take a message to Dr. Lanyon. Dr. Lanyon's cabinet, the boy gives him the note that he reads. "Dearest Lanyon, Get for me the boxes in my table drawer. My life, my honor and my soul depend on you. My messenger will call at midnight. Henry Jekyll.". Same street as before, Hyde hiding being a tree.
8) Inter-title "Midnight". Utterson in Jekyll's laboratory, taking bottles with him (4"). A policeman in front of the door looking surprised at something approaching (6"). Inter-title "Dr. Lanyon, man of unbelief behold!". Dr. Lanyon's office, he watches Hyde taking the drug and transform into Jekyll. Fade to black.
9) Inter-title "Remorse". Jekyll in front of Alice's house, looking desperately at the place where he murdered a man, then transforming into Hyde just as Alice comes out of the door and looks terrorised. The corner of a wall, Hyde hiding. Utterson and Alice's father come out of the door and run after Hyde (4"). Hyde runs past a house and pushes away a woman (8"). Hyde's landlady sweeping the floor in front of her house, Hyde runs in, grabs the key from her and goes into the house (6"). A small crowd running in front of the house seen before, the women that Hyde had pushed away points at where he's gone. Hyde's room, he comes in and start mixing his drug. The lodger at the door talking to Utterson and Lanyon. Hyde's room, he mixes his drug and listen to the door. At the front door, the landlady and a small excited crowd including a policeman and a man holding a stick, Utterson tries to open the door. Hyde drinking his drug. Outside, just as Utterson is going to crash the door open, it opens and Jekyll appears, everyone is flabbergasted. Fade to black.
10) Inter-title "The last of the antidote". Jekyll's laboratory, he enters and locks the door behind him. He transforms into Hyde and starts mixing his drug but it falls on the ground. He writes a note "Go to every chemist in London for this!". His hand waving the note out of his laboratory's door while his maid and butler look terrorised; she takes the note and goes out. Hyde's laboratory, Hyde restless. In front of his laboratory, the maid comes in and put a package in his hand that he is waving through the door. Jekyll's front door, Utterson and Lanyon rush in. Hyde kneeling on a table in Jekyll's laboratory. Utterson and Lanyon listen at the laboratory's door. Hyde tears down the curtains. Utterson and Lanyon listen at the laboratory's door. Hyde restless. Utterson takes a chair to crash the door open. Hyde climbs on the table and all on the ground. Utterson crashes the door open. Utterson followed by Lanyon rushes into Jekyll's laboratory and finds Hyde lying on the ground, he feels his body, takes off his hat and covers his face with a curtain; Alices rushes in, removes the curtain, revealing Jekyll's face and takes him in her arms. A bell tolls. Alice's embraces Jekyll's dead body, looks at him and puts him back slowly on the floor. Fade to black.
