Since the 31 Flicks That Give You The Willies event at Shoot The Projectionist , I've been wanting to revisit the movie first brought to my mind in contemplating my own list, the 1941 version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
This is perhaps the only movie I first saw as an adult that so disturbed me that I never wished to see it again. I slightly hesitate to watch it now because as usually happens when reviewing films that scared you as a child, they rarely have the same effect as you remember them having. It was not more than ten years ago that this film gave me the willies, and just watching Ingrid Bergman in the trailer leads me to believe I'm still going to find it quite scary.
In finding a double feature DVD of the film on Amazon, however, I soon learned that this version of the film is widely derided in favor of the pre-Code version made ten years earlier, starring Fredric March.
Happily both versions are scheduled to air on TCM this week. On their website, they have a video about movie makeup comparing the two versions. In any genre it seems as a rule people tend to like whatever version they saw first. I suspect I'm still going to prefer the more realistic Spencer Tracy version, considering also that during the first I won't have Ingrid Bergman to look at, but we'll see!
Airing 7 PM Central Thursday, February 12th:
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1932) Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a scientist who unleashes the beast within. Cast: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian. BW-96 mins, TV-PG, CC
Airing later that evening at 3 AM Central:
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1941) A scientist's investigations into the nature of good and evil turn him into a murderous monster. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-113 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
Between which I will be attending a midnight showing of Friday the 13th!
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