Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2003)

(In French, On Cable TV, October 2021) As I grow older, I’m less and less bothered by series of film adaptations of literary classics—in fact, it’s rather wonderful to see how each era tackles the same source material, through its own biases, styles and self-censorship. In measuring the 2003 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde against earlier version from the 1930s-40s, I’m surprised to realize that this one makes the striking choice to not overplay the physical difference between both alter egos—John Hannah plays Hyde with a minimal amount of makeup compared to Jekyll, giving a welcome spin on the idea of the duality of both characters. It’s bloodier, far more aware of the homoerotic aspect of its material (to the point of Hyde killing a woman held by Jekyll and embracing him as she slumps to the floor—yes, this turns weird at times) and more straightforward in the realism that earlier filmmakers could not show. The period recreation is generally convincing, albeit limited by the budget of a TV movie. It almost goes without saying that those most used to seeing Hannah in comedic roles may have a harder time adapting to the film—as will Robert Louis Stevenson’s readers, who will tick off the film’s numerous deviations from the source material. But this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde still stands distinctly as an unusually daring approach to the material, pushing the psychological dimension of the tale and taking it in a different (if imperfect) place. It doesn’t feel much like a repetition of earlier versions of the material, not even Mary Reilly. Oh, and here’s something I did not know before doing research for this capsule review—Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde wasn’t a reaction to Jack the Ripper—it predates the first murders by two years, and a theatrical adaptation of the novel was shut down due to concerns over the killings!