Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

A respectable doctor in London believes the good and evil in a person can be chemically separated. He tries the drug on himself. As Hyde he goes out and finds Ivy, who works in a music hall; he shuts her up in a house and the transformations get out of hand. The subject is not science but a man finding a pretext for what he already wanted. Hyde here is hardly a monster; very little makeup is used and the change is left largely to Spencer Tracy's face. The threat sits closer for it. The form is major studio production: broad sets, soft light, rich costume. The transformations are given through superimposed images and short dream passages. The strangest thing about it is the casting. Ingrid Bergman was first given the fiancée; she said she would rather play Ivy in the music hall and the roles were swapped. Lana Turner took the fiancée. Bergman's performance is now considered the film's strongest element. MGM had also acquired the rights to the 1931 version of the same novel and had it pulled from circulation; the older film was unavailable for a long time. Victor Fleming directs. Who it is for: viewers who like classical-era Hollywood horror and Bergman. Who it is not for: anyone who knows the 1931 version; this film is less daring and softens the transformation.