Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Cast:
-Fredric March: Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde

-Miriam Hopkins:Ivy Pearson

-Rose Hobart: Muriel Carew

-Holmes Herbert: Dr. Lanyon

-Halliwell Hobbes: Brigadier-General Carew

-Edgar Norton: Poole

-Tempe Pigott: Mrs. Hawkins 

Facts:
-Released December 31 1931

-Jekyll-to-Hyde scenes were accomplished using different color filters in front of the camera lens.

-Rouben Mamoulian directed the movie.

-Music is composed by Herman Hand, Rudolph G. Kopp, John Leipold, Ralph Rainger, and Johann Sebastian Bach (1708). All composers are uncredited. 

Source: IMDB

-Based off the book 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson. 

-Fredric March earned an Academy Award for his portrayal of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

-In 1936 when the movie was re-released, 8 minutes were cut out of Miriam Hopkins role as Ivy Person due to the Hayes Code. The Hayes Code censored Hollywood films. 

-Cinematography by: Karl Struss

Source: http://ryanmccormickfilmhistory.blogspot.it/2011/03/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-1931.html 

My thoughts?

  I was particularly impressed with the cinematography in this film, not that I am an expert on the subject. This movie is quite high in the special effects department; compared to Dracula and Frankenstein that were also released that year. The acting was also superbly portrayed. I really enjoyed this movie. It most deservingly earns the name: 'Classic.'

  The only time I laughed, was when Dr. Jekyll takes the potion for the first time and turns into Mr. Hyde. An ape type creature proclaiming freedom in front of a mirror was a bit too much for me. (Ok, that's putting it lightly, I had to close my laptop and take a few seconds breather before I could continue with the movie.) 

  I'm sure it has been noticed before that Fredric March plays the role of Mr. Hyde as an ape type creature to show mans primal  urges. The movie touches quite a bit on good/evil, light/dark. I think each person has both of those inside them. Bring into the equation, Nature vs. Nurture.    

  At any rate the more I looked at this Mr. Hyde character, the more freaked out I got. Like a train wreck, I didn't want to look and I couldn't look away. So, guess who's having nightmares about creepy, violent, ape like beings tonight? Nighty night.