Product Description

Robert Louis Stevenson's chilling exploration into the good versus evil side of human nature was brought dramatically to the screen in this classic BBC adaptation. David Hemmings stars as the virtuous Dr Jekyll who discovers a formula to unleash the dark side of man. The result is Mr Edward Hyde, his depraved inner demon who is let loose to enjoy the more decadent side of Victorian society. As his experiments continue Mr Hyde grows stronger as his creator struggles to control him. The excellent supporting cast features Ian Bannen, Diana Dors and Toyah Wilcox.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14216 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-06-18
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 114 minutes

Synopsis
A Classic BBC retelling of the infamous Robert Louis Stevenson novel, David Hemmings (BLOW-UP, GLADIATOR) as the driven, but ultimately demented scientist who discovers a serum to unleash the darker side of human nature.

Customer Reviews

Mr Hyde is a suave man about town with a violent temper
This BBC production stars David Hemmings as an elderly Dr Jekyll with a taste for ladies of the night, and a nice cameo role for Diana Dors as the madam at his preferred establishment.

Mr Hyde is portrayed as a handsome, suave man about town, but with a violent undercurrent that can erupt violently, a nice change from the usual sadistic romps.

Although interesting this interpretation of Hyde does lead to a rather restrained production, that is probably better rented.

Faithfull but wierd adaption of R.L.Stevenson classic
A consistently faithfull adaption of the often misrepresented Stevenson classic. I cant say this is general easy entertainment. The story is quite staid which in one way adds to its faithfulness but also makes it plod somewhat undramatically. Still it has lots to offer including a strange synth soundtrack and some genuinly unsettling sequences with some nice camerawork and artistic touches. The sets are interesting and give a convincing 'dark' victorian atmosphere and some unusual angles with roofs present which is rarely seen in television. Overall worth watching but only owning if you are a collector of gothic addaptions or cult wierdness.

An adaptation that's close to perfection.
The BBC in the Eighties offered several near-definitive adaptations of science fiction classics, (e.g. 'The Day of the Triffids' or 'The Invisible Man'). The David Hemmings 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde' is comfortably in that league, distinguished by a remarkable performance (pair of performances?) from Hemmings himself and stalwart support from Clive Swift, Ian Bannen, Diana Dors and even Toyah Willcox. It's probably best to approach this version with only the original book and not earlier adaptations in mind - if you picture Hyde as a fanged beast-man clutching a bread-knife, you may be surprised at the eloquence and suavity of Hemmings' Hyde. However, if you know the book you'll find this a far more sensitive adaptation than many - the compromises and ambiguity of Jekyll and the uneasily compelling qualities of Hyde are well-drawn and come straight from Stevenson. Interestingly, make-up is used much more extensively for Hemmings' Jekyll than for his Hyde - in keeping with Stevenson's suggestions that Hyde appears much younger than Jekyll, as though theirs was a parody of a father-and-son relationship. For all that Hemmings' Hyde is fangless and comparatively presentable, he's still more threatening and repulsive than any other I've ever seen, and several Hyde-driven scenes are genuinely uncomfortable viewing. Some aspects of the production have dated - a few of the visual and musical effects in the transformation scenes have a whiff of 'Blakes 7' about them - but this version still carries far more of the flavour and depth of the original Stevenson novella than any other available. (The DVD release is pretty much extra-free - offering basically the original television film plus the option of selecting individual scenes.)