Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) - John Barrymore shines in Robertson's adapted horror morality tale

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Drinking with a man under four eyes seems a ludicrous sin for a proper woman on this poster for John S. Robertson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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The pure, undefiled Dr. Jekyll gets introduced to lust and cravings and invent Mr. Hyde to take care of these parts of his mind. - This, however, soon devolves into murder and cruelties.

The film is an adaptation (of which there are many) of Robert Louis Stevenson's (Treasure Island (1883)) 1886 classic novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Clara Beranger (Men and Women (1925)). It can be seen as a morality story that seems to conclude the still valid lesson that the human mind contains both a dark and a light side, and that the healthy human being learns how to balance the two, (and not simply compartmentalize them as our protagonist here does.)
John S. Robertson (Madonna of the Streets (1930)) directed this silent, early horror drama, which is rather dated to see today. But the theatricality of the actors, which was typical for the time, and especially the pathos, convulsiveness and weltschmerz of the impressive John Barrymore (Grand Hotel (1932)) in the dual title role keeps the film entertaining nevertheless. Here are some stills that show some of Barrymore's range in the film, as well as another old poster and a couple of new, excitingly graphical posters for the classic, which is now in the public domain and can be downloaded and seen free and legally right here:

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertainty
[But this lengthy, in-depth review claims it to have been a major hit.]

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