Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971/Hammer Studios/Anchor Bay DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras:
B- Film: B-
As Hammer
Studios faced an insurmountable challenge by a reenergized U.S. film
industry and Horror genre, their best chance for a comeback was in the hands of
Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell. The pair had already created the
all-time TV classic The Avengers and
joined Hammer as Clemens writing work on hit series The Persuaders and The
Champions was not going to be enough for him, so they stated to make
feature films. One of their best stabs
at a comeback vehicle for the studio was Dr.
Jekyll and Sister Hyde, released in 1971.
Ralph
Bates and Martine Beswick share the title role in a fun and somewhat campy
exploitation opportunity, but Producer Clemens is a long-time writing whiz who
made the screenplay adaptation and variation on the Robert Lewis Stevenson
classic. At a time of woman’s liberation, Vietnam conflict, and other social
upheavals, it seemed well-timed. Too bad Hammer could not capitalize on
it. There are still limits to the film, despite Clemens solid writing.
Part of
the problem is how many liberties should the film take with the classic
book. Though brilliant at his best, Clemens still plays it somewhat
safe. One reason is so the film would not go over the top. Either
way, it still makes total sense in context to the kinds of films the studio had
been doing for years and could have been used as a transition into Horror films
that could have challenged the American blockbusters if they wanted to.
Another reason is that the director is one of the British Cinema’s greatest
journeymen directors: Roy Ward Baker.
The
successful theatrical filmmaker still managed to do eight episodes of The Avengers among other series. Thanks
to him, you believe Bates and Beswick are the same person. That is not
easy, but especially without digital effects (especially morphing), it feels
seamless. Even when the film does not click, the actors do. You can
also easily imagine how current effects would ruin what is here. Bates
has plenty of work to show what a good character actor he was before his
untimely death. Miss Beswick was seen only as a beauty figure, but her
performance is both remarkable and enduring in a way many may not have considered
at the time. It is some of her very best work.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is mixed, vying between softness, and
crisp images more like what cinematographer Norman Warwick. B.S.C.,
intended. The graininess shows this is NOT a Technicolor dye-transfer
print, which is sad. The trailer actually sometimes demonstrates how good
that must have looked. The color is not faded, just not vibrant.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is offered in the original English and a French dub.
The dialogue is clear and the music by David Whitaker is not bad either, and
often very effective.
Extras
include an exceptional commentary by Beswick, Clemens, Bake, and Hammer scholar
Marcus Hearn, which goes beyond the film into a rare overview of filmmaking,
especially in England
at the time. They also have great chemistry and it is often funny.
You also get radio spots set to print ads, another section of print ads set to
music, bio/filmographies, and the original trailer.
The
gender bending is never too campy itself, which adds up to more suspense than
expected. For keeping the Hammer look of Old England, it does not feel as
stuffy as some of their other films. The original owners ultimately put
the final stake into the studio’s heart, but it did not have to be that
way. That is why one of the joys of watching Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde is to imagine a British cinema that
could have been. These nice British twists on Horror classics could have
been the studio’s lifeline as was the humor the Roger Moore/James Bond
films. Oh well.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
