4/22/15

When I began watching this movie, I expected something similar yet more revealing than the book. As much as I didn’t want it to happen, I figured there would be less characters and/or new characters. I also assumed the details of the plot would be twisted. All of my expectations and theories were met.

Negatives:

– The ending of the movie differed greatly from the book. In my opinion, the ending of

the movie took away from Stevenson’s purpose when he wrote the book. I understood

the ending of the book, when Hyde/Jekyll dies, as the evil to be so powerful it not only controls the good but can destroy it as well, resulting in suicide. In the movie, that was not the case. The movie exhibits the good in man versus the bad and an outside power, another human being, able to destroy both.

-The overall mystery provided in the book was blown wide open in the movie’s second scene. Jeykll’s intentions had remained secret until the last chapter of the book which provided the readers a little pinch of curiosity. In the movie the same pinch was not there after the second scene. I felt like it took away the suspense of the strange case.

-Off all the unnatural desires the evil personality of Jekyll could yearn for, it was infidelity (there were a few minor ones, but this action is the one that stood out). Of course there would be some sort of romantic relationship thrown into the mix but the director’s, Victor Fleming’s, idea of Hyde’s evil doings revolved too much around desires involving the beautiful soon-to-be fiance to the pathetic show girl.

 

Positives:

-Although the suspense was extracted from the film, the scene with Jekyll revealing his idea of good and evil possibly being able to be separated allowed the movie watchers to get a feel of the public’s idea of such an absurd concept. I believe Fleming wrote in his own opinion too.

 

-I liked that Fleming elaborated on the details involving Hyde’s midnight adventures, although I do not like how much Fleming focused on them. It was a nice touch to the movie and provided extra information to the watchers.

 

-I loved the fact that as Jekyll made more transformations into Hyde the look of the evil personality became uglier. The appearance of Hyde helped with the idea that the evil was becoming more threatening and more out of control than Jekyll would have liked. Fleming and Stevenson saw eye to eye.

 

-I enjoyed the first scene that Jekyll and the showgirl, Ivy, share. Without necessarily physically transforming into the totally Hyde the evil side of human nature shines through in Jekyll’s unfaithful acts right after the good side of human nature saves the girl’s life. Without involving science, this scene foreshadows the theme of the entire story; good and evil coexist.

 

Overall:

– Although the book may have been a little over some reader’s heads, it was a great

story to read and watch come to life. Definitely worth watching again, and will be

recommended to others.