Tyler Smith

PreAP English 6th

April 20, 2015

 

JEKYLL AND HYDE BOOK VS JEKYLL AND HYDE MOVIE REVIEW

 

An original thriller novel from 1886 against a 1941 Hollywood production may seem like a strange comparison, and given their great differences in storytelling it may be, but both productions communicate the original ideas author Robert Louis Stevenson intended to use as a close to the moral paradigms of the book. But which one communicates these ideas better, in a more relatable and striking way?

 

	Protagonist	Conflict	Severity of Hyde	Storytelling Methods	Personal Score
Jekyll and Hyde (1886 novel)	Utterson	Jekyll vs Hyde, Hyde vs Society	Murders, commits debauchery	Very suspense and thrill based story	7.8/10
Jekyll and Hyde (1941 movie)	Jekyll	Jekyll vs Hyde, Hyde vs Ivy	Beats and frightens a defenseless showgirl	Very exposition based, straightforward story	5/10

 

In my own opinion, it is the novel that shows the greatest depth. By the story alignment brought to it by Utterson’s presence, Jekyll’s story shows a greater mystery and suspenseful set-up which as a moral allegory tied in a premise that predates other “detective stories” of the genre. Hyde is treated more seriously, with implied multiple showgirls he has scared into submission and proven murder of another character, and this makes Jekyll’s situation more serious and frightening, especially from the outside looking in.

The movie has its own merits, it characterizes Jekyll more effectively by giving to him a colored life of interaction with other personified individuals, especially in giving him a romantic life and a fiance. The attempt to strengthen the emotional connection to the characters is certainly present, but falls flat due to lack of true reason given to care about these interpretations, especially the two original main characters of the girls.

In all, the movie does a pretty good job as a standalone attempt to make a Hollywood production based on concepts of extreme multiple personality disorder. However, the suspenseful nature, dark tone, and gritty surreal realism of the novel make it the stronger contender of the two, and one that upholds Stevenson’s goal to create a story on the dangers of mankind’s dual-sided nature.