(1971) ***This rendition of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" stars two of my favorites. Christopher Lee as the tragic Dr. Charles Marlowe and his ominous alter Mr. Blake. Peter Cushing plays the Dr.'s stoic colleague Frederick Utterson. I'll skip the synopsis since I am quite sure there isn't a body on this blog who isn't unfamiliar with Jekyll & Hyde. Lee does a wonderful job in both roles. His soft and pleading eyes tell the Dr.'s lament so beautifully without words. As Blake he is hideous and unrefined. One of the things I loved about this picture was how Blake kept menacing innocent little kids. Maybe I'm just a little bit soured toward kids right now because I work in a private school filled with spoiled little rich girls. Could be that Tony & I are enjoying our highly underrated empty nest a little too much. Either way, I admit that I got some twisted enjoyment from watching those little kids cower and run away screaming. Truth be told, Mr. Blake wasn't all that bad. He did more running around scaring people then any actual harm.
Peter Cushing's role was rather dry. There is one scene where he is waiting at the house for Dr. Marlowe. They keep flashing from Marlowe as Blake out running through the town to Cushing sitting by the fireplace waiting. After the 3rd or 4th time I thought, is this dude just going to sit there staring at the fire all night! This is the one and only man who knows about Marlowe's alter. You'd think a big red flag would have gone up at some point. Hmmmm... I wonder if my friend is out terrorizing the town. It's really Lee's performance that gives this picture merit. Otherwise the physical difference between Marlowe and Blake isn't much more than a little nose putty and some bad teeth. One more observation, I think the top hat and short cape look really works for men. They should totally bring it back.
