Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis also produced THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1968) for television and I’ve got to say, it’s one of the best adaptations I’ve seen so far.
Good, not faithful. In the opening scene, Jekyll (Jack Palance) tells a stunned audience of fellow physicians that humanity has two sides, angel and ape, and he’s figured out how to separate them (“If we eliminate man’s baser instincts, the human race might make something of this all-too imperfect world.”). Ignoring Turnbull’s (Torin Thatcher) warning he could as easily liberate the beast within, Jekyll tests it on himself …
Next morning he wakes up with no memory of what happened but finds a flyer from a music hall in his pocket. Visiting, he learns that his “friend” Mr. Hyde charmed every woman in the place. How can Jekyll resist taking the formula again — and this time, remembering it.
The potion’s effects remind me a lot of The Ugly Duckling and The Nutty Professor in freeing up positive stuff that Jekyll’s repressing — but as it’s not a comedy, much nastier stuff surfaces too (there’s an obvious analogy with the effects of alcohol as a de-inhibitor too). When a jealous rival for Hyde’s lover picks a fight, Hyde’s quite ruthless dealing with him. When Hyde becomes possessive of his mistress (Billie Whitelaw) he doesn’t hesitate to slap her around and ultimately kill her. Overall it worked better for me than the abuse plotline in the March and Tracy versions. Palance’s performance is way better than I expected and Denholm Elliott turns in a good performance in the Utterson role (though renamed to Devlin). “He may be a friend of yours, mister — but you ain’t no Hyde.”
DR. JEKYLL VS. THE WEREWOLF (1971) doesn’t reach the same exalted heights. This was the sixth in the Valdemar Najinsky series from Spain about a werewolf (Paul Naschy) struggling to find a cure.
The drawn-out opening of the film has an English couple visiting Transylvania, attacked by thugs, with the woman, Justine (Sheila Corrigan) rescued by Najinsky. Justine convinces Najinsky to return to London with her and ask her ex, Henry Jekyll (Jack Taylor) for an outside-the-box cure. He theorizes that by using his great-grandfather’s chemicals before the next full moon, he can turn Najinsky into Hyde which will repress the werewolf transformation for good, then Jekyll will restore Najinsky to normal. Sure, nothing can go wrong with a plan like that!
Interesting from the point of view of writing a book, not so much if I were watching for enjoyment. I notice that even though it’s contemporary, Hyde wears the usual top hat and cape. “Hyde was the sublimation of evil, pure and absolute.”
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I very much enjoyed the Curtis/Palance Jekyll/Hyde back in the day. If memory serves, Curtis recycled Robert Cobert’s Dark Shadows music for the film’s soundtrack.
They did share music but it was the other way around — Curtis took music from the Jekyll/Hyde to use on Dark Shadows.
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