Freddy March won a deserved Oscar for his portrayal of Stevenson's dual anti-hero, but that's not even the most impressive aspect of this film. He makes a very good monster, being freaky and humorous at the same time - he looks like the love-child of Lee Evans and Duane Dibley, and doesn't half play it well.
What is the most striking feature is the use of numerous cinematographic effects that I've not previously seen in movies from this era, when audiences were still getting to grips with talkies. We have split-screen scenes, giving an extra dimension to the action. We're also treated to occasional hand-held camera-work, giving the audience an slightly tunnel-visioned idea of what Dr. Jekyll is seeing as he walks about. Most impressive, though, is the the image of a lady's bare dangling leg (from a previous scene that's surprisingly risqué for those times - pre-Hays Code, I believe), superimposed over a scene where Jeckyll's talking to another gent, to give the impression that his mind is distracted by the lady.
We're used to such artiness these days, what impact it would have had 77 years ago, I can only guess. Worth a look if this sort of thing is of interest.
oddbodd
Dial M for Murder
I haven't much dabbled in the Hitchcock canon, and had not seen anything I considered spectacular, but this one is very good. I won't say too much about the plot, other than it begins with one man hiring another to kill his wife (an excellent Grace Kelly), as I think it might be spoilt with even a little detail. It'll get me watching a bit more Hitchcock, I think.
Just a shame I couldn't see it in 3D. A DVD featurette shows how Hitchcock films the whole thing with that in mind, which wasn't really obvious when watching it in plain ol' 2D.
