Silent Sundays: Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde (1920)

“In each of us two natures are at war-- the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them and in our hands lies the power to choose—what we want most to be we are”

            Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells the interesting subject of good vs. evil. Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) is a young doctor who devotes all of his time and energy into helping people. He believes science is the way of the future there is so much that the mind has not yet explored. Henry’s good friend Dr. Lanyon is not too crazy about Jekyll looking so far ahead he should be in the here and now.

            Henry is in love with a young woman named Millicent Carew. Henry was supposed to be at a party given by Millicent’s uncle Dr. George Carew but he sends a letter saying he will be late his clinic for the poor is very busy. When he does get to the party Carew and Lanyon tell Henry he does not have any fun he is always so busy he does not have time to give into temptation. Carew comes up with the idea to bring Henry to a dancehall where there is temptation all around. Carew introduces Henry to an Italian woman named Gina who is a dancer. Henry looks at her and leaves. That night Lanyon tells Henry that Carew is a good man even if he is an immoral man of the world. He takes care of Millicent and guards her with his life because he does not want her to do what he has seen other women do. He comes up with the idea of how can a man not be either good or evil yet his soul still be pure.

            For days and nights Henry works in his laboratory coming up with concoctions. He finally comes up with one that turns him into an ugly and evil looking man. He also comes up with one that restores him to his real self. His evil side Mr. Hyde goes loose onto the streets. The first place Hyde goes is to the dancehall where he finds Gina. The monster and the dancer sit down together. Hyde takes notice of Gina’s ring she tells him it is an old family ring that has been used to carry poison in. A few days later Henry writes up a will stating that if anything should happen to him all his possessions will be turned over to Mr. Hyde. His friends are confused they have no idea who this Hyde is he is leaving everything to.

            Henry does not like being Mr. Hyde. He does not like the evil things Hyde does. He decides to stay as Dr. Henry Jekyll. He has neglected Millicent for some time and he renews his love and passion for her. Unfortunately it is not long before Mr. Hyde reappears. Hyde continues to do evil things. Henry cannot take it he does not want to be the monster anymore. When he returns home one night Carew is there and asks where he has been going to. Henry becomes angry with Carew because he is the reason for Mr. Hyde. Carew made Henry question his goodness. Through his anger Mr. Hyde appears and Henry cannot help what he does. He chases Carew out into a courtyard and kills him.

            Jekyll tries as hard as he possibly can to keep Hyde at bay. He locks himself in his laboratory for days because the drug he needs cannot be found anywhere in the whole of London. Millicent gets into the laboratory. She sees Jekyll as Hyde. He takes the poison in the ring so he will not hurt the woman he loves. Henry and Millicent embrace one last time before he dies.

            This version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was quite scary and I think that comes down to the fact that it is silent and the black and white film makes Mr. Hyde more sinister. The makeup John Barrymore had to wear was creepy. Speaking of the “Great Ham” Barrymore overacted so bad. I know that was the style being overdramatic but Barrymore’s overdramatic-ness was hysterical. There were a few other actors who went a bit overboard as well it was not just Barrymore. I do recommend seeing this silent version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

Europa' 51 (1952)

Europe’ 51 is one of the films that Ingrid Bergman made after she married Italian director Roberto Rossellini. Bergman was an actress with immense talent who gave her all for any part she was given. Rossellini helped to usher in a whole new style of direction and storytelling. Unfortunately these two talented people could not come together to create a long lasting cinema impact (well, I guess that could be debated depending on how you look at their situation).

            Irene Girard (Bergman) is the wife of an American ambassador living in Italy. One day she comes home from being out in town and is in a hurry to get herself together for a dinner party with her friends. Irene does not pay too much attention to her son Michel. He was alone all day with nothing to do. While everyone is eating dinner the maid runs into the room to tell Irene that Michel wants to see her. When Irene goes to see her son he says he has a stomach ache. She tells him his stomach ache is all in head and yells at him. A few minutes later the maid rushes into the room all upset that Michel has fallen down the stairs.

            Irene and her husband George are told by doctors at the hospital that Michel will be fine he has broken his hip and that he can recover at home. Their friend Andre knows the doctor who operated on Michel. The doctor told him he believes that Michel’s fall was not an accident. After hearing this Irene feels terrible. She hugs Michel and tells him she will never leave him she will always be with him. A nurse comes into the room to give Michel some medication to control the pain. Irene leaves the room to speak with George. She tells George what the doctor had said. George does not believe any of it. Irene says she feels it is rue and they have to change the way they live. Irene went to sit on the couch when the nurse rushes into the room for George. Michel has died from a blood clot.

            For ten days Irene does not come out of her room. She cannot pull herself together her guilt is so heavy on her shoulders. George comes in worried about her he tries to get her to come out of her room. All she wants is time to grieve. When she finally leaves her room Irene goes out for a drive with Andre. She tells Andre that Michel’s death is her fault. Andre replies that her son’s death was not her fault and blames it on the post-war society. He mentions that he is trying to help a very poor family with a sick son. The son needs medicine that the family cannot afford. He suggests to Irene that she help them pay for what the boy needs.

            After she helps the boy Irene feels invigorated. Now she makes it her goal to help as many needy people as she can. No one besides her understands her need and want to help people, she could not help her son so she feels she must help others. Irene goes out for hours at a time without telling George or any of her friends where she is going. George thinks his wife is having an affair with Andre. When George finds out what Irene has been doing he takes her to a mental hospital to be checked out. Irene is still in her right mind she knows what is happening. She goes through all the tests without any argument. On the day she is to be released Irene confesses that she feels compelled to help those who are sick and dying and in need her life would mean nothing without those feelings. The doctors and George feel she must stay in the hospital. All the people Irene was able to help come to the hospital. When they hear she is not to be released they cry and look at her from a window as if she was a saint.

            Ingrid Bergman was fantastic. She probably could have acted out the phone book and nailed it. If someone of her talent had not been in this film I highly doubt the film would be as well known or known at all today. You cannot sympathize with her character whatsoever. We are not meant to at the beginning but I found myself not liking her anymore once she started helping the poor people. I think the only time I felt bad for Irene was when she was in bed because Ingrid Bergman played that scene flawlessly there was so much pain and sadness and guilt on her face.

            Roberto Rossellini’s direction was incredible. There is a scene where Irene covers for one of the women she is helping. Rossellini filmed all the machines moving in their slow deafening speed. It was from the point of view of Irene who had never step foot in a factory or most likely never worked a day in her life. The machines were overwhelming. Another scene I liked was when Irene was in the hospital and has to walk to the doctor’s office. Again Rossellini filmed the walk from Irene’s point of view but also showed her straight yet horrified face. You get the sense that Irene is paranoid of these truly insane women staring her down as if she was fresh meat.

            Europe’51 never reaches its potential. It starts off somewhat decent and then completely falls apart when Irene watches a woman die. I do suggest seeing Europe’51 because the filmmaking is great and Ingrid Bergman was nothing short of fantastic.

 

Conflict (1945)

“What're you talking about?”

“Your ridiculous infatuation with Evelyn. Oh you thought I didn't know, didn't you? You must think I'm blind. The way you look at her and hang on her every word is positively nauseating.”

            Of all the studios in old Hollywood Warner Bros. put out the grittiest films. They were the ones who released all the great gangster films in the 1930s as well as some of the best Pre-Code films. But what I like most about Warner Bros. is that unlike MGM or they were not afraid to cast their leading actors or actresses as unsavory characters. I think I have seen Humphrey Bogart play a bad guy more than I have seen him play a good guy and I have really enjoyed him in his bad guy roles. Even after his success as in good guy roles such as Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, and The Big Sleep the studio had him playing a bad guy. The studio had Bogart playing a murderer in the 1945 film Conflict.

            Richard Mason (Bogart) is an architect. Every day he comes home to his  nagging wife Kathryn who tells him all his dislikes are just in his head and with some work he can get over them. Kathryn also gets on his case about he is infatuated with her sister Evelyn (Alexis Smith). He does not respond to what she said about her sister at first but then he confesses he does love Evelyn.

            Their friend Dr. Hamilton (Sidney Greenstreet) throws them an anniversary party. Dr. Hamilton is a psychologist who specializes in dreams and thoughts. On the way home from the party Richard was looking at Evelyn in the backseat and gets into an accident. Kathryn and Evelyn are fine but Richard suffers a broken ankle. Five weeks later Richard’s ankle is better but he still cannot stand on it. The doctors think it is all in his mind and suggests he take a vacation to the mountains. On the day they are to leave Richard sends the servants home early. 

He receives a call from a co-worker and they have to meet that night. Richard sends Kathryn on her way by herself while he stays behind. Before leaving town she stops by to see Dr. Hamilton to ask him to check on Richard the following morning.

            While on the mountain road Kathryn cannot drive any further from a car blocking her way. A man is standing in the trees. Frightened she goes to turn the car around. The man comes out of the trees. The man is Richard, he is walking without help towards her. Next thing all of Kathryn’s personal items are on the ground and Richard is pushing the car over the edge of the mountain. To cover his bases when he gets home Richard calls the hotel to see if Kathryn has arrived.

            When he claims to be worried about his wife Richard calls the police. He even has Evelyn come by the house. Evelyn asks Richard of there had been anything going on with her sister before she left. Richard tells her that Kathryn had been imagining he was in love with her (Evelyn). The police call they say they may have some evidence. A man claims to have stolen her pocketbook in the city. Richard gets mad at him and starts yelling. Dr. Hamilton suggests going to the mountains with him to calm his nerves and for Evelyn to come along as well. In his room at the house that night Richard smells Kathryn’s perfume. He also finds her house key on the and even her wedding ring.

            At the lodge Richard receives a call. When he picks up the call is disconnected. He asks the operator who the person on the other line was. The operator tells Richard it was a woman who might have said it was his wife Mrs. Mason calling but the line was bad.

            Back in town Richard receives a letter written in Kathryn’s handwriting. In the letter is a ticket to a pawn shop. When he goes to the shop he hands the person a receipt. The receipt is for her locket she was wearing the night she was killed. The owner describes Kathryn as the one who pawned the locket. Richard later brings the detective back to the shop. The real owner is there now and the book with Kathryn’s signature is gone.

            Richard eventually begins to break down his conscience is eating away his mind. In a panic he goes back to where he left Kathryn’s body in the car. The police and Dr. Hamilton are there waiting for him. Everyone knew Richard killed Kathryn they just needed the evidence. Dr. Hamilton knew he was the murderer when he said at the police station that Kathryn had been wearing a pink rose, he had put the rose on Kathryn’s jacket the night she had left home after she had left Richard behind at the house.

            Humphrey Bogart was really good. I never give the man enough credit because to me he was not versatile he always played a tough guy. I thought he was excellent as the husband who is racked by guilt and leads the police straight to the murder he committed. You can see all the anxiety and worry on his face. The rest of the cast did not leave an impression on me. I cannot recall how well their performance was. Maybe it was the story as well that I do not remember their characters that well.

            Conflict was an alright film. I liked how we knew who the killer was and how it was all about how the killer acted and how he came to be caught. It does not stand out as one of Humphrey Bogart’s best films but it is one I enjoyed watching him. Even after all those good guy roles he was still casted to be made a bad guy… a bad guy we felt bad for because he just wanted his wife to go away and stop nagging him. Conflict is available on DVD. I watched the film on TCM. I recommend seeing Conflict for Bogart’s performance. 

Remember? (1939)

Through my travels of watching films from all decades I have seen some really good ones that I have loved and obsess over and then there have been some where I ask what on earth were the writers and producers thinking this is so bad. Proving that not every film released in 1939 was a huge success MGM released the film Remember? with two of their biggest stars Greer Garson and Robert Taylor.

            Sky Ames (Lew Ayres) comes back from vacation engaged. His friend Jeff (Taylor) is not happy with Sky for leaving him behind. Sky takes Jeff out to lunch with Linda (Garson) his fiancée. Linda is waiting for them in the lobby of a hotel. Jeff just stares at her. He thinks she is beautiful and wants to marry her that day. Jeff tricks Sky into going back to his office to be alone with Linda. No one knows where Linda has gone. Her parents are waiting for her at their house to throw her a party. Her mother tells Sky Linda called saying she was with Jeff. Linda and Jeff finally arrive at the party. During a fox hunt the next day Jeff and Linda get caught kissing. Sky is not really mad at Linda he actually says it was alright for her to do that to get Jeff out of her mind. Jeff says the Linda that they should put Sky out their minds.

            Back in the city Jeff has Linda meet him at his office. She was supposed to say the time and he would know what that means and he would stop everything to be with her. Jeff completely forgets. She gets upset but he tells her he just has to see someone before they can run off together. Of course he does not get out when he says he will and Linda is ready to leave by herself. And of course Jeff shows up right on time for them to run away together and elope somewhere.

            When they arrive back in New York City Linda invites Sky over. She tells Sky that she and Jeff are now married and that she still wants the three of them to be friends. Before Jeff and Linda go away for a honeymoon her parents hold a surprise party for her. Her mother has everyone hide to surprise Linda and wants them to come out when she says a specific word. Jeff starts talking about all their friends he cannot stand and they are all hiding listening to everything. Jeff gets a call to go into town to meet with a client. Linda does not want him to go and he does anyway. And big shock they get a divorce.

            Sky works for Jeff’s important client Mr. McIntyre. McIntyre has come up with a serum that makes people forget. He gives the serum to Linda and Jeff thinking he could get back Linda before Jeff took her. They forget everything that happened in the past six months. Jeff thinks he is back when Sky returns home from his vacation and Linda still thinks she is engaged to Sky. Sky makes the same mistake having Jeff and Linda meet exactly the same way they met the last time.

            Linda and Jeff go to get married again and get pulled by the same cop that pulled them over the first time they got married. The cop thinks they are crazy and takes them to judge again.

            I cannot believe Louis B. Mayer put Greer Garson in a film like this. According to IMDB Garson became so popular with the release of Goodbye Mr. Chips that Mayer rushed her into this film to capitalize on her. Garson, no actress for that matter, did not deserve to be put into a film like this. She was so talented and this film was so beneath her talent. I feel even worse for Lew Ayres and Robert Taylor. They did not deserve to be in a film like this either. Despite the story all three actors did a good job with what they were given. I wish all three of them could have been in a better film together.

            Remember? flopped at the box office and is today a forgotten film. I do not blame anyone for forgetting this. It is very unimpressive with a story that was even silly for the time.