Did they really need to make this classic tale again so soon? Prior to this there had been almost a dozen adaptations since the first, the tale simply saturated the market.

Here we see Ingrid Bergman star putting in a strong performance in this loyal to the source material adaptation. I certainly enjoyed it, but it's not been long since the previous version which was near identical.

I prefer when an adaptation is loyal, the only flaw is it causes the movies to be exceptionally similar and have nothing to differentiate themselves from the others. This version badly suffers that as it's near scene for scene the same as the 1932 version.

Well acted, well made, thumbs up all round. But why do they think its a good idea to pound out the same movie every few years?

The Good:

Ingrid Bergman

The Bad:

Done to death

Set in Victorian England in 1887, a wealthy doctor by the name of "Dr. Jekyll" (Spencer Tracy) has begun experimenting on animals to determine if it is possible to separate good qualities from those determined to be bad. When he discusses his research at a dinner party his ideas are met with a great deal of consternation, especially on the part of his fiancé's father, "Sir Charles Emery" (Donald Crisp). In fact, Sir Charles is so concerned that he decides to take his daughter, "Beatrix Emery" (Lana Turner) with him out of the country in order to separate the two and give him some time to think about whether the wedding should go forward or not. In the meantime, Dr. Jekyll has grown frustrated with the progress of his research and decides to administer his experimental concoction on himself. Suddenly he turns from a charming and considerate person into a malevolent being called "Mr. Hyde". To make matters worse, with Beatrix gone he sets his sadistic sights on a young barmaid named "Ivy Peterson" (Ingrid Bergman) to satisfy his brutal and abusive nature. Now, rather than detailing the entire plot I will just say that the director (Victor Fleming) does an excellent job of capturing the dark and gloomy ambiance that this movie depends upon. And while both Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman turn in very good performances, it is Spencer Tracy who really makes this film so successful. Definitely recommended for fans of classic horror.