The Silver Screen Oasis

I'll have to see Tracy's version more recently. I did feel March gave a more emotional performance when he was begging to break off his engagement...and emotional in struggling against becoming Hyde. Now I might not have been paying attention as closely (I had it on while I was working at my computer...I wasn't sitting and watching it), so tell me...isn't Hyde the darker carnal side of Dr. Jekyll? Doesn't he come from within the good doctor.

Yes, Hyde is within Jekyll all along, I just felt that March's Jekyll was a more kindly man, swept up in something he had absolutely no control over. He is so honorable and good as Jekyll, one really can't think of Hyde as being near the surface of this Jekyll. He's very upright, and you're right it's a much more emotional performance by March as Jekyll. His Hyde is sinister and contains all of the evil one can imagine. March's Jekyll and Hyde in 1932 couldn't be more different from one another. A total split.

In Tracy's, there is a suggestion that because Jekyll doesn't perfectly conform to the Victorian sense of propriety, he's closer to the Hyde in him. Already at the beginning he is tempted by Ivy, because he is open-minded. This is straight MGM stuff, as far as I am concerned.... a hidden message suggesting that you better stay on the moral side of town, and not go being tolerant or artsy or walk outside of society. If you do you'll turn monstrous! It's subtle, but I think it's there. Kinda like the end of the Wizard of Oz which makes no sense. Don't stray from home....or a witch will get you.....even though Oz is like this really cool place.

But I won't go there.

Yeah....I was trying to mention the simian (good word) thing without really mentioning it... but I gave up. I think maybe they were going for a sort of backward regression to a caveman type thing... but it was just ewwwww.

Let me peel the onion just a tad more. So is this also part of Tracy's personality? Does he have something in him...does an Actor have something in THEM in the first place, to call upon to pull out those personalities.?

I'd say yes they do. Sometimes we fake it, but it must be harder to do that in the movies. I think Edward G. Robinson said something in that TCM tribute with Chaz P. - something about how we all have the ability to find every possible emotion within us. I think that's basically true. We can understand every part of human nature, no matter how foul and nasty, or how grand and wonderful on some level.

That's a great idea. No. No wait...that's a frightening idea. They might give the role to Leonardo DiCaprio or James Franco or Robert Downey Jr. or the "Twilight" guy. Noohhhhh, not Rod Serling. Well they've already done "Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde." Maybe they can go with "Dr. Jekyll and Brutha Hyde." Okay okay okay...I said I wasn't going to go there...

Yeah, maybe I'm wrong, but man, they did the Sherlock Holmes thing, why not Hyde? At least they'd start with a great story and ruin it, instead of starting with a mediocre story and.... never mind.

JackFavell wrote:Yes, Hyde is within Jekyll all along, I just felt that March's Jekyll was a more kindly man, swept up in something he had absolutely no control over. He is so honorable and good as Jekyll, one really can't think of Hyde as being near the surface of this Jekyll...A total split. In Tracy's, there is a suggestion that because Jekyll doesn't perfectly conform to the Victorian sense of propriety, he's closer to the Hyde in him...This is straight MGM stuff, as far as I am concerned.... a hidden message suggesting that you better stay on the moral side of town, and not go being tolerant or artsy or walk outside of society. If you do you'll turn monstrous! It's subtle, but I think it's there.

I see what you mean, precisely. I do see the difference in their approach to where the Hyde is inside of them. AND AGAIN with the MGM-laden morality. No, I'm not really truly knocking them. I'd give up my left bo--- leg to have worked at M-G-M. How badly could I mess up a lunch order?

Kinda like the end of the Wizard of Oz which makes no sense. Don't stray from home....or a witch will get you.....even though Oz is like this really cool place.

Haaaaaaaaa! That tickled! Oz was looking mighty cool. But I wouldn't take what didn't belong to me...swiping those Ruby Red Bedazzled Manolo Blahniks got Dorothy into an awful lot of trouble. I'm surprised she didn't get caned.

Yeah....I was trying to mention the simian (good word) thing without really mentioning it... but I gave up. I think maybe they were going for a sort of backward regression to a caveman type thing... but it was just ewwwww.

I know man. I know. Just a thought. Just a subliminal thought.

Let me peel the onion just a tad more. So is this also part of Tracy's personality? Does he have something in him...does an Actor have something in THEM in the first place, to call upon to pull out those personalities?

I'd say yes they do. Sometimes we fake it, but it must be harder to do that in the movies. I think Edward G. Robinson said something in that TCM tribute with Chaz P. - something about how we all have the ability to find every possible emotion within us. I think that's basically true. We can understand every part of human nature, no matter how foul and nasty, or how grand and wonderful on some level.

Aaah! Human beans...ya gotta love 'em. A many-faceted thing we are. And then raising a baby girl human...or a baby boy human and teach him how to be multi-faceted or to understand that they are many different things inside them. What am I philosophizing about. "It's only a movie, right?"

Yeah, maybe I'm wrong, but man, they did the Sherlock Holmes thing, why not Hyde? At least they'd start with a great story and ruin it, instead of starting with a mediocre story and.... never mind.

HA! I think it's a mistake. But hey, let Hollywood do what Hollywood dooos. You'd make money. Who would you cast. Uh-oh...I think I asked you to cast something before. Nevermind, kid.

Well...get the bail money ready. I think I'm going to occupy wall street. I don't know if I'll see any kindly tortured rich and cute Dr. Jekylls down there. I'll most likely run into Hydes. They don't have a simian look, but they're easily identified. They usually wear this on their arm:

Ha! Be careful out there!

I don't like the casting game,but....

I think I'd cast Joseph Gordon Leavitt.

John Barrymore's Jekyll and Hyde is good and his transformation is not aided by the use of prosthetics, it came from within, I've found this one youtube, it will give you an idea of his version

[youtube][/youtube]

I saw a documentary a year or so back, I think it was the Universal horror documentary that shows how March was transformed, it happened before the camera and had to do with the colours on his face and in the camera but I'm rubbish at remembering details. I'm sure MichiganJ or a fellow lover of horror films might be able to shed more light on to it.

I remember that...I think it had to do with the use of red or blue makeup, which didn't actually show up under the lights until they shone a red light on it.... something like that. so they just turned up the red light slowly (or maybe it was down)....and voila! He transformed.

That clip shows how gutsy an actor Barrymore was. Impressive to go that far out on a limb to produce the entire transformation without aids... and then BACK again!

[b][u][color=#4000BF]JackFavell[/color][/u][/b] wrote:Ha! Be careful out there! I don't like the casting game, but....I think I'd cast Joseph Gordon Leavitt.

Uhmmmmm yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh. You're not very good at the casting game...

The march was great!

Glad you didn't get arrested or an beat down from the cops.

Thank you. Besides, I'd tell 'em I'm a Baby Boomer. Seriously, I found everything orderly and peaceful throughout my whole experience.

For anyone who hasn't seen it in awhile or would love to see it for the first time, a fairly good copy of Death Takes a Holiday is on youtube, beginning below:
[youtube][/youtube]

There are also other Fredric March films (well known and intriguingly obscure like The Road to Glory and the brilliantly acted Freddie flick, The Eagle and the Hawk, which should be seen for Freddie's brilliantly gradual alienation and his climactic disintegration scene). These were posted by some kind soul named zeridais on his/her youtube channel, found here


There is also skilled work in another film featuring March that I think was groundbreaking in its day and made me realize that Florence Eldridge had her moments too. The entire story doesn't entirely gel in the end, but it features March and Florence Eldridge in one of her best roles on film in Act of Murder (1948) found below. Carpe diem, friends--this very rare film has a tendency to disappear for decades at a time and was recently yanked off the Internet Archive, and could vanish from youtube any moment. March is quite moving as a somewhat smug judge who feels the ground under his well-shod feet when he has to confront his own wife's mortality. Edmond O'Brien and the lovely Geraldine Brooks are also on hand, but they have far too little to do:
[youtube][/youtube]

WOW! Thank you! I haven't seen any of these but one... I've been waiting for Death Takes A Holiday, on TCM which I haven't seen for years!!!!! SO happy, thanks again, Moira!

Hey Moira,

Thanxx for all the March movies. I'm at the very beginning of really appreciating him. Accessing more of his movies will help.

I watched parts of A Star is Born yesterday, probably my favorite of his movies. I'm still impressed by his performance. The scene in night court really got me this time. March underplays it beautifully. You can feel the awfulness and shame of it. Wellman really helps you to see the degradation of Norman, he's entirely sympathetic as the judge tells him he is a menace to all around him. March stands like a child when Vicki pleads with the judge to give him another chance. He can't look at her, only be the recipient of her benevolence. This is where the lump in my throat starts up. Then the next scene in the bar when Libby confronts him... he's trying so hard at the beginning, only to be caught by that venomous attack without his defenses up. It's too much.

I'm downloading Act of Murder now, thank Moira

I love both versions of A Star is Born, I love both Norman Maines, Freddy's is so perfectly played and utterly believable, it's amazing that James Mason could take it and give another twist on it. When reading about Mason his thoughts on Norman was that the story was as much if not more about Norman than Vicki, I tend to agree with him and March is allowed to play him more in that vein.

Death of a Salesman (1951), which has been out of circulation for years, has been uploaded by some kind soul at youtube. Arthur Miller did not like March's interpretation ("He turned Willy Loman into a psycho" according to the playwright) and March was dissatisfied with his own work as well. Despite this, the cast is very good (including Mildred Dunnock repeating her stage role, Kevin McCarthy as Biff and Cameron Mitchell). Perhaps others are interested in this movie too. It can be seen in its entirety below:
[youtube][/youtube]

JackFavell wrote:I watched parts of A Star is Born yesterday, probably my favorite of his movies. I'm still impressed by his performance. The scene in night court really got me this time. March underplays it beautifully. You can feel the awfulness and shame of it. Wellman really helps you to see the degradation of Norman, he's entirely sympathetic as the judge tells him he is a menace to all around him...

Wellman said that the judge's speech in the film was taken almost word for word from a lecture he himself had been given in court. No doubt he had a few insights to share with March about playing the scene!