Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde
Encyclopedia
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde is a 1971 British film directed by Roy Ward Baker
based on the short story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
. The film was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions
and was their second adaptation of the story after their 1960 film The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
. The film is notable for showing Jekyll transform into a female Hyde; it also incorporates into the plot aspects of the historical Jack the Ripper
and Burke and Hare cases. The two characters were played by the film's stars, Ralph Bates
and Martine Beswick
. The film was later remade into the comedy Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde
.
Dr. Jekyll soon finds that his serum requires a regular supply of female hormones to maintain its effect, necessitating the killing of young girls. Since Burke and Hare, their criminal activities uncovered, have been lynched by a mob, the doctor decides to take the matters into his own hands and commits the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper. Dr. Jekyll abhors this, but Sister Hyde relishes the killings as she begins to take control, even killing Jekyll's friend Professor Robertson when he attempts to question Hyde about the murders.
As the two personalities begin to struggle for dominance, Dr. Jekyll only just manages to thwart Sister Hyde's attempt to kill Susan. He then commits one last murder to find a way to stabilize his condition, but he is interrupted by the police after a comment by the now-blind
Hare leads them to realize the similarity between Jekyll's earlier experiments on cadavers and the Ripper murders. As Dr. Jekyll tries to escape by climbing along the outside of a building, he transforms into Sister Hyde, who, lacking his strength, falls to the ground, dying as a twisted amalgamation of male and female.
Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker , born Roy Horace Baker, was an English film director, credited as Roy Baker for much of his career. His best known film is A Night to Remember which won a Golden Globe for Best English-Language Foreign Film in 1959...
based on the short story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
. The film was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
and was their second adaptation of the story after their 1960 film The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is a 1960 horror film by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Terence Fisher, and stars Paul Massie as Dr. Jekyll, and co-stars Dawn Addams, Christopher Lee and David Kossoff. It was written by Wolf Mankowitz, based on the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr...
. The film is notable for showing Jekyll transform into a female Hyde; it also incorporates into the plot aspects of the historical Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
and Burke and Hare cases. The two characters were played by the film's stars, Ralph Bates
Ralph Bates
Ralph Bates was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company....
and Martine Beswick
Martine Beswick
Martine Beswick is an English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films.-Biography:Beswick was born on 26 September 1941 in Port Antonio, Jamaica to English parents....
. The film was later remade into the comedy Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde
Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde
Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde is a 1995 British-American comedy film starring Tim Daly, Sean Young and Lysette Anthony. The film is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic horror novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.-Plot:...
.
Plot
While searching for an elixir of life, Dr. Henry Jekyll begins using female hormones taken from fresh cadavers supplied by Burke and Hare. These have the effect of not only altering his character (for the worse) but also of changing his gender, transforming him into a beautiful but evil woman. To explain the sudden appearance of his female half around the house, he calls himself Mrs. Hyde, saying she is Jekyll's widowed sister. Dr. Jekyll soon falls in love with Susan Spencer, the upstairs tenant, but Sister Hyde develops a lust for her brother.Dr. Jekyll soon finds that his serum requires a regular supply of female hormones to maintain its effect, necessitating the killing of young girls. Since Burke and Hare, their criminal activities uncovered, have been lynched by a mob, the doctor decides to take the matters into his own hands and commits the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper. Dr. Jekyll abhors this, but Sister Hyde relishes the killings as she begins to take control, even killing Jekyll's friend Professor Robertson when he attempts to question Hyde about the murders.
As the two personalities begin to struggle for dominance, Dr. Jekyll only just manages to thwart Sister Hyde's attempt to kill Susan. He then commits one last murder to find a way to stabilize his condition, but he is interrupted by the police after a comment by the now-blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
Hare leads them to realize the similarity between Jekyll's earlier experiments on cadavers and the Ripper murders. As Dr. Jekyll tries to escape by climbing along the outside of a building, he transforms into Sister Hyde, who, lacking his strength, falls to the ground, dying as a twisted amalgamation of male and female.
Cast
- Ralph BatesRalph BatesRalph Bates was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company....
as Dr. Henry Jekyll - Martine BeswickMartine BeswickMartine Beswick is an English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films.-Biography:Beswick was born on 26 September 1941 in Port Antonio, Jamaica to English parents....
as Mrs. Edwina Hyde - Gerald SimGerald SimGerald Grant Sim is an English actor who is perhaps best known for playing the Rector in To the Manor Born. He is the younger brother of actress Sheila Sim and brother-in-law of actor/director Lord Attenborough.- Career :...
as Professor Roberston - Lewis FianderLewis Fiander- Biography :Fiander was born in Melbourne and educated at Trinity Grammar School, Kew, the son of Mona Jane and Walter Lewis Fiander. Moving to the UK from his native Australia, initially to appear in the play "The One Day of the Year", he appeared in such films as Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Dr....
as Howard Spencer - Susan Brodrick as Susan Spencer
- Dorothy AlisonDorothy AlisonDorothy Alison was an Australian stage, film and television actress.She was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and was educated at Sydney Girls High School. She moved to London, England in 1949 to further her career...
as Mrs. Spencer - Ivor DeanIvor DeanIvor Donald Dean was a British stage and television actor.With his lugubrious demeanour he was often cast as world-weary police officers or butlers, and indeed it is for the role of Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal in the 1960s series The Saint, opposite Roger Moore, that he is best remembered...
as William Burke - Tony Calvin as William Hare
- Philip MadocPhilip MadocPhilip Madoc is a Welsh actor who has had many television and film roles.One prominent role was the title character in the BBC Wales drama The Life and Times of David Lloyd George...
as Ryker - Paul Whitsun-JonesPaul Whitsun-JonesPaul Whitsun-Jones was a Welsh actor.He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Middlesex.-Career:Whitsun-Jones played the role of Mr Bumble in the original West End production of the musical Oliver!...
as Sergeant Danvers - Virginia WetherellVirginia WetherellVirginia Wetherell is an English actress best known for her roles in Hammer horror films such as Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde and Demons of the Mind...
as Betsy