Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [DVD]

Ill show you what horror means... growls the hideous Mr. Hyde (Fredric March) as the helpless, terrified Ivy (Miriam Hopkins) cowers on her bed. And now you'll see too, as you watch this fully restored 1932 version of Robert Louis Stevensons spine-chilling masterpiece. With the inclusion of 17 minutes of previously censored material, this is the definitive Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Director Rouben Mamoulians choice of young, handsome Fredric March (known then as a comic actor) to play the lead raised studio hackles. But Mamoulian argued, I don't want Hyde to be a monster. Hyde is not evil, he is the primitive, the animal in us, whereas Jekyll is a cultured man, representing the intellect. Hyde is the Neanderthal man, and Marchs makeup was designed as such. Obviously, Mamoulians insistence paid off, as March won 1932s Oscar for Best Actor. Indeed, the publics fascination with Hyde equaled that of Boris Karloffs Frankenstein and Bela Lugosis Dracula.