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DR. JEKYLL Y EL HOMBRE LOBO/DR. JEKYLL AND THE WOLF MAN1971 | |
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Cast:
Paul Naschy (Waldemar Daninsky, Mr. Hyde), Jack Taylor (Dr. Jekyll),
Shirley Corrigan (Justine), Mirta Miller (Sandra), Jose Marco (Imre
Kosta), Barta Barry (Gyorgyo), Luis Induni (Otvos), Elsa Zabala (Oswika),
Luis Gaspar Eastmancolor; shown in both 35mm and 70mm in Europe U.S. theatrical release: Released by International Cine Film Corp. as DR. JEKYLL AND THE WEREWOLF Video: Cine de Terror (PAL format from Spain); no official American release; English-dubbed bootlegs available
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| Review of Cine de Terror Video: Paul Naschy has had a
fascination for multiple monsters since being impacted by a childhood
viewing of Universal's FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN. In DR. JEKYLL AND
THE WOLF MAN, the follow-up to the tremendously successful LA NOCHE DE
WALPURGIS, Naschy gives us the metaphysical challenge of two "monsters" in
one man: the melancholic Waldemar Daninsky who turns into a werewolf upon
the full moon, and the melancholic Waldemar Daninsky, hopeful of a cure
for his lycanthropy, who is injected with a serum that turns him into Mr.
Hyde. For Naschy, this dual role provides an acting highlight in his
career, as his performance as Dr. Jekyll is, like other evil he has
portrayed, top-notch and presented, furthermore, with a minimal of makeup,
relying more on the intensity of his eyes and the contortions of his
face.
Director Leon Klimovsky handles his chores well, though perhaps not with the same artistic grip he displayed in LA NOCHE DE WALPURGIS. The early Transylvanian scenes build up with chilling accuracy, but when the action changes to England, Klimovsky settles back a bit, which is no problem since Naschy does a great job in taking over with his bravura performance as Hyde. Throw in some truly memorable transformation scenes (Naschy into a wolfman in a stuck elevator, then later metamorphizing in a dance club from Hyde, to Daninsky and finishing up as a snarling Hombre Lobo), and you have one of the best, though perhaps least known, of Naschy's wolfman films. Previously, DR. JEKYLL AND THE WOLF MAN has been available on video sourced from one print it seemed. (Sinister Cinema offers this tape, as well as other dupers.) This print was unsatisfactory for the usual reasons: full frame, pale colors and lack of clarity, and what appeared a cut in the pre-credit sequence. The new Cine de Terror version from Spain, in the PAL format, is a revelation, beautiful and intense in its clear colors and widescreen presentation. (Of course, Americans cannot watch the European PAL format on their NTSC machines and will have to seek out duped NTSC copies.) As with the other Cine de Terror release of a Naschy film, THE HANGING WOMAN, this Spanish version is the non-nude one, so some of the most sexually powerful moments in any Naschy film are unfortunately diluted with clothed versions. These scenes include a wicked whipping scene, nudity from female leads Shirley Corrigan and Mirta Miller, and a particularly intense strangulation of a Soho prostitute. But this does not change the beauty of the Cine de Terror presentation -- Mirek
Above left:
Spanish video release
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