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Greetings, and welcome to VIEWING THE CLASSICS. Here you'll find capsule reviews of vintage movies from the early days of cinema through the 1970s, with a special emphasis on sci-fi, horror, and mystery movies. Be sure to check out the Pages links, where you can find a Film Index of all my reviews, links to the reviews organized by cast members, directors, and other contributors, and links to my reviews of the films of talented young director Joshua Kennedy.

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Friday, November 29, 2013

Daughter Of Dr. Jekyll (1957)

Starring John Agar, Gloria Talbott, Arthur Shields, John Dierkes, Mollie McCard
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

On her 21st birthday, a beautiful bride-to-be discovers her father was the infamous Dr. Jekyll, and that she may have inherited his curse, doomed to transform into a terrible monster.

Although the script here seems to get its monster legends confused (it labels Mr. Hyde as a werewolf who changed during the full moon, and identifies a vampire-like staking as the only way to kill him), I'm fond of this horror film, directed by the reputed Edgar G. Ulmer.  Although largely dialogue-driven, Ulmer adds effective fog-drenched outdoor scenes, and Shields is a strong asset, entertainingly recounting the Jekyll legend in his charming Highland brogue.  At times its a bit hokey and over-the-top, but makes for fun viewing.

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