If there’s one thing you can say about the
Abbott and Costello monster movies, it’s that, despite the comedy, they were willing
to let the monsters be monstrous.They
quite smartly leave the shtick to Bud and Lou when I’m sure it was tempting to
just have Mr. Hyde slip on a banana peel. That being said, it still seems this
movie could have been funnier. Not that it’s unfunny; it definitely has its moments; I certainly laughed out
loud when Bud Abbott, usually oblivious to the dangers that threaten his
partner, screamed in terror at his first glance at Mr. Hyde. It just doesn’t
quite reach its potential.
I guess what I really wanted was a completely
different script. Abbott and Costello are at their funniest when they’re doing
their, mostly verbal, stage routines. Here the humor mostly boils down to
Costello’s wild takes when confronted with danger. A sequence when Lou is
transformed into a giant mouse gets some mileage, as does the two-Hyde
climactic chase, but it still doesn’t quite hit the mark.
And then there’s Karloff. Just as with the
previous Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, his talents aren’t used to their full potential. In
his performance I see ghosts of the film that could have been. It’s no secret
that uncredited stuntman Eddie Parker stood in for Karloff for the Hyde scenes,
and given the physical demands of Hyde in the film, I can see where they might
have been difficult for the aging actor, but I would have loved to have seen
what the movie could have been like if only Karloff could have played both parts; a movie where there is more
to Hyde than simply running and snarling. Also, I’m afraid the characterization
of Jekyll leaves much to be desired. He gets one monologue where he articulates
his desire to rid the world of evil impulses thus bringing an end violence and
bloodshed, but he quickly abandons that desire to become the monster so he can
eliminate those he feels have wronged him. In fact, his role as the jealous
older man echoes his role in The Climax.
The Karloff performance I would have liked to see is the Jekyll who made that
monologue juxtaposed with a more sinister conniving Hyde.
I suppose this is really more of an unfair entry on the film that wasn’t than
the one that was, and I apologize for that. Overall, I certainly don’t think
this was a bad film. It was still a
lot of fun; I just can’t escape the notion that it could have been much more.
Supporting features:
Tom and Jerry in Fraidy Cat(1942)
The Our Gang short The Kid From Borneo(1933)
Next time: Son of
Dracula (1943) starring Lon Chaney
Jr., Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton, and Evelyn Ankers
Between my enjoyment of Paul Leni’s The Cat and the Canaryand my
appreciation for the works of Victor Hugo,I was really looking forward to
this one, and it did not disappoint. While it joins the list of films in this
project that aren’t really horror, it may be my favorite of the silent works.
Certainly in the horror genre it’s hard to top The Phantom of the Opera, but judged as a film of any genre, it
comes darned close to being a masterpiece. With The Cat and the Canary Leni, through use of artful camera shots and
creepy art direction made a wonderful atmospheric dark comedy that delivered a
well-balanced dose of laughs and chills. With The Man Who Laughs he got to apply his skills to an epic. The story is that of a nobleman’s son who is
kidnapped and disfigured by gypsies, his love for the blind girl he grew up
with, and the events surrounding the reclamation of his birthright. Gwynplaine’s
disfigurement has left a permanent grotesque grin on his face, and he has
become famous throughout the French countryside as a carnival performer known
as the Laughing Man. Like most epic films of the time, it’s very
melodramatic, and maybe a tad simplistic, but as a whole I’d say it belongs on
the must-see list of any die-hard film buff. There are many memorable
performances by the likes of Cesare Gravina, Brandon Hurst, Olga Vladimirovna
Baklanova, and, of course, the lovely Mary Philbin, but most of all, we have
Conrad Veidt’s amazing turn as the title character. In a time when performers
had to resort to exaggerated gestures and facial expressions in order to convey
a concept or emotion, Veidt delivers his entire performance through his eyes.
Whether with the disturbing grin, or with the lower half of his face covered,
those eyes communicate every nuance of Gwynplaine’s tortured existence. I’m glad to have spent some time with this
story, even if it is the Hollywood take on it. I’ll have to explore the book in
the future, and hope I’ll get the chance to see the 2012 French adaptation. I’ll close with one last tip of the hat to
Paul Leni. Based on the two films I’ve seen, I’d say he was ahead of, and died
well before, his time. Supporting features: Daffy Duck in Nasty Quacks(1945) The Our Gang short Forgotten Babies(1933) Next time: Abbott
and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff, and Eddie
Parker
My own list of notable people (and others) we lost in 2012
whose time on this planet left some impression, big or small, on me. Of
course, like all the other lists, it doesn't include everybody, so feel
free to remark on anyone you'll miss in the comments.
I guess what I really wanted was a completely
different script. Abbott and Costello are at their funniest when they’re doing
their, mostly verbal, stage routines. Here the humor mostly boils down to
Costello’s wild takes when confronted with danger. A sequence when Lou is
transformed into a giant mouse gets some mileage, as does the two-Hyde
climactic chase, but it still doesn’t quite hit the mark.
