Movie Adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson´s Dr. Jekyll...

amp;#9;Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has evolved into one of the most acclaimed pieces of literature in modern American society. One aspect of a continual spark of interest with the novel is motion pictures. Various directors through the years have interpreted the book through their own eyes and the following is a depiction of that. One might question Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’s overwhelming success. Theme restaurants, Broadway shows and movies all have indicated a public interest in the classic. Americans especially have been fascinated with Stevenson’s portrayal of the split personality Dr. Jekyll whom many can relate too. amp;#9;The first movie that I decided to use for this examination is the 1932 restored version†¦show more content†¦From the Muriel’s father’s dinner party to Poole, the smooth transition that Mammoulian incorporated in his direction was second to none. It was also impressive to note that this movie is over 60 years old and that as I watched it, I felt like this was the most accurate portrayal of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel that I have ever watched. amp;#9;There are several elements or subplots that were evident in the 1932 version of the novel that were nowhere to be found in the original masterpiece. One of the most evident is Dr. Jekyll’s love interest, Muriel. Rouben Mammoulian added an entire twist to the movie that served as a way of relating how the transformation of Jekyll and its effect on others. Muriel essentially is Dr. Jekyll’s fiancamp;eacute;e whom he is madly in love with. As the movie progresses we see how this new invention that the doctor has discovered transpires him into an evil man and how the relationship quickly takes a turn for the worst. amp;#9;You can clearly see that Mammoulian wanted his viewers to notice that the transformation was costly in the relationships with the people that Dr. Jekyll loved and cared about the most. Another important plot that the book includes but is nowhere to be found in the movie is the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. The importance that this character displays in the book is central to the turning point