Stroke 12 in London

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Movie
German title Stroke 12 in London
Original title The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1960
length 85 minutes
Age rating FSK 12 (after re-exam; previously 18)
Rod
Director Terence Fisher
script Wolf Mankowitz
production Michael Carreras
Anthony Nelson Keys
music David Heneker
Monty Norman
camera Jack Asher
cut Eric Boyd-Perkins
occupation

Beat 12 in London (Original: The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll ) is a horror drama by the British film production Hammer from 1960 , based on Robert Louis Stevenson's story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . The main role was played by Paul Massie and directed by Terence Fisher . The alternative title is The Second Face of Dr. Jekyll .

The ad line read: "Sometimes, Terror Has A Handsome Face!" ( "Sometimes the horror is hidden behind an attractive face!" ).

action

The ingenious but terribly introverted scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll is looking for a way to isolate the aggressive, instinctual part of human nature and thereby liberate the so-called higher, purer human being. As his colleagues only ridicule and misunderstand him because of his adventurous theories, he bitterly gives up his chair at London University and devotes himself doggedly to his research, which causes him to withdraw even more than usual from his wife Kitty. This despises Jekyll because of his reclusive life and has a passionate affair with the bon vivant Paul Allen, who describes himself as Jekyll's friend, but only regularly borrows large sums of money from him in order to be able to indulge his hedonistic inclinations.

When Dr. Jekyll one day injects himself with a serum from which he hopes for the liberation of his higher self, a momentous turn occurs: it is not his pure self, but the animal, dark side of his personality that breaks out. In his middle years, the withdrawn scientist transforms himself into a dynamic, handsome and considerably younger man who suddenly goes to London's entertainment district to savor his newfound freedom to the full. In the Sphinx, a disreputable establishment, he notices his or Jekyll's wife, who flirts violently with Paul Allen. With an effort he fights back his jealousy and introduces himself to the two as Edward Hyde, an old friend and business partner of Henry Jekyll. When Kitty has withdrawn after some suggestive remarks by Hyde, there is an argument between Hyde and the bouncer at the bar after he rudely turned down an offer from one of the prostitutes who frequented the place.

After Hyde has beaten the man almost to death, he feels Jekyll return to himself and escapes from the establishment back to his laboratory. Torn between feelings of guilt and the fascination of absolute freedom, far removed from any morality, Jekyll cannot bring himself to end the experiment. On the contrary, he is increasingly taking refuge in his dark alter ego, although an investigation by his old friend Prof. Ernst Littauer has shown that, as a result of his self-experiments, about which he does not want to reveal anything, an almost alarmingly accelerated physical decline has set in. At the same time, it begins to transform itself more and more often spontaneously without taking the serum. In order to secure himself financially, Jekyll draws up a document according to which all of his worldly possessions should go to Edward Hyde in the event of his death or disappearance.

In the meantime, Kitty has made up her mind to leave her husband and run away with everyone. When Jekyll, lying in the gutter after another spontaneous transformation, comes to, he discovers a letter in his jacket pocket that his wife Hyde had given him the previous evening, in which she informs him of her plans to leave. In the collapse that ensues, Hyde takes over his personality again and begins preparing for a gruesome campaign of revenge. Allegedly at Jekyll's request, he invites Paul Allen and Kitty to an all-clear conversation at the Sphinx. There he kills Allen with the poisonous snake of the exotic dancer Maria, with whom Hyde has a relationship, and brutally rapes Kitty. After she regains consciousness and discovers the body of her lover, she throws herself in desperation from a balcony to her death.

Hyde now visits Maria and has fun with her, but suddenly Jekyll stirs in him again. In his struggle for dominance in Jekyll's body, he gets hold of Maria and strangles her. The police meanwhile have Dr. Henry Jekyll is strongly suspected of being the murderer of Paul Allen and looks for him in his house, where they also discover the killed dancer. In the laboratory adjoining the house, Hyde has already deposited the body of the gardener, who had also been murdered shortly before, on the desk and started a fire to create the impression that a fight had taken place as a result of which Jekyll was killed.

During the following investigation, Prof. Littauer confirmed that Jekyll suffered from physical and mental exhaustion, presumably as a result of excessive drug consumption, and must also have lost her mind. Edward Hyde is legally recognized as Jekyll's sole heir and acquitted of any complicity. But when he is already on the way out, he suddenly collapses and turns back into Jekyll. The enormous effort to destroy Hyde from within left him completely emaciated and greatly aged.

Edward Hyde has disappeared for good, but now Dr. Henry Jekyll will answer the law for the crimes he has committed.

Reviews

  • Lexicon of international films : "A scientist realizes his" second self "under the influence of drugs and becomes a multiple murderer. Pseudo-scientifically disguised crime film; more confused than exciting. "
  • Cinema : "" Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde "in the style of the" hammer "studios: Here the doctor is a weakling, the mister, on the other hand, a handsome, urbane guy! Sometimes involuntarily funny. "

DVD release

Stroke 12 in London / February 5, 2009 / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Others

  • While the figure of Edward Hyde is given a dark to grotesque make-up in most of the film adaptations of the Jekyll & Hyde theme , Hammer's make-up artist Roy Ashton completely dispensed with such, which gives Hyde the appearance of a good-looking young man. On the contrary, Paul Massie was made older and less attractive for the Jekyll scenes with a wig, beard and artificial eye bags.
  • In a small supporting role, Oliver Reed can be seen as a nightclub bouncer who gets into an argument with Edward Hyde.
  • Christopher Lee , who played the role of playboy Paul Allen, starred in I, Monster , another adaptation of the story in 1970 , as Dr. Charles Marlowe and Mr. Edward Blake respectively.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Stroke 12 in London. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used