John S. Robertson

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- John Barrymore gives the striking and altogether eerie performance of a lifetime as the sinister and bizarre Mr. Hyde in this classic of silent cinema. The popularity of this film owes itself to Barrymore's striking portrayal of the mad doctor. His wild contortions and savage acts of violence leave one mesmerized.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- The story of man's battle with his own evil side is an ancient, archetypal one, and Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,' published in 1886, is a timeless Victorian interpretation that captures the imaginations of modern audiences like no other. It combines fantastical 'science,' the misty, gaslit streets of old London and the supernatural to create an atmosphere of horror that is both chilling and thought-provoking. Of the many filmed adaptations of this book, this 1920 John Barrymore version is one of the stand outs, presented here color tinted to the original release specifications and with an organ score by Gaylord Carter.

Worried that Greta Garbo's rich, deep voice and thick Swedish accent would not record properly, MGM executives kept Garbo in silent pictures longer than any of the studio's other contractees. The star's penultimate silent effort (with music and sound effects added) was The Single Standard, based on a 1928 novel by Adela Rogers St. John. Weary of the "good old boy" mentality which dictates that men can flit from girl to girl while women are expected to remain faithful, San Francisco socialite Arden Stuart (Garbo) decides to adopt the "single standard" and play the field herself. She turns down a marriage proposal by millionaire Tommy Hewlett Johnny Mack Brown so that she can dally with her family's chauffeur Anthony Robert Castle, who promptly kills himself when he realizes that Arden doesn't intend to remain exclusively his. The heroine then moves on to athlete-artist Packy Cannon Nils Asther, eventually tiring of Cannon and returning to Tommy. By this time, Arden has abandoned the notion of sex without responsibility and agrees to marry Tommy and bear his children. Beautifully photographed in the MGM manner by Oliver Marsh, The Single Standard is a prime example of how to tell an essentially "talkie" story within the confines of the silent film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dr. Henry Jekyll (John Barrymore) is working on separating the good and evil aspects from a person's persona and comes up with a potion that holds the key. Using himself as a guinea pig, Dr. Jekyll drinks his formula and is transformed into the evil Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde's activities are the scandal of the city and are a major, though secret, embarrassment to the kindly Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll attempts to keep his connection to Mr. Hyde a secret, all the while he cannot put aside that aspect of his personality which he has released.