Frederick March or Spencer Tracy?
Which portrayed the title character better, and which was the better movie? I thought March's performance was the better of the two, but that Lana Turner made Tracy's version just as good a movie.
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MovieChat Forums > Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Discussion > Frederick March or Spencer Tracy?
Spencer Tracy is superb in both parts.I consider this the best version of the story.
To Better Days,
BRAD
have to say i like both movies equally, though by todays standard its hard to view these films as they were originally intended as drama and horror. i find myself viewing them as a piece of cinema history.
in the case of the 1941 version i cant help but think it would have been a whole lot better if lana turner had of swapped places with ingrid. sure ingrid can play up the drama no end, but a tart with a cockney accent - i dont think so!
Originally,Lana Turner was cast to play Ivy,The Dancehall Girl and Ingrid Bergman was cast to play Jekyll's fiancee Beatrix.
Bergman went to the proper individuals because she wanted to play Ivy which is the more demanding role that requires an excellent actress and the actresses roles were changed(which was alright with Lana Turner because she knew that she wasn't strong enough in her acting abilities to play the demanding role of the
pitiful Ivy).
I consider the Spencer Tracy version of Jekyll And Hyde to be the Greatest version of the story as put to film.
HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
To Better Days,
BRAD
I always liked March's a bit better.
Last Movie Seen:Bridge Jones:The Edge of Reason
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Definitly Frederick March. Spencer Tracy's performance was good but March's Hyde is one of the most frightning movie characters I know. Also I think that the 1931 version is just a way better film.
shareI watched Tracy's 1941 version last night and March's 1931 version tonight. Although the sets and dialog was often almost the same, I found the two films to be quite differant in most part because of the acting and special effects. Surprisingly the metamorphisis every time was much more subtly done in the 1931, film. ALthough I prefered the more believable make up of 1941. The camera work experimentation of the 1931 most noticable at the open of the film was very distracting even as such techniqes are today.
As for the leads, Tracy to my mind was the hands down winner. This to a great deal is because the acting technique is more complete in Tracy's time. Not acting but instead more pretending, living the role, that is much more convincing and enjoyable to watch. I also felt that the director made excellent use of, Tracy and Bergmans chemistry and desire to excel in the cat and mouse scene pushing it to the maximum. Even though I was surprised by Tracy's skill it is Bergmans face from that scene that will linger forever in my mind.
To be fair I feel neither Tracy or March had the role of Jekyll close to their heart. They seem to be working through that so they could get to the meat of the play. Ironiclly both these men seemed most eager to exorcise ultimate freedom from restraint just as Jekyll had desired. Perhaps this is why we also find this story so entrancing.
Definitely FREDRIC MARCH.
I saw the 1941 version last night and found it deadly dull.
Besides, SPENCER TRACY looked like he was sleepwalking through the part, whereas MARCH is a force of nature.
The former is much better directed. ROUBEN MAMOULIAN uses superb and innovative camera moves and techniques such as subjective POV, extreme close-ups, well-placed dissolves, etc... all of which help us "get" into the mind of the protagonist(s).
Besides, being a pre-Code movie, the 1931 version benefits in the MIRIAM HOPKINS striptease scene and other areas as well.
That said, I do like the more "natural" look of the 1941 Hyde. He is not the grotesque figure of the 1931 version and thus seems more like a natural extension of the DR. JEKYLL.
The times obviously had much to do with the differences in both versions. The 40s was the time of the "introspective hero" -- as seen in many noir films of the period -- hence TRACY internalizes much more than MARCH. It kinda defeats the purpose though since HYDE is the id to JEKYLL's (super)ego.
Fave screen couple 1: F. March & S. Sidney
http://i2.tinypic.com/qnp4yv.jpg
When to choose between these two, I'd go for Frederic March.
But my ultimate preference goes to John Barrymore in the 1920 classic version (the one in which an enormous spider crawls into him while Jekyll's sleeping in his bed, after which he changes into Hyde).
"When there is no more room in the Oven,
the Bread will walk the Earth."
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Tracy is the best Hyde. A very handsome Hyde(especially the scenes with Ivy)
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