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RALPH BATES & MARTINE BESWICK AS 'DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE'

Martine Beswick in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE Year: 1971 Rating: ***1/2

Seeking a new face during the late 1960's and early 1970's, Ralph Bates was supposed to be Hammer's young resurgence of Christopher Lee and/or Peter Cushing... yet he never completely fit since he tried too hard to be the new antagonistic seducer... which made his role as the half-titular DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE his best, portraying Jekyll with a naturally grounded hybrid of blandly subtle and intensely neurotic...

With the novelty of turning into a girl instead of his own male alter-ego... and while their new studio exteriors looks more television-based than the plush-colored Victorian big-screen splendor of their prime, HYDE surpasses most of Hammer's 1970's vehicles competing with the R-Rated exploitation era...

Ralph Bates in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE

And while it's their second attempt at the famous Robert Louis Stevenson story, a decade after THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, it's really Hammer's way of cramming two other legendary crime stories from that antique 1800's...

While dodging flirtatious advances from beautiful good girl Susan Brodrick in the daytime, at night Jekyll uses death-collectors Burke and Hare... yet they're mostly used for dark-comedy-relief...

Martine Beswick in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE

Yet it mostly pays homage to the fog-shrouded Jack the Ripper legend... the stabbing done by Jekyll himself to various street-walkers to gain serum which would lead to that female-transformation...

Where the suspense picks up with his scene-stealing second half... as Martine Beswick's SISTER HYDE is as mysteriously sensuous a literal lady-killer as she's an enigmatic temptress involving another of Hammer's signature traditions...

Lewis Fiander in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE

Hence the casting of more great British characters-actors, including Gerald Sim (lookalike to THE DAMNED semi-antagonist Alexander Knox) and sneaky future SWEENEY guest-star Lewis Fiander...

And while sometimes too complicated for its own good (and along with their superior Jack tribute THE HANDS OF A RIPPER), this intensely-involving JEKYLL/HYDE turns Victorian England into their very own atmospherically-shrouded, nightmare-laden landscape like the good old days, and nights, of classic Hammer Films.

From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Ralph Bates and Susan Brodrick in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Susan Brodrick in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Susan Brodrick in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Lewis Fiander in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Martine Beswick in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Gerald Sim and Ralph Bates in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Julia Wright in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Gerald Sim with Susan Brodrick and Lewis Fiander in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Ralph Bates in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Gerald Sim in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Ralph Bates in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Ralph Bates in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE with Tony Calvin and Ivor Dean
Gerald Sim in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
From DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Gerald Sim in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Gerald Sim in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE
Gerald Sim in DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE with Martine Beswick
Hammer's DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE with Martine Beswick
Hammer's DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE with Martine Beswick

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