the jekyll and hyde story told from his maid 's point of view is , in a word , " dark " .
you would n't expect something bright and cheery based on robert louis stevenson 's novel , but the film is surprisingly dreary and dismal .
jekyll / hyde ( john malkovich ) is terminally depressed and desperate .
mary reilly ( julia roberts ) is a victim of monstrous child abuse and the anti - woman sentiment of the times .
director stephen fears ' version of the london slums makes us marvel that anyone survived them .
the lighting level is exceedingly low throughout the movie : it almost appears to be filmed in black and white .
the direction and cinematography are brilliant and liquid
. scenes flow into the next scene like honey oozing off a strawberry .
( except there 's no red , of course . )
the look is so moody and melodramatic that you 'll be shocked when you leave the theater .
i saw it at a matinee and took quite a while to adjust to the sunny skies afterward .
often the jekyll and hyde archetypes are viewed as splitting a whole person into components of good and evil or perhaps cerebral and emotional parts .
here the doctor is intellectual and perhaps good , but certainly powerless .
his alter ego is forceful and totally without conscience .
two parts that make up a whole .
neither are capable of functioning without the other and once separated , disaster is inevitable .
the differences between the two characters would be more effective if it were accomplished by demeanor and attitude .
when we finally see the transformation , the special effects thrust the story into the realm of science fiction , not the psychological horror that the tale demands .
roberts and malkovich are skillful in their roles .
both are suitably melancholy , fitting in with the rest of the film .
the only flash of life and color comes from glenn close ( and her lips ) as the madam of a whorehouse where hyde lives , and surprisingly , jekyll apparently frequents .
life and color maybe , but this is not close 's best role .
she seems little more than a cardboard cutout character .
a beautiful film in its own dreary way .
you 'll appreciate the filmmaking craft , but do n't expect to leave in an upbeat mood .
the film is surprisingly the direction and cinematography are brilliant and liquid suitably you 'll appreciate the filmmaking craft are skillful in their roles a beautiful film scenes flow into the next scene like honey oozing off a strawberry fitting in with the rest of the film