Docteur Jekyll et les femmes
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''Docteur Jekyll et les femmes'' is a 1981 horror film directed by
Walerian Borowczyk Walerian Borowczyk (21 October 1923 – 3 February 2006) was an internationally known Polish film director described by film critics as a 'genius who also happened to be a pornographer'. He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. Borowczyk sett ...
. The film is a variation on
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's 1886 novella ''
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
'' and stars
Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...
,
Marina Pierro Marina Pierro (born 9 October 1956, or 1960) is an Italian actress, model, writer, and film director, who is best known for her artistic relationship with Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk (1923-2006). Pierro and Borowczyk's collaboration laste ...
, Patrick Magee,
Howard Vernon Howard Vernon (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996) was a Swiss actor. In 1961, he became a favorite actor of Spanish film director Jesús Franco and began starring in many low-budget horror and erotic films produced in Spain and France. After po ...
, and Gérard Zalcberg. The film, a co-production between France and West Germany, was released in France in 1981 and won an award for Best Feature Film Director at the 1981
Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...
for Borowczyk.


Plot

Fanny Osborne (
Marina Pierro Marina Pierro (born 9 October 1956, or 1960) is an Italian actress, model, writer, and film director, who is best known for her artistic relationship with Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk (1923-2006). Pierro and Borowczyk's collaboration laste ...
) and her mother arrive at the home of Dr. Henry Jekyll (
Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...
) to celebrate their engagement. The party is attended by numerous dignitaries, including General Carew (Patrick Magee) and his daughter; Dr Lanyon (Howard Vernon), a close friend and mentor to Henry who is nonetheless nonplused by Henry's endorsement of "transcendental science"; Enfield (Eugene Braun Munk), Henry's attorney; and the Reverend (
Clément Harari Clément Harari (10 February 1919 – 16 February 2008) was an Egyptian-born French film and television actor.Bazin p.14 Selected filmography * '' It Happened in Paris'' (1952) * ''Ça va barder'' (1955) - Sammy Kern * ''Mon curé chez les pauv ...
). After dinner, the daughter of a guest is found raped and murdered in a bedroom. In the ensuing investigation, General Carew kills the Osbornes' coachman, thinking he is the culprit. Then someone finds a broken walking stick that used to belong to Henry; it has been used to beat to death a young girl. Henry informs Enfield that he has named Edward Hyde as his sole heir should he die unexpectedly. When Enfield protests, Henry assures him that Hyde will take care of Fanny and their mothers. When Henry goes to see if he can revive the coachman, an unknown man appears in the Jekyll household and begins to attack the guests. He ties up General Carew and forces him to watch as he ravishes the general's willing daughter, then beheads another guest when he tries to intervene before trapping a young male guest in the attic and raping him. Henry returns and professes embarrassment and horror that his guests have been assaulted and murdered. He barricades himself in his laboratory, unaware that Fanny has also hidden herself there. She watches as Henry plunges into a bath of unknown chemicals and transforms into his alter ego: Edward Hyde (Gérard Zalcberg). Fanny follows Hyde through the house as he brutalizes the other guests, including forcing Mrs. Jekyll to play the piano until her fingers are numb and killing the Carews with arrows. Seeing Fanny, Hyde tells her that he wants to watch her die, then wounds her with an arrow. But before he can kill her or Mrs. Jekyll, Hyde is interrupted by the gun-wielding Lanyard. He takes Lanyard to Henry's laboratory where he plays him a recording in which Henry pleads with Lanyard to give Hyde a dose of a chemical. Lanyard complies and watches in horror as Hyde transforms into Henry. Lanyard dies of a heart attack. Henry takes the injured Fanny to his laboratory. He explains that he is not a hypocrite: his Jekyll persona is completely sincere in his generosity and humanity, and Hyde is completely sincere in his hatred and refusal to conform to social expectations. Seemingly addicted to Hyde's freedom, Henry prepares another bath. But before he can enter, Fanny immerses herself. She emerges untransformed physically but possessed of the same contempt for morality. She then pushes Henry in, and he transforms into Hyde. Together, they kill the rest of the guests and servants and destroy the house--including Henry's notes and books on transcendental science. They then escape in a carriage, having violent sex until they transform back into Fanny and Henry.


Cast

*
Udo Kier Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...
as Dr. Henry Jekyll *
Marina Pierro Marina Pierro (born 9 October 1956, or 1960) is an Italian actress, model, writer, and film director, who is best known for her artistic relationship with Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk (1923-2006). Pierro and Borowczyk's collaboration laste ...
as Fanny Osbourne * Patrick Magee as General Carew * Gérard Zalcberg as Mr. Edward Hyde *
Howard Vernon Howard Vernon (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996) was a Swiss actor. In 1961, he became a favorite actor of Spanish film director Jesús Franco and began starring in many low-budget horror and erotic films produced in Spain and France. After po ...
as Dr. Lanyon *
Clément Harari Clément Harari (10 February 1919 – 16 February 2008) was an Egyptian-born French film and television actor.Bazin p.14 Selected filmography * '' It Happened in Paris'' (1952) * ''Ça va barder'' (1955) - Sammy Kern * ''Mon curé chez les pauv ...
as Reverend Guest * Jean Mylonas as Mr. Utterson * Eugene Braun Munk as Mr. Enfield


Release

Borowczyk wanted to call his film ''Le cas étrange de Dr.Jekyll et Miss Osbourne'' but his distributors UGC insisted it be released under the title ''Docteur Jekyll et les femmes''. The film was released in France on June 17, 1981. ''Docteur Jekyll et les femmes'' never opened commercially in the United States, and in Britain, it played at one cinema for one week. The film was released theatrically in the UK under the title ''The Blood of Dr. Jekyll'' and then later on video as ''Bloodlust''. On the film's presentation at the
Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...
, it was shown under the title ''Docteur Jekyll et Miss Osborne''.
Arrow Films Arrow Films is a British independent film distributor and restorer specialising in world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films. It sells Ultra HD Blu-rays, Blu-rays and DVDs online, and also operates its own subscription video on-dema ...
released the film in both the U.S. and UK on April 21, 2015 on Blu-ray and DVD. This was the film's first legitimate commercial release in any medium in the U.S. and the first in the UK since the VHS era. Arrow also restored Borowczyk's preferred title ''The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne''.Arrow Blu-ray release of "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne", extras and booklet


Reception

The film won Walerian Borowczyk the award for Best Feature Film Director at the 1981
Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...
.


See also

*
List of French films of 1981 A list of films produced in France in 1981 in film, 1981. Notes References * * External links * 1981 in France * 1981 in French television French films of 1981at the Internet Movie DatabaseFrench films of 1981
at Cinema-francais.fr ...
*
List of German films of the 1980s This is a list of the most notable films produced in Cinema of Germany in the 1980s. For an alphabetical list of articles on West German films see :West German films. 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Refer ...
*
List of horror films of 1981 A list of horror films released in 1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: ...


Notes


References

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External links

* * {{Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1981 horror films 1981 films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films Films directed by Walerian Borowczyk West German films French horror films German horror films 1980s French-language films 1980s French films 1980s German films