NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Warner Archive Blu-ray (April 2023): Warner Archive have transferred Rouben Mamoulian's 1931 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Blu-ray. The 1080P image improves in the expected areas over SD - contrast (richer black levels), texture, detail - but the image shows a shade less in the frame (both sides) and is authentically a more faithful appearance with wider (fatter) faces. This looks more correct to me - but I can't figure out why the ratio has changed to 1.20:1*. Regardless the HD presentation is impressive with superior sharpness in  the film's many close-ups. We reviewed the Warner DVD from 2004, HERE. That included the 1941 Spencer Tracy version. It's nolo contendere.

*NOTE: Peter tells us in email "Just a heads-up on the 1.20:1 aspect ratio of the BluRay disc. This is correct. Paramount were still using the sound on film system, which didn’t allow for 1.33:1 aspect ratio you got when sound was on disc (Warners Vitaphone system). I think that 1931 was the last year for the narrower format". (Thanks Peter)

NOTE: We have added 60 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Warner Archive use a DTS-HD Master dual- mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shows its age with slightly hollow-scattered dialogue but it is consistent and clean. The music comes from a lot of 'stock' by the likes of Herman Hand (I'm No Angel, Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The Song of Songs, A Farewell to Arms), Rudolph G. Kopp (The Sign of the Cross, The Woman Accused, 1934's Cleopatra, 1934's The Murder in the Zoo, 1950's Noir Mystery Street), John Leipold (Christmas in July, The Devil is a Woman, The Flying Deuces, Duck Soup) with Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565 and Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ in F Minor, BWV 639, Schumann's Fantasiestücke, op. 12: II. Aufschwung as well as Champagne Ivy sung by Miriam Hopkins (twice!)  The lossless audio transfer is another notable step beyond the previous DVD. Warner Archive offer optional English subtitles (yellow font - see below) on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray offers two commentaries. The older, informative, one is here from Greg Mank and a new one by Dr. Steve Haberman (Silent Screams: The History of the Silent Horror Film) and Constantine Nasr (Little Shoppe of Horrors: The Journal of Classic British Horror Films.) They discuss much of the pre-code horror film's similarities to the Robert Louis Stevenson literary source, the Fredric March - won the 1931-32 Academy Award for Best Actor for this film along with Wallace Beery (for The Champ) - supporting performances, cinematographer Karl Struss and art director Hans Dreier plus significantly more. It's very revealing. The 7-minute Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hyde and Hare" from 1955 is repeated from the first DVD and the Blu-ray includes the 52-minute, audio presentation of the November 19th, 1950 Theater Guild on the Air Radio Broadcast of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  

Rouben Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has the racy, pre-code-ness, pioneering make-up and effects and the inventive theory that man is composed of two intertwined halves - civilized and primitive. This is often considered the definitive version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It remains a memorable and effective horror. The Warner Archive Blu-ray does the HD image proud, offers two commentaries, cartoon and radio adaptation. It's one of the must-owns for early horror films and I'm happy to say the transfer package does it justice. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze