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Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde [Blu-ray]
(Roy Ward Baker, 1971)
NOTE: After comparing the Studio Canal UK and DE Blu-rays of Fear in the Night HERE. They are determined to be, essentially, the exact same discs. Same running time to the 1/1000th a second, same bitrate, same image, same audio (with the of a inclusion of a German DUB and optional German subtitles) and same extras - minus the second disc DVD but the 7-Blu-ray Hammer Film Edition has all the other films (The Horror of Frankenstein, Scars of Dracula, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb, Demons of the Mind, Straight on Till Morning, Fear in the Night, and Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde).
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Hammer Studios Video: Studio Canal (DE) / Shout! Factory (US) Disc: Region: 'B' / 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:37:22.378 / 1:37:24.421 Disc Size: 31,460,132,259 bytes / 37,580,919,280 bytes Feature Size: 26,956,526,976 bytes / 27,954,831,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.99 Mbps / 34.30 Mbps Chapters: 12 / 12 Case: Standard (thick UK) Blu-ray case / Standard Case Release date: January 29th, 2018 / December 10th, 2019
Video (both): Aspect ratio: 1.66:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1379 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1379 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) DUB: DTS-HD Master Audio German 1601 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1601 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1571 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1571
kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
/ DN -4dB
Subtitles: English (SDH), German, none English (SDH), none
Extras:
•
Ladykiller: Inside Dr Jekyll &
Sister Hyde (19:35)
•
NEW Audio Commentary With Author/Film Historian Bruce G.
Hallenbeck
Bitrates:
Description: When Dr. Henry Jekyll attempts to find an elixir of life he accidentally stumbles upon a formula which transforms him into a gorgeous but evil woman who calls herself the widowed Mrs Hyde. Somewhat disdained by the female transformation but aroused by the power it brings, Jekyll can’t but help to continue his experiments. As the evil Hyde starts brutally murdering women to get the female hormones she needs Jekyll’s alter ego soon grows too powerful. As the fight is on to discover who is behind the Whitechapel murders which of Jekyll’s alter-egos will end up on top?
The Film: Dr Henry Jekyll is searching for a universal panacea for human ills. Haunted by the fear that one lifetime will not be enough to complete his research, he sidetracks from his objective to come up with an immortality serum. He succeeds but it has the unpredictable side effect of causing the taker to change sex and turns him into a woman whenever he takes it. To explain the sudden appearance of his female half around the house, he calls himself Mrs. Hyde, saying that she is Dr Jekyll’s sister. However, Jekyll soon finds that the serum requires a regular supply of female hormones to maintain its effect, necessitating the killing of young girls. Jekyll abhors this but as she begins to take control, the Mrs. Hyde half relishes the killings. Excerpt from Moria located HERE
Hammer Films gives us this fun horror, an unassuming sexual role
reversal of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story. Scientist Dr.
Henry Jekyll (Bates) is working on a serum to prolong life, a concoction
based on female hormones. Excerpt from TheTerrorTrap located HERE Dr Jekyll is a brilliant scientist who has spent his life trying to create an “antivirus” to cure some of the world’s most deadly diseases. But he realises that his quest to preserve life will ultimately be ended by his own death at some point and decides to test out a serum on himself which he hopes will prolong his life. He needs female hormones to be able to create this serum and enlists the aid of grave robbers Burke and Hare to provide him with fresh corpses to harvest. Excerpt from PopcornPictures located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde gets an impressive transfer to Blu-ray from Studio Canal. It's in dual-layered territory and has a high bitrate for the 1.5 hour feature. It is very crisp, with a bit of gloss and some fine grain texture. The 1080P supports solid contrast and realistic colors in the original 1.66:1 frame. It's very clean showcasing some pleasing detail and plenty of depth - there are really no flaws with the image. This Blu-ray probably looks like exactly the theatrical version of the film Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde.
The image quality is duplicated on the US Shout! Factory 1080P transfer. I could spot virtually no difference at all, the Shout! may have a very minor superiority in-motion. Most systems, and viewers, will not see any differences.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
More Blu-ray Captures
Audio :The Blu-ray of Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde offers a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 1379 kbps (24-bit.). There are a few aggressive effects and some punctuating screams. The score is by David Whitaker (Scream and Scream Again, Vampire Circus) that supports the film well adding atmosphere. There is an optional German DUB and optional English (see sample) or German subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.
Like the video, the audio has no significant difference between the North American and European transfers. Both have DTS-HD Master 24-bit 2.0 channel tracks and both offer optional subtitles - English-only for the Shout! and in a bolder font (see sample above). The US edition is Region 'A'-locked.
Extras : Studio Canal add a 19-minute featurette; Ladykiller: Inside Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde that has Jonathan Rigby (author of English Gothic), Kevin Lyons (Documentation Editor at the BFI), Alan Barnes (author of The Hammer Story: The Authorized History of Hammer Films) etc. talking about the film's history and production details. There is also a trailer for a new restoration of "The Wicker Man".
Shout! Factory: I look forward to listening this evening to a new audio commentary with Bruce G. Hallenbeck (author of Hammer Fantasy & Sci fi: British Cult Cinema). He always gives fresh insights. There is also an older commentary - a group effort with Martine Beswick, director Roy Ward Baker, writer Brian Clemens, moderated By Hammer film historian Marcus Hearn - again another discussion I look forward to indulging in. I was keen to see the new "Becoming Sister Hyde" interview with actress Martine Beswick giving her recollections on Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde some 38-years hence for 17 full minutes. Also included is the 20-minute piece found in the Studio Canal Blu-ray, Ladykiller: Inside Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde with Rigby (author of English Gothic), Kevin Lyons (Documentation Editor at the BFI), Alan Barnes (author of The Hammer Story: The Authorized History of Hammer Films) etc etc. talking about the film's history and production details. Rounding out the extras are some Radio Spots and a theatrical trailer.
Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
BOTTOM LINE:
Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde is a wry Hammer entry with echoes of Jack the Ripper and the Jekyll/Hide Stevenson fiction. The juxtaposition of the female assailant is fairly unique in the Victorian milieu. There is a fun element as well as being titillating with Hammer 's usual busty barmaids and some nudity. Shout! Factory bests the Studio Canal package with the superior supplements (two commentaries etc.). Hammer fans should be extremely pleased. Gary Tooze November 29th, 2017 November 30th, 2019
NOTE: After comparing the Studio Canal UK and DE Blu-rays of Fear in the Night HERE. They are determined to be, essentially, the exact same discs. Same running time to the 1/1000th a second, same bitrate, same image, same audio (with the of a inclusion of a German DUB and optional German subtitles) and same extras - minus the second disc DVD but the 7-Blu-ray Hammer Film Edition has all the other films (The Horror of Frankenstein, Scars of Dracula, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb, Demons of the Mind, Straight on Till Morning, Fear in the Night, and Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde).
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