Author's note. This review was published in Spanish language on May 24th, 2019. It may content spoilers.
Some years ago, let's say when I was about 15 years old, a movie immediately attracted my attention when it was aired on a television channel named Golden Choice. The scene with which I stopped my exploration of channels was one where an unrecognizable Julia Roberts was chatting with a black haired man that had a look of those that generate more distrust than fear; that ugly guy broke the cup with his own hands for no apparent reason and blamed the poor woman for something she did not do.
I read the title of the movie once the commercials begun: Mary Reilly.
Needless to say, I watched the rest of the movie, observing the interaction between Dr. Jekyll himself, Mr. Hyde (the alter ego) and the sweet and innocent Mary Reilly. A single man with two personalities; an experiment that allows us to explore the light side and the dark side of the human being. Of course, I confess that, at that time, I did not know well that it was a recount of the classic story by Robert Louis Stevenson; moreover, I didn't even know about the author and his work, not until I started to investigate a little about the book.
I must say that the film, which I saw again at past Friday night after so long, still generated in me a feeling of distrust towards the character of Edward Hyde, the alter ego of the doctor Henry Jekyll; a feeling that only an actor so involved in his role as John Malkovich is able to achieve in his audience. I can not say the same about Mrs. Farraday, the madame of the brothel that Jekyll went to at some point; although Glen Close imposed presence, her character did not transmit me anything at all.
In terms of setting, seeing the Victorian London of the 1880s has been a delicacy; it takes you from a bright and "perfect" world (Jekyll's house) to the lower worlds (Mrs. Farraday's brothel). It transports you to a nineteenth century full of nuances, giving you to understand that not everything was as honey on chips as most history books painted, especially in the field of science.
The narrative is simple and decent, although with some loose ends. Stephen Frears, the director of the film, could explore a little more on Mary's relationship with her environment and exploit much better other characters like Mrs. Farraday, played by a superb Glen Close. However, Frears could have his reasons to reduce it on telling the story of Jekyll and Hyde from the point of view of a strong girl in a world where social status is everything.
