Mary Reilly is a film adapted from the novel by Valerie Martin titled The Governess of Dr. Jekyll.
Mary Reilly tells the story through the eyes of the maid played by Julia Roberts, who works in Dr. Jekyll’s household and ends up falling in love, reciprocated, with the mysterious doctor.
Director Stephen Frears reconstructs this mutual attraction, emphasizing a persistent desire of Mr. Hyde, while Dr. Jekyll harbors sincere feelings towards the young, untouched, and innocent girl.
For the first time, Hyde is not entirely horrifying, and his strength lies in the erotic feeling he exudes through his movements.
The film’s London, perfectly recreated in the sets, carries the typically melancholic and decadent flavor of the late 19th century.
The dual character of Jekyll/Hyde is portrayed by the excellent John Malkovich, who exhibits attraction towards the girl while simultaneously being a ruthless killer after the transformation caused by the potion he studies while isolating himself in his laboratory.
Mary Reilly was received with coldness but appreciated for Christopher Hampton’s elegant screenplay, Philippe Rousselot’s noir and gloomy photography, and Stuart Craig’s ingenious sets, which transformed Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory into an abstract anatomical theater reminiscent of Leonardo’s autopsies.
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