Silent Movie Mondays: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Vancouver Civic Theatres presents Silent Movie Mondays, featuring classic silent films with live accompaniment on the historic Wurlitzer organ—the last theatre organ in Canada still performing in its original home.

Enjoy a pre-show performance by the Gatsby Strutters Jazz Band, followed by the film with organist Edward Norman. Afterward, Keith Blackmore of Vancouver Film School will lead a discussion on silent-era special effects with a special guest.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) stars John Barrymore as a respected doctor who develops a potion intended to separate the good and evil sides of human nature. His experiment releases the cruel Mr. Hyde, an alter ego who becomes increasingly difficult to control, with tragic consequences. An especially remarkable feature of the silent film is Barrymore’s first transformation into Hyde, which he performed largely by contorting his face and body rather than relying on makeup or camera effects.