{"id":4632,"date":"2014-07-10T00:18:32","date_gmt":"2014-07-09T23:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=4632"},"modified":"2015-05-08T22:51:11","modified_gmt":"2015-05-08T21:51:11","slug":"the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-miss-osbourne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/07\/10\/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-miss-osbourne\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Docteur<\/a>
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nFormat:<\/B> Dual Format (DVD + Blu-ray)

\nRelease date:<\/B> 18 May 2015

\nDistributor:<\/B> Arrow Video

\nDirector:<\/B> Walerian Borowczyk

\nWriter:<\/B> Walerian Borowczyk

\nBased on the novel:<\/B> Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde<\/i> by Robert Louis Stevenson

\nCast:<\/B> Udo Kier, Marina Pierro and Patrick Magee

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Docteur Jekyll et les femmes<\/i>

\nAlternative title:<\/B> The Blood of Doctor Jekyll<\/i>

\nFrance, West Germany 1981

\n92 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s 1886. Workers at the Woolwich Royal Arsenal form a football club; Dr John Stith Pemberton develops a fizzy beverage to be known as Coca-Cola and a novella \u2013 Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde<\/i> \u2013 is published by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island<\/i>, and becomes an instant success. It was almost immediately adapted for the stage, and starting with a lost 1908 film, over 120 film versions were to be produced, with actors from Spencer Tracy to Jerry Lewis essaying the role(s) of the austere Victorian scientist Jekyll and his libido made flesh, Hyde. In one guise the story is a moral tale of the secret desires repression creates, but in another it is a wish-fulfilment fantasy\/nightmare haunted by its own \u2018if only\u2026\u2019 premise.<\/p>\n

Walerian Borowcyzk\u2019s 1981 take, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne<\/i>, is a kinky French horror film, with a disturbingly lustful sadism. A child has been attacked in the blue-lit foggy London night and an unspeakable menace lurks. In a palatial town house complete with turbaned man servant, Dr Henry Jekyll (a young Udo Kier), a wealthy and celebrated scientist, is hosting a party to celebrate his engagement to Miss Fanny Osbourne (Marina Pierro). His crippled mother, his mother-in-law as well as assorted scions of Victorian society, a clergyman, a rival scientist and a general (Patrick Magee in typically eccentric form), gather for an evening of food and celebration. They are all like escapees from some savage Buñuel satire, pompous, self-satisfied and bubbling over with barely concealed desires as they exchange pleasantries and hotly debate Jekyll\u2019s new theory of transcendental medicine. They are the apotheosis of British Imperial self-satisfaction, smirking through the evening, oblivious to the noise their clay feet make, clumping on the parquet. But Jekyll wants his estate given over to the mysterious and as yet unseen Mr Hyde, and there seems to be a settling of accounts in the offing. <\/p>\n

Borowcyzk keeps everything suitably murky and fragmented. His use of mirrors seems at first like an over-literal rendering of the split personality theme, but as the film goes on the visual confusion becomes increasingly disconcerting and dream-like. There is more than a little vampire\/Nosferatu in Hyde (G\u00e9rard Zalcberg) when he appears, an eyebrow-less fiend and something of Jack the Ripper as well with his murderous phallus. His assault on the guests is savage, and yet they are complicit in their own downfall, either because he stirs in them their own (scarcely) hidden desires, or because they rather bathetically provide him with the weapons of their destruction. His sadism is pitched against their own hypocrisy and general vileness. In a twist which the title anticipates, Marina Pierro\u2019s yearning raven-haired heroine has a yen for some self-transformation as well. Violence and murder are intertwined with a longing for freedom, but Borowcyzk\u2019s film is dark and claustrophobic, locked in Jekyll\u2019s hollow town house. His characters don\u2019t find emancipation via their potions and transformations, but rather murderous and self-destructive rage. <\/p>\n

Arrow Academy’s limited edition box set Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection<\/a> (Dual Format DVD + Blu-ray) includes the short films<\/a>, The Theatre of Mr and Mrs Kabal<\/i>, Goto, l\u2019île d\u2019amour<\/i><\/a>, Blanche<\/i><\/a>, The Beast<\/i><\/a> and Immoral Tales<\/i><\/a> – it does not contain The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Miss Osbourne<\/i>.<\/div>\n

John Bleasdale<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Borowczyk’s take on Stevenson is a kinky French horror film, with a disturbingly lustful sadism.
\nReview by John Bleasdale<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,3],"tags":[76,111,963,74,965,964,962],"class_list":["post-4632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-check-it-out","category-dvds-and-blu-rays","tag-dr-jekyll","tag-horror-film","tag-mr-hyde","tag-robert-louis-stevenson","tag-udo-kier","tag-victorian-fiction","tag-walerian-borowcyzk"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-1cI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4449,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/05\/22\/who-is-walerian-borowczyk\/","url_meta":{"origin":4632,"position":0},"title":"Who Is Walerian Borowczyk?","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of our exploration of the ground-breaking Polish director, we look at his career as a board game. Comic strip review by Tony HItchman","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"review_WBcomic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_WBcomic-594x840.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_WBcomic-594x840.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_WBcomic-594x840.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1029,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2010\/04\/01\/comic-strip-review-dr-jekyll-and-sister-hyde\/","url_meta":{"origin":4632,"position":1},"title":"Comic Strip Review: Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"April 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Directed by Roy Ward Baker, this 1971 Hammer take on Robert Louis Stevenson adds a gender twist to the classic story. Comic strip review by Julia Scheele","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/drjekyllsisterhyde.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/drjekyllsisterhyde.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/drjekyllsisterhyde.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4579,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/06\/28\/les-astronautes\/","url_meta":{"origin":4632,"position":2},"title":"Les Astronautes","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"June 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of our exploration of Walerian Borowczyk's work, we look at this wonderful short film, made in collaboration with Chris Marker. Comic strip review by Lord Hurk","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Les Astronautes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Les-Astronautes-594x2087.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Les-Astronautes-594x2087.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Les-Astronautes-594x2087.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4662,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/07\/22\/the-beast\/","url_meta":{"origin":4632,"position":3},"title":"The Beast","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"July 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Part fairy tale, part sex romp, part Buñuelian satire, Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s most notorious film remains a quirky oddity. Review by Sean Hogan","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Beast","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/The-Beast-594x422.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/The-Beast-594x422.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/The-Beast-594x422.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4421,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/05\/10\/the-streetwalker\/","url_meta":{"origin":4632,"position":4},"title":"The Streetwalker","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"May 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s beautiful melancholic meditation on sex in a dirty, dirty world, with Sylvia Kristel and Joe Dallesandro. Review by John Bleasdale","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Margin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/The-Margin-594x453.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/The-Margin-594x453.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/The-Margin-594x453.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4438,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/05\/21\/blanche\/","url_meta":{"origin":4632,"position":5},"title":"Blanche","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"With its elegant costumes and set design, Walerian Borowczyk\u2019s sophisticated medieval tragedy exceeds conventional historical dramas. Review by Alison Frank","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"review_Blanche","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_Blanche-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_Blanche-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/review_Blanche-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4632"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4655,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4632\/revisions\/4655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}