Mary Reilly (1996)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers (WGA):

Valerie Martin (novel)
Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil is Irresistable.

Plot:

A housemaid falls in love with Dr. Jekyll and his darkly mysterious counterpart, Mr. Hyde.

Plot Keywords:

19th Century | Servant | Prostitute | Class Distinction | Sexual Attraction

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Julia Roberts	...	Mary Reilly
John Malkovich	...	Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde
George Cole	...	Mr. Poole the Butler
Michael Gambon	...	Mary's Father
Kathy Staff	...	Mrs. Kent
Glenn Close	...	Mrs. Farraday
Michael Sheen	...	Bradshaw
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Annie
Linda Bassett	...	Mary's Mother
Henry Goodman	...	Haffinger
Ciarán Hinds	...	Sir Danvers Carew (as Ciaran Hinds)
Sasha Hanau	...	Young Mary Reilly
Moya Brady	...	Young Woman
Emma Griffiths Malin	...	Young Whore Mary
David Ross	...	Doctor

MPAA:

Rated R for notable gore and some strong violence.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Norway:15 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | USA:R (certificate #33594) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Stephen Frears favored Daniel Day-Lewis as the male lead, although the studio had Al Pacino in mind.

Quotes:

Mr. Edward Hyde: I feel differently with you. Why should that be? You still the rage.
Mary Reilly: Where does it come from, Sir, this rage?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A Legacy of Fear (1996) (TV)

Subtly thrilling

Not many movies can get away with keeping Julia Roberts from smiling, but Mary Reilly does so well. It's a movie of subtleties and moods. Its dark themes deal with the oppression of a strict, class-based society in Victorian England as well as the secrets that we all hide inside our hearts. The familiar tale takes intriguing new turns from the viewpoint of the house's servants. John Malkovich, while a tad thin on his English accent, delivers a fantastic performance as both Jekyll and Hyde as he plumbs the depths of morality and the human soul. Hyde is a stark contrast of freedom among the restrained servants of the Jekyll house, and his subtle sexual innuendoes quietly violate the chastity of Victorian stereotypes. Much of the violence occurs off camera until near the climax of the film, which may be one of it's shortcomings. The film is very quiet and slow and may put some viewers to sleep. Another issue I had was the lovely Henson-Workshop-provided effects at the end, which are imaginative, but don't make a bit of sense when compared to the rest of the film. If you can stomach a quiet and very subtle thriller, however, this is a real gem.