Robert Louis Stevenson Movies

Dougray Scott essays the role of author Robert Louis Stevenson's maniacal medico in director Paolo Barzman's retelling of the classic gothic tale. A highly regarded physician who dedicates all of this spare time to unlocking the secrets of a rare Amazonian flower, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Scott) is about to discover a side of himself that he never knew existed. The sacred flower is said to possess a mystical power that can literally separate the soul, summoning man's Dark Self and unleashing a side of the personality that lies dormant until awoken by its mysterious psychotropic properties. As Dr. Jekyll attempts to isolate those properties and unlock the flower's mysteries, a series of gruesome murders begin making headlines all across the city. Dr. Jekyll knows that this is no coincidence, because every morning when he wakes up clutching a grim memento from the night before, the screams of his terrified victims still echoing through his head. Realizing that it's only a matter of time before the personality he calls "Mr. Edward Hyde" takes over completely, Dr. Jekyll enlists the aid of compassionate attorney Claire Wheaton (Krista Bridges) in ensuring that he be placed in an asylum - where Mr. Hyde can do no further harm. In the courtroom, Mrs. Wheaton gives such a convincing case for mental imbalance that the judge readily agrees to have Dr. Jekyll institutionalized. But while this may be the end of Dr. Jekyll it's only the beginning for Mr. Hyde, because the harder Claire tries to help the conflicted physician the more dangerous his murderous alter ego becomes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Jonathan Silverman, Matt Keeslar, and Desmond Askew star in this modernized take on Robert Louis Stevenson's terrifying tale about a brilliant doctor haunted by his own murderous alter ego. Dr. Henry Jekyll was researching a cure for cancer when he created a computer generated avatar of his alter ego and downloaded it directly into his brain. Now, before Dr. Jekyll knows what's happening, his life has been completely taken over by a psychotic, hedonistic, violent party animal known only as Mr. Hyde. But by the time Dr. Jekyll's faithful girlfriend attempts to break through to her bi-polar boyfriend, it may already be too late. As the bodies begin to pile up and Mr. Hyde's unpredictable temper grows increasingly explosive, it's up to Dr. Jekyll to regain control of his life or risk losing everything he ever cared about. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of adventure Treasure Island gets a science fiction update in this animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures. Jim (voice of Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a young man who grew up reading tales of pirates and adventures on the high seas, and longs for similar excitement in his own life. One day, Jim happens upon a dying man who hands him a map and warns him to "Beware the cyborg" shortly before he passes on. Upon careful examination, Jim realizes the map charts the course to Treasure Planet, a distant world where hundreds of space pirates have stashed their loot. Jim is certain this is the adventure he's been dreaming off, and joins the crew of the spaceship R.L.S. Legacy and Captain Amelia (Emma Thompson) as they set out to find the fabled Treasure Planet. While Jim signs on along with his friend Dr. Doppler (voice of David Hyde Pierce), he soon becomes close friends with John Silver (voice of Brian Murray), who works in the galley but has big plans. Jim discovers just how big his plans are when Silver reveals he's part cyborg and all pirate, instigating a mutiny and attempting to take control of the ship. Despite his friendship with Silver, Jim refuses to take part in the mutiny, and soon finds himself attempting to defend law and order against a spacecraft full of reckless men. Treasure Planet's voice cast also includes Michael Wincott and Martin Short; Johnny Rzeznik from the rock group The Goo Goo Dolls contributed new music for the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Robert Louis Stevenson's story is adapted for modern theater in 2001's Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical starring David Hasselhoff in the leading dual role. This video is a recording of an actual performance at Plymouth Theatre on Broadway, shot with several high definition video cameras from various angles. Hasselhoff portrays both the genius Dr. Jekyll and the notorious Mr. Hyde from the original Stevenson tale, as two sides of a single human psyche playing out encounters with goodness versus evil in the midst of love and mental confusion. This adaptation incorporates a pop twist on the musical numbers, where Hasselhoff is afforded the opportunity to incorporate his experience as a television actor with his vocal recording background. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide

Roger Corman revives his tradition of bringing low-budget literary adaptations to the screen with this stylish reworking of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Suicide Club, directed by Rachel Samuels. Lev L. Spiro strips the book down to its essence while also devising subplots that are not in the original work. Set in 1899, Henry Joyce (David Morrissey) is on the brink of suicide after losing the great love of his life. His buddy Captain May (Neil Stuke) calms him down some, but soon both find themselves under the spell of an equally suicidal Shaw (Paul Bettany), who leads them to The Suicide Club, run by the shadowy Bourne (Jonathan Pryce). The rules of the Suicide Club are simple: the members, all well-bred citizens with a penchant for death, decide the murderer and victim from a draw of the cards. Bourne quickly and ruthlessly dispatches with those who do not want to abide by the rules. Soon Henry finds himself sucked into this underworld with no chance of escape. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

An adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel, featuring 1991 Academy Award winner Jack Palance as the salty pirate Long John Silver. ~ All Movie Guide

Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a young orphan who becomes involved with pirate Long John Silver is given the Muppet treatment in this vibrant children's musical. As in The Muppet Christmas Carol, the film stays loyal to the original storyline but casts the well-known puppets in many of the supporting roles. Young Jim Hawkins remains human, as does Long John Silver, played by an amusingly exaggerated Tim Curry. However, Captain Smollet is played by the evergreen Kermit the Frog; Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Rizzo the Rat serve as roving narrators; and numerous other Muppets assume smaller roles. The familiar adventure plot is enlivened by the Muppets' good-natured, winking sense of humor, and a number of anarchic musical numbers are reminiscent of the original Muppet Show. Long-time followers of the Muppets may find the film less fresh than Jim Henson's original creations, but the combination of old-fashioned storytelling, intriguing design, and clever humor will undoubtedly amuse younger audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

This episode in the Reading Rainbow series explores the world of shadows. The featured book, My Shadow, inspires the crew to look at how shadows can affect work and play. A guest on the show, Andrea Davis, explains how people in the arts, especially photographers like her, are very aware of the role of light and shade in their imagery. Host LeVar Burton also takes a look at shadow puppets, with the help of a guest puppet master. Among the other books reviewed by the young critics are Shadows and Reflections, Shadow Graphs, and I Have a Friend. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide

This demented fusion of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with the legend of Jack the Ripper marks one of the final roles for Anthony Perkins, and certainly one of the weirdest performances of his career. Perkins plays Dr. Jekyll as more of a dedicated 19th-century man of medicine than an obsessed eccentric -- whose research into a safe form of anaesthetic leads to the accidental discovery of cocaine! Jekyll's inadvertent freebasing of the vapors from a cocaine/ether mixture triggers his transformation into Hyde - a murderer of prostitutes who dubs himself "Jack," thus allowing the convenient transition into the "Jack the Ripper" phase of the plot. This Hungarian production has fairly high production values, but Perkins' over-the-top antics and some glaring anachronisms (Jack's streetwalker victims sport accessories that look like Madonna's hand-me-downs) make it impossible to take seriously as a horror film. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a wealthy young heiress endeavors to discover if her life does indeed have any meaning after she participates in a far-from-harmless parlor game at an exclusive costume party held in a grand old mansion. Sasha, the heiress, has fallen into a deep depression following the suicide of her brother and is strongly thinking about joining him when she goes to the party and begins playing a card game in which the winner's reward is a drink of deadly poison. Unfortunately, Sasha wins and must now reconsider her rashness. The plot is based on a story from Robert Louis Stevenson. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Produced for cable TV by The Disney Channel, The Black Arrow is based on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson adventure tale. Stephen Chase plays the title character, a dogooding swashbuckler who tries to avenge his father's murder during the War of the Roses. Though Chase carries the bulk of the action, top billing is bestowed upon the film's villains, Oliver Reed (as Sir Daniel Brackley) and Fernando Rey (as the Earl of Warwick). The Stevenson original was previously adapted for the screen in 1948, with Louis Hayward in the lead. Black Arrow made its TV debut on January 6, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A bizarre Euro-kink variation on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, this intriguing film from Polish director Walerian Borowczyk takes place almost exclusively in the palatial home of Dr. Henry Jekyll (Udo Kier), where the good doctor is being feted prior to his engagement to the austere Miss Fanny Osborne (Marina Pierro). The guest list -- comprised of various dignitaries, officials and symbols of bourgeois respectability -- could easily have strolled in from a Fellini film, complete with a closetful of perverse habits and barely-repressed sexual urges. At the onset of the festivities, it is learned that a young girl has been murdered on the streets that night -- an event somehow linked to Jekyll's insistence that his estate be willed to the yet-unseen Mr. Hyde. It comes as no surprise that Jekyll's infamous potion transforms him into a crazed sexual predator with desires so aggressive that his victims cannot survive... but the real twist comes when young Fanny joins Jekyll in his bath while he is transforming into Hyde, and the formula's malevolent effects are spread to her as well. Before long, the entire affair devolves into an orgy of sexual sadism and bloody violence as the evil is spread throughout the house. Borowczyk has imbued this quirky exercise with a doomed, nightmarish quality, contrasting the opulence of the festivities with dimly-lit, smoky rooms where the lecherous Hyde stalks his victims. Patrick Magee borrows a bit from his arch performance in Marat/Sade as the swaggering "General" who gets taken down a few notches at the end of a bullwhip. Released in the U.S. as Blood of Dr. Jekyll, then later on video as Bloodlust. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide