the jekyll and hyde story told from his maid's point of view is , in a word , " dark " . you wouldn't expect something bright and cheery based on robert louis stevenson's novel , but the film is surprisingly dreary and dismal . jekyll/hyde ( john malkovich ) is terminally depressed and desperate . mary reilly ( julia roberts ) is a victim of monstrous child abuse and the anti-woman sentiment of the times . director stephen fears' version of the london slums makes us marvel that anyone survived them . the lighting level is exceedingly low throughout the movie : it almost appears to be filmed in black and white . the direction and cinematography are brilliant and liquid . scenes flow into the next scene like honey oozing off a strawberry . ( except there's no red , of course . ) the look is so moody and melodramatic that you'll be shocked when you leave the theater . i saw it at a matinee and took quite a while to adjust to the sunny skies afterward . often the jekyll and hyde archetypes are viewed as splitting a whole person into components of good and evil or perhaps cerebral and emotional parts . here the doctor is intellectual and perhaps good , but certainly powerless . his alter ego is forceful and totally without conscience . two parts that make up a whole . neither are capable of functioning without the other and once separated , disaster is inevitable . the differences between the two characters would be more effective if it were accomplished by demeanor and attitude . when we finally see the transformation , the special effects thrust the story into the realm of science fiction , not the psychological horror that the tale demands . roberts and malkovich are skillful in their roles . both are suitably melancholy , fitting in with the rest of the film . the only flash of life and color comes from glenn close ( and her lips ) as the madam of a whorehouse where hyde lives , and surprisingly , jekyll apparently frequents . life and color maybe , but this is not close's best role . she seems little more than a cardboard cutout character . a beautiful film in its own dreary way . you'll appreciate the filmmaking craft , but don't expect to leave in an upbeat mood . [this appeared in the 2/25 " bloomington voice " , bloomington , indiana . michael redman can be contacted a <a href= " mailto : redman@bvoice . com " >redman@bvoice . com</a>] -- <a href= " mailto : mailto : redman@bvoice . com " >mailto : redman@bvoice . com</a> this week's film review at <a href= " http : //www . bvoice . com/ " >http : //www . bvoice . com/</a> film reviews archive at <a href= " http : //us . imdb . com/m/reviews_by ? michael%20redman " >http : //us . imdb . com/m/reviews_by ? michael%20redman</a> 
