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Released by: Olive Films
Released on: September 13th, 2016.
Director: Jerry Belson
Cast: Mark Blankfield, Bess Armstrong, Tim Thomerson, Krista Errickson
Year: 1982
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The Movie:
“The comedy that examines modern living through chemistry!â€
Jerry Belson's 1982 film Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again follows Doctor Daniel Jekyll (Mark Blankfield, credited as the interviewer from KISS XPOSED but who is probably best known for Robin Hood: Men In Tights), a young surgeon who attempts to quit his profession so that he can concentrate on his research that he in turn hopes will allow him to develop a medicine that brings out the true animal in man. His theory is that this will help people fight disease and feel less pain, or some such nonsense, but really it serves on purpose and that's to give Jekyll a reason to be around copious amounts of white powder that, when exposed to light, turn into a cocaine like substance.
When Jekyll inadvertently snorts a line of this powder, his hair grows frizzy, he grows a big moustache, his chest hair multiplies, his shirt unbuttons, his pants tighten and he turns into a party animal who obsesses over a young stripper and one time patient named Ivy (Krista Errickson of Little Darlings!). This all occurs much to the dismay of his money hungry high society fiancé, Mary (Bess Armstrong of Jaws 3-D) and her hospital owning father (Michael McGuire of Walter Hill's Hard Times) who needs him to perform an important operation on local billionaire, Hubert Howes (Peter Brocco of Johnny Got His Gun).
Directed by Jerry Belson (who did most of his work in television but who did produce a movie or two, such as the aforementioned Student Bodies and hey, he wrote Smokey And The Bandit Part II) this movie is very much a product of its time. Inspired by disco culture and a skewed idea of punk rock, Jekyll And Hyde Together Again is ripe with political incorrectness and bas, juvenile humor. That said, many of the gags are still funny, even if they are dumber than dirt. The ongoing bits with a plastic surgeon who works in the same hospital as Jekyll (played by Tim Thomerson of Trancers!) are good for a laugh as are the ever increasing after effects of Mr. Hyde's nocturnal adventures.
A couple of unexpected musical numbers add to the 'what the Hell?' factor of the movie and a finale set in Victorian-era London is both completely out of place and somehow entirely appropriate at the same time. At eighty-seven minutes the picture doesn't overstay its welcome and fans of eighties trash comedies will likely enjoy this one quite a bit.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Olive Films presents Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again on Blu-ray in a 1.78.1 widescreen aspect ratio in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. For the most part, the movie looks quite good on Blu-ray. There are some spots where grain gets heavier than it does in other scenes and some minor print damage is a bit more obvious than maybe it should be, however. Detail is quite solid throughout while skin tones look nice and natural. There are no signs of edge enhancement or noise reduction and although the disc is single layered compression artifacts are never an issue. This could have been cleaned up a bit more than it has been but it looks alright.
The only audio option for the feature is an English language DTS-HD Mono mix. Clarity of the audio is fine. The levels are nicely balanced and there are problems with any hiss or distortion and the film's quirky score has some decent presence to it in spots. Not a fancy mix, but it suits the movie and gets the job done without any issues. Optional subtitles are provided in English only.
Aside from a static menu and chapter selection the disc contains no extra features.
The Final Word:
Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again is pretty entertaining stuff, a goofy coke-fueled comedy that could only have been made in the early eighties. Olive's Blu-ray release is light on extras but it looks and sounds alright. Maybe not something you need to rush out and own right away, but it's a quirky little cult film worth checking out.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
