“On the Edge of Madness” ( born Edge Of Sanity ) is a 1989 British horror film directed by Gerard Kikoyn with Anthony Perkins in the title role. It mixes the elements of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” with tales of Jack the Ripper [1] . This is a film adaptation of a work by Robert Lewis Stevenson .
| On the verge of madness | |
|---|---|
| Edge of sanity | |
 | |
| Genre | horror thriller |
| Producer | Gerard Kikoin |
| Producer | Jacques Fiorentino Edward simons Harry Alan Towers |
| Author script | J.P. Felix Ron Riley Edward simons |
| In the main cast | Anthony Perkins |
| Operator | Tony spratling |
| Composer | Frederick Thalhorn |
| Film company | Allied vision Hungarofilm Allied Cine Group Pic II |
| Duration | 87 minutes |
| A country |  Great Britain  France  Hungary  USA |
| Tongue | |
| Year | 1989 |
| IMDb | ID 0097263 |
Content
Story
When Henry Jekyll experiments with cocaine, he transforms into the hideous Jack Hyde. Like Hyde, he prowls the streets of London, looking for his prey in brothels and opium dens. The police can't grab him.
Cast
Anthony Perkins - Dr. Henry Jekyll / Jack "The Ripper" Hyde
Glynis Barber - Elizabeth Jekyll
Sarah Moore Thorpe - Suzanne
David Lodge - Underwood
Ben Cole - Johnny
Jill Melford - Flora
Noel Coleman - Egglestone
Bryony Macroberts - Anne Underwood
Harry Landis - Coroner
Basil Hoskins - Mr. Bottingham
Production
Several exteriors were filmed in London . Vincent Canby said he thinks the film looks "atmospheric for the 19th century." [2] While the film era is for the most part clearly defined as Victorian, some of the costumes seem intentionally anachronistic and modern, further signifying the film’s surreal atmosphere.
Alain Silver compared the style of the film to the one that Ken Russell made based on how films include supernatural, psychology, and sexual imagery. He also said that prostitutes “further debunk the expectations of the audience” [3] .
The book “ Reported Women: Prostitutes and Prostitution in the Cinema ” uses the film as an example of sexual violence against women in films [4] .
Criticism
Vincent Canby wrote in The New York Times that Anthony Perkins “gives a good, funny, albeit somewhat one-sided performance, like a crazy doctor” [5] .
The TV Guide assigned him 1 of 4 stars for the film and said: ““ On the verge of madness ”, obviously, should not be taken seriously, despite its high cost and surrealistic shooting - both are surprisingly good. But the rest of the film (filmed mainly in Budapest with some British exteriors) does not correspond to its technical level ” [6] .
Leonard Maltin called the film "Tasteless, Meaningless and Unpleasant" [7] .
Notes
- ↑ Canby, Vincent . Review / Film; Anthony Perkins Plays a Modern Jekyll and Hyde , The New York Times (April 14, 1989). Date of treatment June 27, 2019.
- ↑ Canby, Vincent . Review / Film; Anthony Perkins Plays a Modern Jekyll and Hyde , The New York Times (April 14, 1989). Date of treatment June 27, 2019.
- ↑ Alain Silver. More Things Than are Dreamt of: Masterpieces of Supernatural Horror, from Mary Shelley to Stephen King, in Literature and Film . - Hal Leonard Corporation, 1994 .-- 238 p. - ISBN 9780879101770 .
- ↑ Russell Campbell. Marked Women: Prostitutes and Prostitution in the Cinema . - Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2006-04-05. - 465 p. - ISBN 9780299212537 .
- ↑ Canby, Vincent . Review / Film; Anthony Perkins Plays a Modern Jekyll and Hyde , The New York Times (April 14, 1989). Date of treatment June 27, 2019.
- ↑ Edge Of Sanity | TV Guide TVGuide.com. Date of treatment June 27, 2019.
- ↑ Maltin Leonard. Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide . - PENGUIN group, 2010-09-24. - 3539 s. - ISBN 9781101108765 .