The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, director Hope Dickson Leach’s new version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story, co-written with Vlad Butucea, will be shown at selected cinemas in Scotland and UK, following its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August 2023 and will subsequently be broadcast on Sky Arts (Freeview) on 30 October at 9pm.
Adapted from the original novella and relocated from London to Edinburgh, this film is a National Theatre of Scotland and Selkie Productions supported by Screen Scotland and Sky Arts. The film is distributed in cinemas by Cosmic Cat.
Filmed largely within the atmospheric setting of Edinburgh’s historic Leith Theatre, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was originally presented in February 2022 as a performed live, filmic experience in the venue.
Embracing the duality of the storyline and the period authenticity, the film was shot in black and white. It features a cast of leading Scottish stage and screen talent and music by DJ and music producer Hudson Mohawke and composer Hutch Demouilpied (Limbo).
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Hope Dickson Leach and Vlad Butucea, returns to Edinburgh born writer Robert Louis Stevenson’s original story which was published in 1886. The drama follows Gabriel Utterson as he enters a world of dark duplicity to uncover the identity of the mysterious Mr Hyde and the hold he has over Utterson’s old friend Dr Jekyll.
In this version, Utterson’s journey is set against the background and backdrop of Victorian Edinburgh, where the wealth of the breweries is contrasted with the poverty of the Cowgate Vaults, exposing an underbelly of dark truths and corruption. Concerned by his good friend Dr Henry Jekyll’s recent behaviour, Gabriel Utterson is driven to uncover the identity of the mysterious and dangerous Mr. Hyde, to whom Jekyll is enthralled. Whilst on this search for the truth, Utterson finds himself seduced by the society of Edinburgh’s rich and powerful, but beneath the glossy façade lies a grim and brutal reality. This is a Jekyll and Hyde reworked for a contemporary audience with the themes of power, class and masculinity brought to the fore.
Selected cinema screening dates
07/10 | Dundee Contemporary Arts
14/10 | Firstsite, Colchester
19/10 | Firstsite, Colchester
20/10 | Phoenix, Oban
22/10 | Glasgow Film Theatre with Cast and Crew Q&A
27/10 | Cameo, Edinburgh with Cast and Crew Q&A
27/20 | Dukes, Lancaster | 13:45 & 18:30
27/20 | Dukes, Lancaster
28/10 | Eden Court
28/10 | Alhambra, Keswick
28/10 | Bo’ness Hippodrome
28/10 | Norden Farm Centre for Arts
29/10 | Alhambra, Keswick
29/10 | Dukes, Lancaster
