Jekyll & Hyde

**_David Wickes’ unique version of the oft-told story, with Michael Caine_** Shot in late summer 1989, the good thing about this version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 tale is that it gets creative by adding a backstory about Jekyll’s dead wife, a fuming father-in-law (Joss Ackland) and a lovely sister-in-law with a heart for the doctor despite being married to an absent husband (Cheryl Ladd). Ladd had just turned 38 when shooting started and is more beautiful than ever. Also notable on the feminine front is redhead Kim Thomson as a young prostitute. Meanwhile Miriam Karlin is entertaining as a hyperactive madam. I should add that stunning blonde Samantha Womack makes her film debut in a bit part as a young maid. It runs 1h 35m and was shot on Merton Street, Oxford, which is 60 miles northwest of London, with other stuff done in the Capital city, such as studio work. GRADE: B