The Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor was released in 1963. It was directed by and also starred Jerry Lewis. It was based on the novel Dr Jeckell and Mr Hyde written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The basic narrative is of Professor Kelp, bored with being seen as weak and uptight takes a potion to give himself muscles but turns into 'Buddy Love', a swinger with a sharp dress sense but no tact.

Kelp's scenes are mainly set in the University where he teaches. These sets look a lot like any University. Institutional colours are used, the brightest things in shot being the students clothing. The lighting used is a three-point setting, slightly yellow to give the impression that all the light is coming from the sources on set. In the opening credits and in the first classroom scene it is made very clear who the leading lady will be. Stella stands out from the rest of the class by being the only platinum blonde. In fact she is the only girl with this hair colour in the entire film. This enforces her character as angelic, untouchable and slightly separated from the rest of the students. This is also made noticeable in the first classroom scene, when the rest of the students are moving and talking, she stays perfectly still and quiet.

When Kelp goes to the Gym to there are more vibrant colours used than in the University. There is a lot of red to suggest more action and than the University but also to suggest health. This set, however, isn't very plausible. It is clearly a set as the floors are carpeted, which most gyms aren't. There are red curtains hung, covering the walls, again not a sight seen often in a gym and there is hardly and workout equipment. This echoes the idea that sets can show us when the film is made more than when it is set.

The scene where Kelp metamorphosizes into Buddy Love uses many conventions of the horror genre. These include the change from high key to low key lighting, a more dramatic soundtrack and a rumble of thunder. There is blue light used when we see the birds head change to that of his fathers. This seems to have no point in the narrative, but shows the audience that things are changing and possibly a clue that this scene is not what it seems.

The first scene in the Purple Pit is when we first see Buddy Love. Unlike Kelp, Buddy is handsome, has a tanned complexion, so looks healthy and is wearing a sharply tailored blue suit. However his hair and suits may seem to be a little out of fashion as it is a 'teddy boy' look