Bedlam, a review by Jon
Bedlam
4 out of 5Boris Karloff is Sims, in charge of an asylum in 18th century London, whose wretched inmates provide amusements for the high class. Nell Bowen (Anna Lee) is a woman who despite herself comes to pity the inmates and tries to help them with support from a Quaker and John "The Devil" Wilkes, both reformers.
Mark Robson is directing again and sadly, like the last few entries in this wonderful series, he delivers another badly paced, predictable and heavy handed story, for the first half at least. I still rate it highly though because it is a good story that should be commended for its ambition, and the last act is superb.
It is very like The Bodysnatcher in that it is a period piece based on truth. Bedlam was a terrible and unjust place, and Wilkes was real, nicknamed "The Devil" for the trouble he caused in politics. In a good way though.
After a great opening sequence that reminded me a little of Vertigo, it takes a ponderous half-hour or so to get into Bedlam proper. Until then it's all over-blown flowery theatrical language that really begins to grate. The cast, including a few regulars, work well with Karloff to bring some much needed humour (love the servant whispering to a parrot!), but you may still find your attention wavering. Repeat viewings may reveal the real intent though because the contrast with the mad inmates of the shadowy cruel hospital is incredible. The foreboding set full of various looneys is a truly unsettling scene.
It's very much a political film. That might have surprised me before knowing Val Lewton's work. He would never just produce a mere genre piece! It's a dry, but anyone interested in the history of politics might find a lot of layers to dig into here. But this is a horror film! Where's the peril? Luckily, it starts properly once Sims conspires to have the meddling Nell committed. That scene is scary enough because they rule she volunteers for her own safety while doing no such thing! By the way, there's no spoiler required here. She's so annoying you want her locked up by this point!
Again that's kind of the point. Once she's in, her first reaction is of repulsion and all thoughts of caring are abandoned. But then her Quaker friend breaks in (sort of) and helps her make the best of it without resorting to violence while he see Wilkes for help. See the metaphors for political reform?
Here I think we also have the story of Florence Nightingale and if it is, Lewton is again far ahead of his time in presenting the real story. Maybe it's coincidence here, but contrary to popular opinion, Nightingale was frankly a bit of a cow. All talk, no action, until she saw the results of war and then she campaigned tirelessly. Here, in the creepiest scene, we see her walk through the dark asylum with a candle, tending to the sick, who a moment earlier were scaring the shit out of her. And us.
The efforts of Wilkes cause a new trial to be scheduled and with his asylum tamed, Sims is desperate to silence Nell. And so the stage is set for the most delicious, nasty end I could have hoped for. A proper and surreal horror ending that Hammer would later make their trade!
(From Val Lewton Horror Marathon on October 14th, 2008)
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May 17, 2024, 10:40:26 AM
