| Bedlam | |
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theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Mark Robson |
| Produced by | Val Lewton |
| Written by | William Hogarth (A Rake's Progress) Val Lewton Mark Robson |
| Starring | Boris Karloff Anna Lee Billy House |
| Music by | Roy Webb |
| Cinematography | Nicholas Musuraca |
| Editing by | Lyle Boyer |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 10 May 1946 |
| Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Bedlam (1946) is a film starring Boris Karloff and Anna Lee, and was the last in a series of stylish B films produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures. The film was inspired by William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress, and Hogarth was given a writing credit.[1]
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Set in 1761 London, England, the film focuses on events at St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum, a fictionalized version of Bethlem Royal Hospital, also known as "Bedlam". After an acquaintance of aristocrat Lord Mortimer dies in an attempt to escape from the asylum, apothecary general Master George Sims (played by Karloff, a fictionalized version of an infamous head physician at Bethlem, John Monro) appeases Mortimer by having his "loonies" put on a show for him. Mortified by the treatment of the patients, Mortimer's protege Nell Bowen (Lee) seeks the help of Whig politician John Wilks to reform the asylum. Mortimer and Sims conspire to committ Nell to the asylum, where her initial fears of the fellow inmates do not sway her sympathetic commitment to improving their conditions. Frustrated by Nell's progress with the inmates, Sims threatens her with his strongest "cure" but his attempt is thwarted by the very inmates that Nell helped. Ultimately, Sims is literally "deposed" and Nell is rescued by her Quaker friend who had counseled her through the whole process.
Cast notes
The film has been released on DVD by Warner Bros. as part of a double release with Isle Of The Dead[1] and as part of the Val Lewton Horror Collection.[3] It features a commentary by film historian Tom Weaver.
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