Bedlam (1946)

Calificación de los usuarios:

6.8/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Escritores:

William Hogarth (engravings The Rake's Progress)
Val Lewton (screenplay) ...

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

10 mayo 1946 (USA)

Género:

Drama | Cine Negro | Horror | Suspenso

Frase comercial:

Sensational Secrets of Infamous Mad-house EXPOSED! (1946 one-sheet poster)

Plot:

Nell Bowen, the spirited protege of rich Lord Mortimer, becomes interested in the conditions of notorious St...

Plot Keywords:

Asylum | Quaker | B Movie | Mental Institution | Period Piece

Premios:

1 nomination

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Another fine film from Val Lewton!

Reparto

Boris Karloff	...	Master George Sims
Anna Lee	...	Nell Bowen
Billy House	...	Lord Mortimer
Richard Fraser	...	Hannay
Glen Vernon	...	The Gilded Boy (as Glenn Vernon)
Ian Wolfe	...	Sidney Long
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Oliver Todd (as Jason Robards)
Leyland Hodgson	...	John Wilkes
Joan Newton	...	Dorothea the Dove
Elizabeth Russell	...	Mistress Sims

También conocida como:

Chamber of Horrors (USA) (working title)

Duración:

79 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Clasificación:

USA:Approved (PCA #11077, Adult Audience) | UK:PG

Compañía:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivialidades:

Contrary to popular belief the film was never banned in the UK. However despite some TV showings it was never submitted to the BBFC until 1998 where it received an uncut video PG video certificate.

Errores:

Continuidad: In the early scene where Nell and Lord Mortimer drive by in a carriage, Nell is holding her parrot. Depending on the shot, the parrot's position and behavior change completely--in some it is sitting absolutely still, in others it is curled up preening itself.

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in Goldfinger (1964)

Another fine film from Val Lewton!

If you're watching a classic horror movie and you see the words 'produced by Val Lewton' sprawled across your screen, you know that you're in for a great movie! While Bedlam doesn't represent Lewton's best work, or even his best collaboration with the great Boris Karloff, it's still a great atmospheric horror film. The story takes place in an eighteenth century 'Looney bin' called "Bedlam", and stars Karloff as the apothecary general. Lunatic asylums make for great settings for horror movies, especially when they're set in the time period that this one is set in. Nowadays, hospitals are more geared towards helping the patients; but back then, they weren't; making the setting more horrifying and therefore riper for a horror movie. The plot sees a young woman who becomes concerned at the way the patients are being treated at Bedlam. After trying to get the asylum to reform their practices, the powers that be decide to have her committed in order to save themselves money and stop her revealing how badly the patients are treated.

As usual with Lewton, the film breathes a thick and foreboding atmosphere and this is the main star of the show. The atmosphere is complimented by a nice story which, although there's maybe slightly too much talking, plays out well and features a great ending that is seething with irony. Mark Robson isn't as great as the other directors that Lewton has worked with; Jacques Tourneur and Robert Wise, but he knows his stuff and the three films that he made with Lewton, while falling somewhat short to the others', are still nice horror movies. The Body Snatcher will remain the finest collaboration between Karloff and Lewton - but that film was exceptional and the fact that this one doesn't live up to it isn't a commentary on it's quality. Karloff himself puts in another awesome performance and his screen presence combines with his mannerisms to create an eerie performance from the great horror legend. This film comes with high recommendations from yours truly. I'm a big fan of Lewton, and after seeing a number of his films; I don't see how anyone couldn't be.