The Trailer:
Director: Brad Anderson
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, & Ben Kingsley
Synopsis: A young doctor, Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) goes to Stonehearst Asylum to intern with Dr. Silas Lamb (Ben Kingsley), and while there meets the mysterious Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale) whom he believes to be sane.
This film is based on a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe titled The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, a story which I have not read (I know, what kind of student of literature am I if I haven't read all of Poe's works?) so I can offer no comparisons. Though I haven't read the story, I feel I must now after viewing this spectacularly Gothic, sinister film. From the first opening scene, which entails Kate Beckinsale being groped by a doctor in front of a group of medical students (all male) in order to trigger her "hysteria", we are introduced to the twisted ideology that is asylum medicine of the late 1800's, early 1900's; it is cruel, unfair torture cloaked as medical procedure. And so we, the viewers, know that the movie will be steeped in dark and disturbing matters.
The era in which this story occurs is one of my favorites: the Victorian Era. Some of the characters— Edward Newgate, Silas Lamb, Eliza Graves— are dignified and posh, while some others are seedy and unsavory beings, a good juxtaposition that is ever present in films and literature about that time period. I was impressed with all actors aboard; they all played their parts with such ease that it is easy to become engrossed in their story without ever feeling like "oh that was a bad casting choice". Jim Sturgess, as you may or may not know, is one of my personal favorites: he has this face that oozes sincerity and trustworthiness and so was perfect to play the part of Dr. Edward Newgate, a doctor who is compassionate and genuinely cares for the patients. Kate Beckinsale floats on a cloud of determined elegance and grace as her character Eliza Graves, and beckons to us and her doctors to believe that she is sane, she is haunted yet courageous. And Ben Kingsley as Dr. Silas Lamb is the most perfect casting choice ever made (maybe not the best ever made, but one of the best). Dr. Silas Lamb is chaos laced up tightly in a distinguished exterior on the fringe of a meltdown and Ben Kingsley plays this part to a tee and with such credulity. All the secondary actors are just as believable and likeable, not including some of the doctors and one unsavory patient. In the end this is a fantastic tale of love and hope that stems from a dark place. To add to that, what I love most about Stonehearst Asylum is the theme of opposing cruel, tortuous procedures that, at the time, were deemed necessary and totally safe in order to cure these people of their peculiarities. That theme is weaved into every step, frame, scene of the entire movie. I love it because as people of the 21st century we know that those medieval practices are ridiculously insane and that there are no such things as "hysteria" or "incurable homosexuality". And to be reminded of how narrow-minded medicine was in that not-so-distant past and to see how far we've come from that is truly amazing.
While yes there is a sinister air about Stonehearst Asylum there is also hope and healing: healing of physical and emotional wounds. There are also some fun twists and mysteries that will pique most people's interest. I would definitely recommend anyone to watch this. Would I watch it again? Heck yessss!
No comments:
Post a Comment