the audience applauded

best movie i've ever seen.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Bedlam is an odd and interesting film. Anna Lee is Nell, a witty young woman who functions as a sort of court jester for a noble. She is goaded into visiting Bedlam, an insane asylum that holds tours so the rich can laugh at the insane. Nell affects the air of a cynical, frivolous wit, but she is disturbed by the treatment of the inmates at the hands of Boris Karloff's psychopathic George Sims. Karloff and Lee are both terrific, and the atmosphere is beautifully created, both in the lush homes of the elite and in the chaotic Bedlam. While producer Val Lewton was known as a horror movie producer, his movies were always more complex than that, and this is a movie of psychological horror. The story is compelling and the movie does a good job of showing the power of both hate and love to affect people.

Mark Robson directs Boris Karloff as Master George Sims, who runs the notorious St. Mary's of Bethlehem asylum(known as Bedlam). He is a glib but ruthless man who runs it like his own private serfdom, unconcerned with the patients in his care, and will kill anyone who tries to stop him in his power. One such person is Nell Bowen(played by Anna Lee) who is the consort of Lord Mortimor(played by Billy House). This offers her some protection, since the cowardly Sims wont risk angering anyone in power over him, but cleverly sets about undermining her credibility, to the point of having Nell committed to his asylum! Can she overcome this cruel ordeal? Last film in the Val Lewton horror series is quite good, with fine performances by all, especially Karloff, playing Sims the same way he would later voice the Grinch!(sneaky and deceptively charming) A bit slow at times, but leads to a satisfying end.

In 1761 London, sadistic headmaster Boris Karloff (as George Sims) runs the "St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum" for lunatics with an iron fist. The place is more commonly and appropriately called "Bedlam". After two patients die under Mr. Karloff's cruel care, actress-turned-mistress Anna Lee (as Nell Bowen) decides to expose the mental institution's abusive living conditions. She also hits Karloff with both her riding stick and the palm of her hand. Double ouch. Karloff provides Ms. Lee's fat old lover Billy House (as "Lord" Mortimer) with his gin-loving niece Elizabeth Russell (as Kitty Sims) and has Lee brought before the "Commission of Lunacy". After claiming to be 23-years-old, Lee is committed. Lee must keep her wits as Quaker stonemason friend Richard Fraser (as William Hannay) helps from the outside...****** Bedlam (4/19/46) Mark Robson ~ Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Richard Fraser, Billy House

This is actually a very good movie that takes place in around 1750 in England of course where a mean Boris Karloff runs the local insane asylum which in those days were pretty crude. Naturally Boris is a nasty master of the place and a very shrewd politician at keeping his job. Enter a lovely young tart who is the latest chickie of the local obese, obnoxious gentry. She is tough as nails, jaded and slick but soon turns soft after a visit to the asylum and an encounter with the romantic lead, a Quaker gentleman who nurtures her and between the two of them, they finally affect a change to the system. The historical aspect is very interesting and all the performances, direction and production values are very good so for an obscure title, it proved to be a welcome surprise. I've been viewing more and more of Boris' films (The Body Snatchers is a must) and although he made a lot of stinkers, this one is on his A list.