Hysteria

( 3 )

Overview

Set in Victorian London, Tanya Wexler's period comedy Hysteria tells the tale of Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), a young doctor disturbed by the way most hospitals ignore the latest research on germ theory, and still treat patients with bleedings and leeches. After being fired from his most recent job for speaking out on the matter, he ends up in the employ of Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce) who runs a private practice specializing in treating women who suffer from "hysteria" and come to the doctor for his...
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More About This Product

Overview

Set in Victorian London, Tanya Wexler's period comedy Hysteria tells the tale of Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), a young doctor disturbed by the way most hospitals ignore the latest research on germ theory, and still treat patients with bleedings and leeches. After being fired from his most recent job for speaking out on the matter, he ends up in the employ of Dr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce) who runs a private practice specializing in treating women who suffer from "hysteria" and come to the doctor for his precise digital manipulations in order to get a release. With the help of Mortimer's best friend Edmund (Rupert Everett) together they create a device that allows these women to achieve the desired result much more quickly. Complicating matters, Mortimer becomes enamored of Dalrymple's strong-willed, feminist-minded daughter Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Hysteria played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
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Special Features

Commentary with director Tanya Wexler; Passion & power: the technology of orgasm; An evening with Tanya Wexler, Hugh Dancy and Jonathan Pryce; Hysteria: behind the scenes; Deleted scenes
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert
A tale of social and sexual female empowerment wrapped up in a bawdy, cheerful sex comedy, Tanya Wexler's Hysteria practically vibrates with good cheer and good intentions. Set in Victorian England at a time when women's dissatisfaction was often diagnosed as a medical problem -- the condition giving the film its title -- this message movie is being released right as 21st century America is in the throes of a presidential political season highlighted by talk of women's rights. Hugh Dancy plays Mortimer Granville, a young doctor whose belief in newfangled medical concepts like germs and sterilization make him a bit of an outcast at a time when bleedings are still considered cutting-edge procedures. After being fired from a hospital, he finds work at the private practice of Dr. Robert Dalrymple Jonathan Pryce, who specializes in treating women who suffer from "hysteria" -- a catchall diagnosis that encompasses just about every feeling that keeps women from being happy, docile, and/or relaxed. His cure involves him manually manipulating the genitals of his patients to orgasm, and it should go without saying that his practice is so successful that he needs to hire a new doctor. Mortimer learns the proper technique, but soon his hand is in nearly constant pain because of how often he must perform this task. With his best friend, an independently wealthy inventor named Edmund St. John-Smythe Rupert Everett, he creates an electric-powered handheld device that will accomplish the task with greater efficiency than his aching fingers. While this sounds like the stuff of soft-core silliness, the movie avoids any whiff of smut or exploitation while still allowing the audience to laugh at what's happening -- the picture earns its R rating for bawdiness, not explicitness. The film's other major story line lets us know that the movie has deeper themes than simply the creation of the vibrator. Mortimer agrees to live with his new boss, which means regular contact with his daughters. The eldest, Charlotte Maggie Gyllenhaal, is a headstrong, defiantly independent social crusader who uses her father's name and money in order to support numerous progressive programs in the community. She and Mortimer of course fall in love, although her commitment to the cause of women's rights and his own insensitivity regarding this issue threaten to keep them apart. First-time screenwriters Stephen Dyer and Jonah Lisa Dyer do a fabulous job of connecting these two plotlines. They patiently connect the dots so we understand that the wealthy but bored women who bring Mortimer so much business are as troubled in their own -- albeit not as life-threatening -- way as the economically struggling mothers who depend on the social services Charlotte helps maintain. It's a decidedly feminist film, but the message comes in such a charming and playful package that we can forgive a scene late in the movie in which the point is spelled out in plain and simple speeches during a court hearing to determine if Charlotte is insane. Gyllenhaal thrives in the role of Charlotte, sinking her teeth into this educated, opinionated woman. Being the moral center of a movie with so strong a message can be a burden -- characters like this often fall flat -- but Gyllenhaal exudes a will of steel while her eyes twinkle with joy or, occasionally, burn with injustice. Pryce is dependably patrician as her frustrated but loving father, and Rupert Everett steals the whole movie with his flawless timing and unrivaled ability to make any lewd or suggestive line of dialogue snap with the wit and precision of Oscar Wilde. Though Dancy is a flawless straight man to every other character, he can't quite overcome a blandness that robs the emotional climax of the story of the weight it deserves; you imagine Charlotte would have fallen for someone with a little more charisma. Hysteria will certainly play well no matter what's going on in the world, but it benefits greatly from being released in the heart of this election cycle, when women's rights are being debated as publically as they have ever been in the last 30 years. Seen in this backdrop, Hysteria's deeper motives connect with greater force than they otherwise would have. However, regardless of the social context in which anyone will someday view the movie, the pictorial history of "self-massagers" presented over the closing credits drives home the point that, no matter how the political winds may be blowing, the drive to fulfill basic pleasures is impossible to fully suppress. That message of acceptance and tolerance is timeless.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/18/2012
  • UPC: 043396405486
  • Original Release: 2011

    • Rating:

  • Source: Sony Pictures
  • Region Code: AB
  • Presentation: Wide Screen
  • Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
  • Language: English
  • Time: 1:39:00
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • Sales rank: 40,536

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Hugh Dancy Mortimer Granville
Maggie Gyllenhaal Charlotte, Charlotte Dalrymple
Rupert Everett , Edmund St. John-Smythe
Jonathan Pryce Dr. Robert Dalrymple
Felicity Jones Emily, Emily Dalrymple
Ashley Jensen Fannie, Fanny
Sheridan Smith , Molly
Gemma Jones , Lady St. John-Smythe
Georgie Glen , Mrs. Parsons
Malcolm Rennie Lord St. John-Smythe
Anna Chancellor , Mrs. Bellamy
Kim Criswell Mrs. Castellari
Hlín Jóhannesdóttir Mrs. Pearce
Linda Woodhall Nurse Smalley
Kimberly Selby Lady Wheaton
John Overstall Mr. Huddleston
Anne Comfort Mrs. Huddleston
Jonathan Rhodes PC Fugate
Leila Schaus Tess
Jules Werner Jack the Coal Man
Maggie McCarthy Mrs. Copeland
Michael Webber Bailiff
Perry Blanks Prison Guard
Tobias Menzies Mrs. Squyers
David Ryall Judge
David Schaal Tough Guy
Nicholas Woodeson Dr. Richardson
Ellie Jacob Nurse
Jack Kelly Footman 1
Joan Linder Dispensary Old Woman Patient
Dominic Borrelli Worker at Edmunds
Jimmy De Brabant Major Domo
Kate Linder Lady Cherwell
Corinna Marlowe Lady Perrigott
Thomas Dennis Newsboy
Sylvia Strange Queen Victoria
Technical Credits
Tanya Wexler Director
Ken Atchity Executive Producer
Sophie Becher Production Designer
Tracy Becker Producer
Bob Bellion Co-producer
Claudia Blumhuber Executive Producer
Sean Bobbitt Cinematographer
Eric Brenner Executive Producer
Judy Cairo Producer
Sarah Curtis Producer
Florian Dargel Executive Producer
Jimmy De Brabant Co-producer
Stephen Dyer Executive Producer, Original Story, Screenwriter
Jonah Lisa Dyer Original Story, Screenwriter
Nic Ede Costumes/Costume Designer
Peter Fudakowski Executive Producer
Jon Gregory Editor
Christian Henson Score Composer
Leo Joseph Executive Producer
Nathalie Joseph Executive Producer
Hakan Kousetta Executive Producer
Mark Kress Executive Producer
Anouk Nora Co-producer, Producer
Sandra Siegel Executive Producer
Michael A. Simpson Executive Producer
Martin Trevis Sound Mixer, Sound/Sound Designer
Gast Waltzing Score Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 3 )
Rating Distribution

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Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Posted December 9, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    I can hardly believe that they made a movie along the lines of t

    I can hardly believe that they made a movie along the lines of the great book THE TECHNOLOGY OF ORGASM by Rachel P. Maines. This movie is wonderful! And it's not just about Sex. It has a deep social conscience.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 14, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    A handsome young doctor¿ A new career¿ A new love¿ And her siste

    A handsome young doctor… A new career… A new love… And her sister. An invention with a surprising spark that turned on half the world. This movie isn’t about what you think it’s about. Just watch the trailer. Well, crap. Forget I said that. This movie is exactly what you think it’s about. But wait! Don’t let the sensitive nature of it fool you, because there’s more here than ladybits and pleasure toys. Just trust me on this one, mmk?
    Set in the throes of a Victorian-era London, Dr. Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) assists the ever-popular, Dr. Dalrymple, in treating women diagnosed with hysteria. With symptoms ranging from exhaustion and nervousness to cramps, depression and sexual frustration, just about every woman in London could be diagnosed with the malady! In an effort to find a better way to treat this ailment, Dr. Granville with a little help from his friend/benefactor, Edmund St. John-Smythe (Rupert Everett), invents the first vibrator. And yes, there’s also a love story thrown in for good measure as Dr. Dalrymple’s two daughters (Maggie Gyllenhaal & Felicity Jones) battle to win Dr. Granville’s attention and affection. Wexler was smart in her choice of casting, using underrated actors with a strong repertoire who could be funny without being kitschy. Gyllenhaal and Dancy had just the right amount of tension and chemistry needed to fuel their explosive onscreen relationship; Everett, as usual, pulled off class and charm with ease and Jones was prim and proper without falling into the category of “stuffy.” Gyllenhall was the total embodiment of female empowerment in this movie. See, women in 19th Century England suffered to no end and she fought to change all that, which is what I loved most about her. Though a bit extreme in her measures at times, she had passion and conviction. And that is why she stole the show. She was brilliant, simply brilliant. To be frank, Hysteria caught me by surprise. Upon first glance, this movie was nothing like what I expected it to be and that’s a good thing. Given the rather risqué subject matter, it had all the potential to go too far. These days it’s too easy venturing into crude territory using the gross-out humour to which we’ve become accustom. But Wexler didn’t do that. Instead, she took the high road and produced a smart and clever rom-com with sensibility and heart at its very core. Make no mistake, on the surface Hysteria is about a certain pleasurable device but it’s also a story about progressive thinking, belief in change and love, and a funny one at that. The humour wasn’t in-your-face or raunchy, instead Wexler settling on subtlety and wit. In the end, the characters facilitated change whether it be for themselves, the medical community or all of womenkind, and that folks, is a story I can jive to.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 4, 2013

    Absolutely amazing. Thank you for FINALLY making this movie avai

    Absolutely amazing. Thank you for FINALLY making this movie available.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews