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Bedlam Overview:

Bedlam (1946) was a Drama - Horror Film directed by Mark Robson and produced by Jack J. Gross and Val Lewton.

SYNOPSIS

An intriguing change of pace from chillmaster Lewton about an innocent girl imprisoned in a ghastly 18th-century insane asylum. Nell, an aspiring young actress, rejects the patronage of a London nobleman after learning of the aristocrat's indifference to sadistic practices at the local insane asylum. When word of Nell's accusations reach Master Sims (Karloff), the villainous director of the madhouse, the brutal "doctor" attempts to protect his own reputation by casting doubt on the young woman's sanity. Interesting because the shock depends on a more-or-less accurate depiction of authentic settings.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Bedlam BlogHub Articles:

Boris Karloff at RKO: Body Snatcher, Isle of The Dead, Bedlam

By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 30, 2021 From 4 Star Films

In our current climate, it almost seems like an oxymoron to have a shoestring budget period piece, but many of Val Lewton’s best movies were founded on this formula. His three-film partnership was beneficial for all parties involved and we would like to consider how he was able to fashion Karl... Read full article

book: The Queen of Bedlam (2007) by Robert McCammon

By John Grant on Jul 10, 2018 From Noirish

It’s 1702 in the fledgling city of New York — still a small town, by today’s standards — and young legal clerk Matthew Corbett takes it upon himself to weasel out the mystery of a serial killer who’s been nicknamed the Masker, because of the way he mutilates the faces o... Read full article

Bedlam (1946, Mark Robson)

on Nov 29, 2013 From The Stop Button

Bedlam is about a third of a good picture. It’s like writers Val Lewton and (director too) Robson didn’t quite know how to make it work, what with having to have Boris Karloff in it. Karloff’s the villain, the head of a mental institute in the eighteenth century. Karloff’s so... Read full article

Classic Films in Focus: BEDLAM (1946)

By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 14, 2012 From Virtual Virago

In the 1730s, the celebrated English artist William Hogarth created a series of paintings called A Rake's Progress, which rapidly became some of the most famous images of the age. A little more than two centuries later, the visionary film producer Val Lewton took the last of Hogarth's series as the ... Read full article

Classic Films in Focus: BEDLAM (1946)

By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 14, 2012 From Virtual Virago

In the 1730s, the celebrated English artist William Hogarth created a series of paintings called A Rake's Progress, which rapidly became some of the most famous images of the age. A little more than two centuries later, the visionary film producer Val Lewton took the last of Hogarth's series as the ... Read full article

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Bedlam Quotes:

Lord Mortimer: A capital fellow, this Sims, a capital fellow.
Nell Bowen: If you ask me, M'Lord, he's a stench in the nostrils, a sewer of ugliness, and a gutter brimming with slop.
See More Quotes from Bedlam
Bedlam Facts
The dress Anna Lee is wearing as she mounts her horse is the one Vivien Leigh made from the curtains in Gone with the Wind.
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.
When Sims says to Nell "I leave you to dream of these Augean labors", he is referring to the Labors of Hercules, one of which was to cleanse the Augean stables (the stables of Augeas).
Sims quote, "He who steals my purse steals trash" is from 'Othello' Act 3, scene 3, 155-161 by William Shakespeare. It is spoken by the character Iago.
Filmed July 18-late August 17 1945, the third and last collaboration between Boris Karloff and producer Val Lewton.
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