An utter gem from the Val Lewton stable, the last he made for RKO - intelligent, literate, suspenseful, with flavoured period dialogue, strong characterisation and a solid historical basis. Boris Karloff runs Bedlam, a notorious 18th century nuthouse whose patients would amuse anyone who wanted to visit. Some casual cruelty - a terrific sequence where a performing lunatic suffocates from having painted skin, years before Goldfinger - prompts the compassion of a feisty mistress (Anna Lee) of a lord.
Lee's is a great character - although the hero she never plays for sympathy, she's a smart arse bitch, even after she decides to be a nice person. Her vicious tongue and nasty actions see her wind up in the nuthouse. In a refreshing change the wimpy one is the male - a Quaker (Richard Fraser) - but even he's interesting. It's still Lee who has to get herself out of trouble - the man doesn't run to help.
So many lovely touches: the little black page boy, the woman/man servant, the dialogue (read the script here), the political background (Bedlam is part of the Whigs vs Tory fight), Karloff's literary aspirations, Karloff's gin-drinking "niece". Lewton co-wrote the script under a pseudonym with director Mark Robson and both should be proud. This isn't as highly regarded as some of the other "implied horror" Lewton films but it's terrific.
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