Bedlam (1946)





In 1761 London, Bedlam Asylum is under the brutal control of its chief warden, Master Sims, played by Boris Karloff. He demonstrates his cruelty by charging citizens a fee to watch the patients' behavior. During a special performance for Lord Mortimer, played by Billy House, and his wealthy friends, one of the patients, played by Glenn Vernon, dies because he has been covered in gold leaf, an idea later used in the James Bond film Goldfinger. Nell Bowen, played by Anna Lee, the mistress of Lord Mortimer, is horrified by Sims' treatment of the patients and publicly humiliates him. After she turns against her benefactor and tries to bring about reform at the institution, Sims falsely commits her to the asylum.

With the help of a supportive Quaker, played by Richard Fraser, she wins the patients over through kindness and understanding. As she learns that her friends have secured her a new trial, Sims attempts to drive her mad. However, the patients turn against him and make him their prisoner. They put him on trial for his life and he is stabbed to death by one of the patients. In a state of panic, they wall up his body in the masonry. With Sims' disappearance, the asylum becomes a more humane institution.



Books with substantial mentioning of Bedlam

Gregory William Mank
Hollywood Cauldron, Thirteen Horror Films from the Genres's Golden Age
1994

Scott Allen Nollen
Boris Karloff, A Critical Account of His Screen, Stage, Radio, television and Recording Work
Jefferson, NC, 1991

Richard Bojarski and Kenneth Beals
The Films of Boris Karloff
Secaucus, NJ, 1974

Books with an entry on Bedlam

Michael F. Keaney
Film Noir Guide, 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940-1959
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London, 2003