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Set at the end of the 19th century, the film depicts the management of “hysteria,” a then popular diagnosis of women displaying an array of symptoms including nervousness, insomnia, exhaustion, depression, cramps, and sexual frustration. Medical practitioners of the day tried to manage hysteria by massaging the genital area, decently covered under a curtain, to elicit "paroxysmal convulsions", without recognizing that they were inducing orgasms. In the movie, the young physician Dr. Mortimer Granville gets a job helping Dr. Dalrymple, who runs a successful practice treating women. Granville seems to be good at massaging, getting a sizeable following, while at the same time developing a liking for the Dalrymple's proper Victorian daughter, Emily Dalrymple. As the practice prospers, Dr. Dalrymple proposes marriage between Emily and Granville; in the meantime, Granville finds himself assisting Dalrymple's other daughter, Charlotte, a premodern feminist firebrand who runs a settlement house in a poor section of London. Dalrymple forbids Granville from offering any future assistance to Charlotte, hoping to dissuade her from her work in the slums. Meanwhile, the increased clientele at the practice is hard on Granville, and his hand musculature is unable to keep up with the task, leading to dissatisfaction among the patients and his dismissal by Dalrymple. Fortunately, his friend Lord Edmund St. John-Smythe has developed an electrical feather duster, and its vibrations give Dr. Granville the idea to modify the gadget for use as an electric massager. As such, the vibrator enters the stage as a medical device for the treatment of the condition, reducing treatment time while greatly increasing customer satisfaction. The royalties from its sale result in independent wealth for Granville, who has since fallen in love with Charlotte. Pledging to use some of his wealth to establish a clinic at her settlement house, he proposes marriage to Charlotte and she accepts.Read full review
The movie is an incredibly wonderful and heartwarming movie. It's definitely a movie not for children to watch only because of the sensitive subject matter which I can't mention in this review. It does take place in England around the late 1800s and a very hard movie to review. There are some amazing Stars such as the amazing Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Felicity Jones and both the wonderful and amazing Jonathan Price and Rupert Everett!! During the time that this movie took place, the woman's movement for voting and going to colleges and not staying home in the kitchen or drawing room anymore in England and also amazing advancements in modern medicine at that time play into the sensitive material that has to do with sex and the female anatomy. I can say no more other than it is a delightful movie regardless of its sensitive subject matter and there is no nudity and it's very tasteful in delivering the message of the plot. Trust me, it is a movie I have seen many times and now I finally own the DVD which I am pleased to have and I've already viewed it twice since I purchased it and that was fairly recently. You should give it a shot and check it out because I think adults, as in those over the age of 18 on up, will really find this movie a true gem!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
In Victorian England women are diagnosed with 'hysteria', if they are in need of sexual satisifaction. The story centers on a doctor who modifies an invention to create the vibrator to achieve this result. It is a romantic comedy, a genre which I normally don't care for, but it is done so perfectly with great acting, that I consider it one of my favorite films.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This movie, Hysteria, has sound historical info and it is tastefully done, hilarious and honest. Everyone I know that has seen it loved it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Not sure how true this is, but most of it is based on facts. The Doc did invent the vibrator; he says it was for nerves and muscles but women quickly found out what it could really be used for. Although it has an R rating, there is no obvious sex in it, and what there is, is funny. The acting and scenes are very well done. Definitely worth watching, perhaps on a date night.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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