Most people have never heard of Mortimer Granville, although you must live in a cave not to have heard of his invention. Granville was a Victorian era doctor who practiced his craft on women suffering from "hysteria." This diagnosis was a catch-all diagnosis for women who had “wandering uterus” or other issues related to womanhood. The treatment was a method known as pelvic massage. We know the procedure today as masturbation. The procedure was a tedious process that often left the practitioner with wrist ailments.
Mortimer Granville automated the process of pelvic massage with his medical breakthrough known as “Granville’s Hammer.” Hysteria takes a cheeky look at the origins of this invention as a character study on the ubiquitous Dr. Granville (Hugh Dancy). Granville has strange ideas about medicine that are ahead of his Victorian time. He believes in germs and other ideas that have not yet been embraced by the medical community. His beliefs in bedside manner, hand washing and sterile dressings cause him short stints in a variety of local hospitals. His failure to hold a job eventually lands him in the employment of Dr. Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce) a stoic practitioner of pelvic massage. Dalrymple has no shortage of patients, which only increases with is hiring of the attractive, young Dr. Granville.
Dalrymple has two daughters. His younger daughter, Emily (Felicity Jones) is the marrying kind. Her impeccable manners, intellect, social graces and raw talent are qualities cherished by her age. Granville is initially taken by Emily, until his attention is distracted by her less traditional sister, Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Dalrymple’s relationship with both women is erratically interspersed into the story that leads to his invention. Granville’s friend, Edmund St. John-Smythe (Rupert Everett) has a preoccupation with electricity. His latest invention, the electric feather duster, becomes the foundation for the Granville Hammer. After discovering the relief the duster provides for his carpal tunnel, Dr. Granville works with St. John-Smythe to modify the device for medical use. The rest, as they say, is history.
Hysteria takes a quasi-taboo topic and brings it to life with an interesting set of characters. The screenplay allows for some decent comic elements, but often lacks direction. The film attempts to be a romantic comedy, although the relationships feel stilted at times. The film is contrived and predictable and also lacks coherence. While I found plenty of short-comings to pick this film apart with, the bottom line was that I enjoyed it. The film was far from perfect, but did capture the Victorian era with an interesting perspective. The subject matter provided an excellent foundation for humor, but often fell short on that point. The timing felt off on some of the comedic elements, but I also found myself laughing at times. As a romantic comedy, Hysteria succeeds. Mildly.
The performances in Hysteria were among the films strong points. Gyllenhaal was interesting as the pre-feminist movement feminist. Her character added some dimension and intrigue to an otherwise bland film, which should have delivered a laugh-per-minute. I liked Dancy in the lead role, although I wasn’t really buying the relationships. I like Felicity Jones, and actually found her the more desirable of the romantic interests in this film. She was flawless. The casting added some depth to a script that lacked it. The characters took on some of the personality of the actors, keeping me adequately interested in the subject matter.
The MPAA gave Hysteria an R rating. The rating is most obviously tied to the subject matter. After all, the film, at its core, is about the creation of the electric vibrator. The rating is adequate, although mid-teens would probably be mature enough to handle anything this film has to offer. The film does not use the material obscenely or gratuitously. Instead, the subject matter is used for humor. There is no nudity to speak of, although the sexual themes permeate the film.
I found myself mildly interested in Hysteria, but also disappointed. If this film had been more tightly edited, with better laugh lines and a bit more depth, I would have loved it. The subject matter set in its proper era, had plenty of potential. Unfortunately, Hysteria did not find its full potential. Luckily, a strong cast was enough to infuse life into the characters, engaging me enough to keep my attention. One of the better parts of the film may have been the history of the vibrator inserted into the closing credits. Hysteria is okay, but save it for a rainy day. 6.5/10.
