Mesmer - DaaVeeDee

Mesmer (DVD) (*)

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Screened, competed or awarded at:
Montreal World Film Festival

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
United Kingdom ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
101 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu

Movie filmed in 1994 and produced in:
Austria ( Germany, Central Europe )
Canada ( USA, Canada )
Germany ( Germany, Central Europe )
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )

Directed By:
Roger Spottiswoode

Written By:
Dennis Potter

Actors:
Donal Donnelly ..... Doctor (as Donal Donelly)
David Burke ..... Doctor
Peter Dvorsky ..... Dr. Deslon
Alan Rickman ..... Franz Anton Mesmer
Anna Thalbach ..... Francisca
David Hemblen ..... Dr. Ingehousz
Simon McBurney ..... Franz
Gillian Barge ..... Frau Mesmer
István Szilágyi ..... Coachman
János Gosztonyi ..... Footman
Heinz Trixner ..... Baron de Horka
Petra Koberl ..... Baroness de Horka
Peter Janisch ..... Chancellor
Caroline Holdaway ..... Felicity

Synopsis:

This historical drama is based on the true story of controversial medical pioneer Franz Anton Mesmer. In 18th century Vienna, Mesmer (Alan Rickman) believes that many of the favored medical treatments of the day -- most notoriously the inducement of bleeding to remove harmful 'humors' from the body -- are both dangerous and ineffective to the patients they are intended to treat. Mesmer believes that gentler methods could have a more positive impact on his patients. Believing in what he calls 'animal magnetism,' Mesmer uses magnetic currents and the power of suggestion to treat patients; the medical establishment of the time regards him as a lunatic, so he performs most of his treatments on the poor, who cannot afford to pay a doctor, forcing Mesmer's well-to-do wife (Gillian Barge) to support the family. Mesmer receives a great deal of publicity when well-known pianist Maria Theresa Paradies (Amanda Ooms) suffers a severe seizure during a recital; while several physicians in attendance want to submit Paradies to an immediate bleeding, Mesmer applies his magnetism techniques, which prove to be effective in calming the young woman. Paradies was tremendously grateful to Mesmer and began seeing him regularly as a patient; she soon developed an emotional attachment to the doctor that became something of a public scandal. In time, the public's anger over Mesmer's unorthodox techniques and his perceived affair with Paradies forced him to leave Vienna for Paris, where he became the toast of the city's wealthy and privileged -- until the French medical community demanded that Mesmer prove the effectiveness of his techniques. Noted playwright Dennis Potter wrote the screenplay.

A biography of the eighteenth century Viennese physician, Franz Anton Mesmer, who used unorthodox healing practices based on his theory of 'animal magnetism.'

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 20 April, 2007.

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