Robert J. Maxwell Gently amusing tale of misguided medicine, female masturbation, and the invention of the dildo.I won't go into details of the plot, which gets a little intricate, but Hugh Dancy is a young doctor who is swept up in a nutty scheme to get off all the unsatisfied wealthy women of London, inducing "paroxysms," first by hand, then with an electric device. Plump Mrs. Castellari breaks into a famous aria during one of her paroxysms.Women are luckier that men as far as paroxysms go. They don't suffer the same prolonged refractory period. This is demonstrated in the film when Molly the maid, the first experimental subject, has three paroxysms in five minutes, boldly going where no man has gone before.You must love the production design. Most of it takes place in indoor settings and Victorian stuff is great to look at and to use and those potted plants and the salacious servants. The acting is professional, the dialog sometimes cunning, and the movie isn't at all dirty.Further, it has a serious substrate -- feminine independence from the oppressive mores of 1888. It also raises questions of moral value like ignoring the poor and treating the wealthy. (We seem to be struggling with a similar issue today.) If you enjoyed, say, "The Wrong Box," you ought to like this. Although, I must say, the notion of masturbating females while relieving them of their panorama of "hysterical symptoms" isn't new. I gave a sterling performance in an earlier treatment of the subject, "The Road to Wellville," in which Sir Anthony Hopkins gets to contemptuously spit out the line -- "It's her womb. He's man-IP-ulating it!"

Thanos Karagioras "Hysteria" is a movie based on the true story of the invention of the first vibrator and shows us how that happened and the beliefs about hysteria in 1880's. It's a really delightful movie which combines very well the history (of the invention of the first vibrator) and comedy with romance.I liked very much the interpretation of Hugh Dancy who plays as Mortimer Granville and his friend in the movie Rupert Everett who plays as Edmund St. John-Smythe. I also liked the interpretation of Maggie Gyllenhaal who plays as Charlotte Dalrymple and I believe that this interpretation of her is one of her best.I strongly recommend this movie and I believe that everyone who watch it he will laugh very much with it.

Lee Eisenberg Tanya Wexler's "Hysteria" is about Dr. Mortimer Granville's invention of the electric vibrator to give women orgasms and how it set the stage for the elimination of feminine hysteria as a medical diagnosis. Although focusing on a true story, this is a very funny movie. A lot of the humor comes from the obvious absurdity of the Victorian mores. Hugh Dancy plays the lead role, but Maggie Gyllenhaal's suffragist is the truly important character. It's one of those movies that manages to be both mordant and entertaining at the same time, and I'm sure that you'll enjoy it. Also starring are Jonathan Pryce, Felicity Jones, Rupert Everett and Ashley Jensen (Christina on "Ugly Betty").

Amy Adler Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) is an up and coming doctor in 1880's Britain. Dr. G is aware of all of the current medical information so when he insists on cleaning the wound of a lady's leg, regularly, while she is in hospital, the senior doctor fires him. What an injustice! Nevertheless, Dr. M goes back to his residence with a wealthy, eccentric inventor (Rupert Everett), he won't take any monetary loans. Most wonderfully, a new opportunity soon presents itself. A Dr. Dalrymple (Jonathan Price) is searching for an assistant in his treatment of women with hysteria. What's that? It turns out that Victorian ladies of the times have mental difficulties and the cure of the day is, ahem, manual stimulation of the women's private parts. That is, massage leading to orgasm! Yes! Naturally, any woman with the means "comes" regularly, haha, to visit Dr. Dalrymple, hence the need of a second practitioner! Our Dr. G, quite proper, throws himself into his work. In truth, there are a variety of draperies that make the operation as modest as possible. The older doctor, a widower, also has two daughters. The younger, Emily (Felicity Jones) attracts Mort's attentions right away, for she is all refined loveliness. But, the older one, Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who breezes in and out of the house on her way to a clinic/help station for the poor, is brash as well as beautiful. She's also an advocate for women's rights to a T so Mortimer is quite aghast at her doings. One unhappy day, Dr. Mort develops a crimp in his hand and can't properly administer the treatment to a demanding woman so Dr. D gives him the boot. That's when Dr. G, back at the inventor's home, sees possibilities in the man's mechanized feather duster! Ho ho! Also, Charlotte has a run-in with the law that lands her in jail. Does our Mort really prefer Emily? Please, movie lovers, don't overlook this film because of its subject matter. Yes, it is a historical look at the invention of the vibrator, which will upset some. But, set in Victorian times, the flick absolutely presents the most demure look at such a subject that ever was! In the spirit of the times, the treatment for hysteria is regarded as perfectly acceptable where as in modern times, both doctors would have been behind bars posthaste! The tale is mostly a romance, which will please many. As such, Dancy is terrific as the doctor while Gyllenhaal is most admirable and lovely as the woman ahead of her time. Jones, Pryce, Everett, and all of the other supporting cast members are great, too. The look of the film, with its sumptuous costumes, sets, and photography is a boon for the eyes, too. Then, as stated, the script and direction are lively, humorous, and never offensive. However, because of the adult subject matter, no one under 18 should be allowed a view. That said, most folks over that age will find it wonderful and charming, setting off vibrations of laughter and sighs.