Above: Christopher Lambert plays troubled E.C. Dent in 10 Days in a Madhouse, the biopic about the mother of investigative journalism, Nellie Bly.
Below: Lambert as Dent, flanked by nurses (Alexandra Callas and Summer Cropper) attends to Nellie Bly played by lauded newcomer Caroline Barry.
Critics have been calling Lambert’s performance in 10 Days his best in years. He shows off his brilliant acting chops with his portrayal of a deeply disturbed doctor. During the times that this film was set in, hospital practices were more than questionable. Women could be admitted into a lunatic asylum simply because she reads too much, or because she is being more emotional than what was thought appropriate. Once inside, opium was used as treatment which usually made symptoms worse, causing a never-ending vicious cycle. All of these practices are seen in the film.
“It’s easy to point fingers and call these Victorian doctors “evil”, but what we need to understand is that, in truth, these doctors were just doing their jobs, trying to advance the medical field with the limited knowledge of the times,” states producer Susan Goforth. “Christopher Lambert demonstrates the internal struggles his character was facing. Dr. Dent was not a power-hungry monster, but a decent man desperately trying to help others and, in that desperation helped in all the wrong ways. The film would have had a much different, more simple and less human message if Lambert had portrayed his character as nothing more than a malicious man taking advantage of his power.”
Feminist director Hines grew up listening to his mother speaking about her hero Nellie Bly, and Bly eventually became his own personal hero. Though she made a lasting influence on the world and more specifically women’s rights, journalism, and our treatment of the mentally ill, Nellie Bly is still largely unknown. “If Bly had been born a man, there would be statues made in her honor. Everyone would know her name,” says Hines. His film will pay tribute to her well-deserved legacy.
Above: Caroline Barry as Nellie Bly consultes with Peter Hendricks played by Keith White in 10 Days in a Madhouse.
10 Days in a Madhouse, the biopic about the mother of investigative journalism getting herself committed into the notorious Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for Women to expose abuse and murder has been receiving rave reviews as it continues its run (now 18 weeks) in US theaters.
Above: Katie Singleton as Mrs. Caine, (left) Caroline Barry as Nellie Bly, (center) and Susan Goforth as Mrs. Stanard in 10 Days in a Madhouse.
Ms. Magazines Christina Maria Paschyn lauded the movie, “Written and directed by Timothy Hines, I can honestly say this movie is a must-see. Nellie Blys heroism and courage truly come to life on the screen, thanks to the work of talented up-and-coming actor Caroline Barry. Barry is instantly magnetic as Bly, and its hard not to root for and fall in love with hercharacter as the story progresses.”
The Ms. Review went on to say, “Hines also does a great job showing just how grotesque and abusive the conditions really were at Blackwells Island Insane Asylum. In the film, Bly encounters creepy and uncaring doctors, sadistic nurses and several incarcerated women who are clearly not insane and should never have been sent to the asylum in the first place. Several are locked up for reasons that would make feminists rage, such as catching their husband having an affair, just being poor, or not being able to speak English well enough to plead their case.”
The review summed up with, “all of the asylum patients are well played, most particularly by actors Julia Chantrey, Natalia Davidenko and Jessa Campbell. Christopher Lambert is strong as the superintendent, and Films like 10 Days in a Madhousethat feature incredible and aspirational female role models deserve to be made, but are largely ignored by sexist movie execs.”
Above: Caroline Barry stars as Nellie Bly in 10 Days in a Madhouse.
Bust Magazine critic Hanna Lustig says of 10 Days in a Madhouse, “Director Timothy Hines modern biopic of the same name stars Caroline Barry as Bly, and captures the journalists time on the island in a visceral new way.”
She went on to say, “Not for the faint of heart, and 10 Days in a Madhouse demands to be watched.”
10 Days In A Madhouse stars Caroline Barry as Nellie Bly, who is being called the next great actress of our generation, Christopher Lambert from Highlander and Kelly Le Brock from Weird Science.
10 Days In A Madhouse just finished its 2017 Oscar Qualifying run at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood, Ca on March 4th and opens this Friday at the Emerald Cinemas in Amsterdam NY, The Movieplex in Johnstown NY, and plays a special event screening at the Strand Theatre in Clinton MA, with special guwst Jessa Campbell, who plays a major supporting role as the historical figure, Tillie Mayard. 10 Days in a Madhouse is now playing in select US Theaters.
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