Review of Mesmer (1994) by Katie J — 29 Dec 2010

Mesmer (the real one) was an incredibly odd guy. He was indeed forced out of Vienna and did indeed move to Paris. Paris was separated into a group who "fell for his trickery" and the others who believed he was nothing more than a charlatan. He would run his hands from the shoulders to below the diaphragms of his patients several times (occasionally for hours). Then he would play the glass harmonica (the bunches of bowls he had laid out) to calm the patient and conclude their treatment.

I'm not sure how much of the following is true of the real Mesmer, but the scandal from this movie is that his healing techniques primarily work on young women. This can be difficult to see unless you're watching out for it at the beginning, but later on there is a scene that solidifies this as one of the main reasons people object to him so much.

The movie itself seemed quite boring unless you A) really like learning about Mesmer, B) like Alan Rickman (as so many people do; the comments on the YouTube version of the movie I watched, however, were dripping with what could be labeled as nothing but Obsession Syndrome), or C) are interested in films where you must determine for yourself what is actually happening. I was in the B and C categories, but only slightly in A, and thus I enjoyed it, though not to the extent I wanted to. It just seemed awfully dry, and I don't like the whole wig thing. I did quite like the final scene with Rickman's closing, deep words.

Watch this for Alan Rickman scenes, of which there are plenty. Don't watch this if you cannot or do not wish to appreciate the subtle intricacies with which he plays Mesmer. If you can't, it will likely seem rather deadpan.

6.8/10.