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Asylum
2005
Set in late-1950s England, David Mackenzie's ASYLUM is a Gothic romance filled with erotic obsession, deception, and murder. Natasha Richardson gives a bravura performance as Stella Raphael, an unhappy woman who is forced to move with her son, Charlie (Gus Lewis), to rural Yorkshire when her husband, Max (Hugh Bonneville), .. Read more
| Starring | Natasha Richardson, Ian McKellen, Hugh Bonneville, Marton Csokas |
|---|---|
| Director | David Mackenzie |
| Genres | Drama, Romance, Thriller |
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Asylum
Set in late-1950s England, David Mackenzie's ASYLUM is a Gothic romance filled with erotic obsession, deception, and murder. Natasha Richardson gives a bravura performance as Stella Raphael, an unhappy woman who is forced to move with her son, Charlie (Gus Lewis), to rural Yorkshire when her husband, Max (Hugh Bonneville), earns a post as deputy superintendent of a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane. Among the patients there is Edgar Stark (Marton Csokas), a brooding sculptor who has been imprisoned for the brutal murder of his wife. When Stark gets a job working in the Raphaels' garden and conservatory, the attraction grows between Stella and him as Stark's doctor, Peter Cleave (Ian McKellen), Max's rival, watches closely, harbouring his own ulterior motives. When Edgar escapes, Stella must decide whether to remain in her sedate life in Yorkshire or go after the dangerous man she has fallen in love with. Based on Patrick McGrath's 1997 novel, ASYLUM examines the fine line between marriage and passion, between the confined and the confused, as art and beauty combine with deceit and betrayal to tell a powerful story that features excellent performances by Richardson, McKellen, and Csokas, as well as fine support from Joss Ackland and Judy Parfitt. Maria Aitken, who just happens to be the wife of author McGrath, plays Claudia Greene.
| Starring | Natasha Richardson, Ian McKellen, Hugh Bonneville, Marton Csokas, Joss Ackland, Judy Parfitt, Maria Aitken |
|---|---|
| Director | David Mackenzie |
| Studio | MOMENTUM PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 39 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, Romance, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 30 Jan 2006 Production year: 2005 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Mackenzie and his screenwriter, Patrick Marber, have captured the essence of McGrath's novel and skillfully rethought it in cinematic terms.
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The cast is excellent, as are some of the set-pieces, especially an eerie dream-like drowning sequence
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Most helpful member's review
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11 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Intriguing!
Not the best film I have seen lately but worth watching on a cold night in with a couple of drinks.
A family move into a property in the grounds of a mental asylum, after the husband is offered a senior doctors position. The wife is pressurised into establishing her duties as the doctor's wife; equally made worst by the fact she feels trapped in a loveless marriage. She meets a handsome patient who is repairing her summer house and they fall into a passionate love affair which leads to many repercussions. There is a very dark and sininster side to Edgar and this can only create further problems......... -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Drivel
Not an especially good 'gothic erotic thriller' in any case - but ruined by a wholly inaccurate depiction of psychiatric practice and mental illness, plus hard to believe psychological portrayals of the main characters (apart from the manipulative psychopath). If the director's more recent but equally awaful film (Hallam Foe - another manipulative psychopath) is anything to go by he appears to be absorbed by the idea of the tortured but misunderstood artist whose appalling behaviour can somehow therefore be justified, but his characters are simply unpleasant narcissists. Have to wonder how autobiographical these films are.
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News and features
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Grant gets Edinburgh Film Festival underway
- 18 Aug 2005
The Edinburgh Film Festival has opened with Wah-Wah, the directorial debut of Richard E Grant. The film boasts a strong cast including Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson and Julie Walters. The film tells the story of a family in Swaziland as British rule comes to a close, a far cry from films Grant starred in such as Withnail And I, Jack And Sarah and Spice World. Some 50 films will enjoy their first screening at the festival, including another British offering, Asylum, which... Read more
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