Mesmer

Kids today associate Alan Rickman with Professor Snape from the Harry Potter movies, and they probably find it hard to believe that he has a lighter hair color in real life and is actually quite handsome. Kids, go out and rent Mesmer, and get ready to be mesmer-ized by his sexy, non-magical charms.

There is a bit of magic in this movie, though, so Harry Potter fans will get a kick out of it when they go back and rent it to see Alan in a pre-Snape role. He plays an unorthodox physician who get pretty amazing results out of his patients, and when other doctors catch on to what he's doing, they call him any number of names from magician to charlatan. It's ironic that the women he comes across are far more interested in his methods than the men, and that more often than not, they're attracted to him more than his skill. Still, with his gorgeous '90s hairstyle and his affective way of talking, why would they be attracted to him? Ladies, rent this period piece romance. It might seem a little dated, but it's one of his yummiest roles. If he healed your panic attacks, wouldn't you have a crush on him, too?

Was he a charlatan or a revolutionary in treating diseases of the mind? Hard to say, even after seeing the beautifully photographed movie. Our hindsight perspective is 100% but in the days of leeching, and bleeding to cure peoples' ills, the fact that he showed patients great attention and compassion was certainly a change. Mad people were usually penned up in Bedlam or some other horrid pigsty. Here, he is attempting bravely to take another tact in the unknown mysteries of mental illness. This movie also gives the scam-like aspects of his personality, as he beguiles the royal courtiers with his water therapies, touching them and arousing them, thus giving the semblance of 'healing'. I was reminded of the old-time revivals, and the sexy preachers coming close, putting hands-on the afflicted and shouting 'heal' and 'Hallelujah, sistuh'. Of course, if you're a repressed 'respectable woman', this is the only intimate way you can let a man not your husband touch you. His shrew of a wife, and utterly spiritually retarded stepson is beautifully played. I also like any movie that shows parts of the world I haven't seen, and this one gives us Vienna, parts of France and the costumes of 18th Century European civilization. It is NOT your everyday movie!!!! I would suggest viewing this one in series with bio-pics of Sigmund Freud and some of the other fighters of mental illness. Rickman is indeed magnetic in this one.

The first time I watched this movie, I was totally hooked. Alan Rickman does a phenomenal job of portraying the eighteenth century doctor. His appearance is so entrancing, and the way he treats his patient is so seducing. With him being my favorite actor of all time, I would love being treated by him. Just the way he caressed the girl and was so gentle with her. The bottom line is, this movie was totally AMAZING, and I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!! Great Job, Alan! :)

"Mesmer" is a pretty good film. It's interesting, assuming that the film was based on some facts, to watch the increasing interest in the human mind and proverbial heart, especially their effect on the body, in the 1700s, which led up to the word of Freud and Jung a century later. The more interesting that Mesmer's perceived nonsense is in fact becoming very popular today in alternative medicine coming from the East: animal magnetism (Reiki), the harmony of the universe (Taoist belief) and the mind's effect on the body.

Amanda Ooms was good in her role as Maria Therese. Fortunately they made it easy for her to be blind by not having her walk obstacle courses. It was a pleasure to see Jan Rubes in a role other than in the children's show he did. As for the star, Rickman, it was a pleasure to see him in a title role. He's quite seductive in the film, and he uses his hands, one of this actor's greatest assets, very well. In the end, I found myself regretting very much that F.A. Mesmer had no effect on the medical profession of his day. He could have prevented a lot of suffering.

Franz Anton Mesmer was the very first academic to study and explose the physical effects on 18th century at Germany, his early works called animal magnestism later know as mesmerism, this picture just contenplate some yeras over his life when he healed a blind woman called Maria Theresa Paradis, after that he was expelled from Germany and going to Paris two years later, although too short and loosing time on small details, focusing mainly in his private life this picture treat a reasonable half understand over such famous doctor who break old paradigms, he wasn't completely understood until today, fiercely committed as charlatanism by medical community he suffered until his death, valuable movie by Alan Rickman!!

First watch: 2010 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25