Customer Reviews

Beautiful Dreamers [VHS]

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This film fictionalizes the relationship between Walt Whitman and Dr. Richard Bucke, the adminstrator of an asylum for the mentally ill in London, Ontario. The two men first meet in Philadelphia at a conference where Bucke is to deliver a speech on his new ideas for the treatment of mental illness. Distressed by the intolerant, even sadistic attitude of his colleagues, Bucke angrily declines to give his speech and storms out. Whitman, impressed by the man's passion seeks his advice on the treatment of his mentally disturbed brother, James. Bucke, in turn, is struck by Whitman's loving care of his brother and his insistence on keeping him at home rather than in an institution. Bucke then invites his new friend to return with him to Canada to meet his wife and their young daughter.
The rest of the film chronicles the bold efforts on Bucke's part to reform the harsh, inhumane treatment of patients at the asylum. Gradually, the doctor implements music and play as therapy, replacing the harsh earlier methods of restraint and sedation. He follows Whitman's example of treating the mentally ill not as aberrations, but as human beings in need of love and affection. Particular attention is paid to the plight of women who, during that era, were often subjected to harsh surgeries to remove the ovaries and the alleged "source" of female hysteria. Bucke's own wife is advised to submit to the procedure to "cure" her restless feelings of dissatisfaction. She, like her husband, comes to find solace in Whitman's words even though at first her Victorian prudishness had caused her to view the poet with suspicion. The film culminates in a cricket match between the patients at the asylum and the townspeople, staged to demonstrate to the community that the patients are neither a threat nor a source of derision.

This is a lovely life-affirming movie. It has everything: lovely screnery, poetry and great characters who are at once vulnerable, intelligent and courageous. It is the story of love between a husband and wife, and the dedication of a doctor to his patients under difficult circumstances. There is a triumph of goodness here that makes this movie very special.

sometimes i question if all films aren't just a form of escapism & a sad distraction from life... then my very essence swells & soars when encountering such beautiful & inspirational works as this! go ahead & rent it the first time, i can't imagine you won't be checking back here hoping to find a copy of your own to cherish & share with others.

Who, apart from some psychologists and health care providers even know who Richard Maurice Bucke is????



Well, thank God that there are some film directors that eschew big time glitz to bring a work of pure art and labour of love to the screen. BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS is the based-on-fact story of Maurice Bucke, whose enduring friendship with famed poet Walt Whitman influenced him greatly in the field of progressive health care. Bucke believed that humane contact and a normalization of routines in mental asylums was absolutely necessary to the rehabilitation and care of the unfortunate.Bucke is often recognized as "the father of occupational therapy". Bucke was an avid reader of poetry and read Whitman's banned (in Canada) LEAVES OF GRASS which lead him to meeting the famed American poet in 1877. The lives of these two men are chronicled in a very loving and touching way. Bucke was married with seven children. Whitman was known to be gay. Both, though, saw each other as human creatures of dignity and it was this belief that lead Bucke to revolutionize the Provincial Asylum for the Insane, in London, Ontario, Canada.



This is a positively rare film, the likes of which is not often seen today. It is a masterpiece of beauty and elegance. The script is direct and sensitively assembled, and the acting of Colm Feore as Bucke and Rip Torn as Whitman is full of pure chemistry and skill.



This is slow and deliberate film which cultivates characters,story lines and emotion. One of the finest of it's genre. I cannot suggest it more highly.

what a great movie. not only does it portray the subjugation and liberation of the female spirit but also a love and vitality for life that bridges traditions, systems and prejudices. great movie. i have it on laser disc and would like to get it on dvd and video.

This film is incredibly beautiful and touching. The characterdevelopment and performance by the actors is outstanding and the plotmoves along well. It is artistic and emotional without being sappy. Highly recommended.

Absolutely wonderful film. Rip Torn is outstanding as Walt Whitman. Great performances all around and beautifully shot.

All of that said, why in the world has this not made it to DVD?!!! What gives NFB and Starway Films Inc.?

Why this fine film is not currently available on DVD is a mystery to me. I guess it's a question of copyright or something; it usually is. See, e.g. John Travolta's "Michael" for another example of a great movie languishing unreleased in a watchable format. Too bad it's all about the money, and not the content.

THIS MOVIE WILL HELP STUDENTS READ WALT WHITMAN'S POETRY. Teachers and parents can use this movie to help children read and enjoy Walt Whitman's poetry. The portrayal of Whitman is so compelling that, by the end of the film, students feel they know the man and reading his poetry becomes a conversation with a friend. High school classes at all levels, advanced to remedial, will be interested in reading Whitman's poetry after they have seen this film. [...]

The way we used to treat our mentally ill is horrible, in retrospect. But, in those days, nobody seemed to know any better. It is heartwarming to see the evolution of attitudes and techniques depicted in this film, and especially to know the difference one person can make on an entire culture. When I see the one severely challenged character [Albert?] who has so much trouble communicating, I cannot help but think of Stephen Hawking, and how much this individual might have been able to contribute, if society had been able to accept him and communicate with him.