''10 days in a Madhouse'' is a 2015 American biographical film about undercover journalist

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

, a reporter for

Joseph Pulitzer Joseph Pulitzer ( ; born Pulitzer József, ; April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911) was a Hungarian-American politician and newspaper publisher of the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and the ''New York World''. He became a leading national figure in ...

's ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under pub ...

'' who had herself committed to the Women's Lunatic Asylum on

Blackwell's Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...

to write an exposé on abuses in the institution. The production was written and directed by Timothy Hines with consultation from one of Bly's modern biographers, Brooke Kroeger. The film draws from Bly's book, ''

Ten Days in a Mad-House ''Ten Days in a Mad-House'' is a book by American journalist Nellie Bly. It was initially published as a series of articles for the '' New York World''. Bly later compiled the articles into a book, being published by Ian L. Munro in New York Cit ...

'', which led to significant reforms in the treatment of mental health patients. The cast includes Caroline Barry,

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957) is a French-American actor, producer, and novelist. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally famous for portraying T ...

, Kelly Le Brock, Julia Chantrey and Alexandra Callas.

Plot

The film closely follows Bly's original account, and extracts much of the dialogue from Bly's 1880s exposé. In an interview on Los Angeles talk radio, Caroline Barry described Christopher Lambert bringing authenticity to the part of the antagonist Dr. Dent by portraying his motives as misguided good intent rather than evil, adding to the realism of the film.

Cast

* Caroline Barry as Nellie Bly *

as Dr. Dent * Kelly Le Brock as Miss Grant *Julia Chantrey as Anne Neville *Alexandra Callas as Miss Grupe *David Mitchum Brown as Dr. Canton *Andi Morrow as Leona Fox *Jessa Campbell as Tillie Mayard *Natalia Davidenko as Mrs. Schanz *Susan Goforth as Mrs. Stanard *Katie Singleton as Mrs. Caine *Everette Scott Ortiz as Dr. Field *Talya Mar as Bridget McGuinness *Rachel Bohanon as Miss Cotter *Christopher Beeson as Dr. Ingram *Saskia Larsen as Arena Pugh *David Lee Garver as Dr. Kinier *Darlene Sellers as Matilda *Kaitlin O'Toole as Margaret McCartney *Sam Davidow as Joseph Pulitzer *Bob Olin as John Cockerill *Sam Henderson as John Cockerill *Tom Henderson as Bill Nye *Jacob Timshel-Boatner as World Newspaper Journalist *Michael Timshel as World Newspaper Journalist *Bobby Braendle as Jury Member *Jeremiah Rasca as Jury Member

Production

Caroline Barry was selected for the starring role of Nellie Bly out of 8,000 submissions, only two months after she moved from Colorado to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Barry recounted in a 2015 interview: "The director said he was looking for Nellie Bly's smile and that optimistic spirit, and he felt my audition was the one that really had that smile and the brightness and optimism." Principal photography took place in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary bet ...

, a location known for another film that shed light on injustices in the mental health world, ''

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

''. The physical location was an abandoned mental institution with no electricity, which meant the actors had to perform in 10 degree temperatures, which Barry suggests added to the depth of the film's performances. Other elements of the film were filmed later on sound stages in Los Angeles with additional cast members

and Kelly Le Brock. When Kelly Le Brock was cast in the production, she had 12 hours to prepare for her role. To accomplish this, she drew from her experiences dealing with mental illness of her past stalkers, as well as previous roles as a nurse.

Release

The film was shown May 5, 2015, Bly's 151st birthday, on the opening day of the Bentonville Film Festival (Arkansas), an event founded by actress/activist

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor

to highlight women and minorities in the media. The film was released in theatres on .

Box office

In its opening week the film was a

box office flop A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

grossing only $12,165 against a reported $12 million production budget. Its final domestic box office receipts totaled $14,616. The film has since been released in European and Middle Eastern Markets.

Reception

A reviewer in ''

Ms. Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...

'' wrote: "I can honestly say this movie is a must-see. Nellie Bly's 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 it's hard not to root for and fall in love with her character as the story progresses." The review ascribed the film's shortcomings as forgivable due to its relatively low budget: "And I can hardly blame Hines for the lack of funds to create a slicker product. The problem lies not with him, but with Hollywood." ''Paste'' wrote: "Bly's life is an intrinsically compelling one, and the failure of 10 Days in a Madhouse is that it never once lives up to the indelible nature of the life it portrays." The review cited the film's "B-movie camp" and its "one-dimensional characters, awkward, hammy acting and clumsy dialogue."

References

External links

* * * *{{mojo title, id=10daysinamadhouse Films shot in Oregon Culture of Salem, Oregon Biographical films about journalists 2010s biographical films American biographical films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language biographical films