Harrison’s film is a biographical account about the relationship between Walt Whitman and Dr. Maurice Bucke (who later wrote Walt Whitman the Man), and how it served as the catalyst in Dr. Bucke’s radical advocacy of reform in the treatment of the mentally ill. The narrative begins in 1880 at an asylum in London, Canada, where Bucke (Feore) has just been appointed as supervising physician. Despite his compassion for the inmates, Bucke at first remains timid about upsetting the status quo because the other physicians feel their measures of treating the “loons” as something less than human is the right thing to do — and because he himself is physically handicapped, which makes him feel insecure about his image of authority. Despairing over the asylum’s harsh practices, Bucke attends a medical conference in Philidelphia, hoping to convince other physicians to practice humanity instead of brutality. However, the conference takes on an appearance akin to a carnival freak show in its exploitation of the mentally ill (ranging from wiring a man with electrodes and shocking him into submission, to the passing of a jar filled with ovaries removed from “hysterical nymphomanics”), and the thoroughly disgusted Bucke storms out after he reproaches those present. Also present is Whitman (Torn), who is impressed by Bucke’s extremist views, and approaches him to aid in the treatment of his mentally-incompetent brother. While staying at Whitman’s home, Bucke is completely transformed by his candid, liberal values and with a newfound confidence, decides to enlist Whitman’s moral assistance in the shakeup of the inhumane system at the asylum. Whitman’s presence in London is not only perceived as a threat by the staid Victorian townspeople, but in Bucke’s home, as well, for Mrs. Bucke (Meldrum) because distraught as the friendship between her husband and Whitman grows increasingly intimate (a gay subtext is hinted at in their relationship, yet it is never fully developed on the surface). Harrison (who also wrote the screenplay) fills the film with rich, Victorian details that faithfully reflect the era — especially in the depiction of how this time was truly the Dark Ages when it came to treating the mentally ill. The performances are also credible, particularly Torn’s, who conveys the full essence of what made Walt Whitman the remarkable man that he was. You’d be crazy to pass over Beautiful Dreamers.
This article appears in January 24 • 2003.