In October, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonahtan Pyrce, and Rupert Everett will start filming the new romantic comedy called "Hysteria" in London.
"Hysteria" will portray the invention of the vibrator and its use of treating hysteria cases in women during the nineteenth century.
Monika Bartyzel writes on Cinematical.com:
Set in Victorian-era England, Dancy and Pryce will play doctors treating cases of hysteria in London -- "a condition said to be characterized at the time by a woman's irritability, anger, or unexplained tears." Meanwhile, Dancy's character and his best friend (Everett) start experimenting with a new electrical device to treat these unruly women. Gyllenhaal plays Pryce's daughter, and one would assume, one of the test subjects.
It was a pretty insane idea back in those times, and one that went much further than irritability. It was basically a catch-all diagnosis for any action men wanted to treat in women, who might have just been ridiculously unsatisfied in bed, since the primary cure seemed to be sexual release. The vibrator was brought in to give relief to the weary doctors, who would have to perform "pelvic massages" to help their patients. Yes, that means what you think it means. They suffered so.
If you've ever seen that sex toy episode of Boston Legal with Ed Begley Jr., you know the possible hilarity of Victorian sex contraptions, but I'm mostly happy to see Gyllenhaal get back to insane indie comedy. She might be an Oscar-nominated actress, but she's also the gal from Secretary and Cecil B. Demented, after all. Bring on the Victorian vibes!
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