When the superintendent of the Canadian insane asylum, Dr. Maurice Bucke, meets poet Walt Whitman, his life and that of his wife and patients is radically changed.
Set in 1880, BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS is a true story of emotional rediscovery and sexual awakening. Walt Whitman, played by Rip Torn, is the notorious, free-thinking American poet who became the catalyst for change in the lives of Dr Maurice Bucke and his wife Jessie Bucke. Dr Bucke, a contemporary man trapped in Victorian society, is the superintendent of a repressive mental asylum in a small town in Canada. Thwarted at every attempt to bring about change Bucke is transformed after meeting Walt Whitman by his direct and compassionate means of communication. A lasting friendship is formed. Turning their backs on convention, it seems that only a miracle and a cricket match, will shake the very foundations of Victorian tradition.
Starring Colm Feore, Rip Torn, Wendel Meldrum, Sheila McCarthy, Colin Fox.
Rated PG-13