This was a film I found listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, the title suggested nothing particular in a story or plot to me, but the leading actress was a good draw for me to watch as well, from Oscar nominated director Anatole Litvak (Anastasia). Basically Virginia Stuart Cunningham (Oscar nominated Olivia de Havilland) was an outwardly ordinary young woman, but all of the sudden she has found herself in Juniper Hill State Hospital, a mental institution, and she has no memory of how she got there. Through flashbacks we see that Virginia her courtship with Robert (Mark Stevens) in Chicago, they part for a short time before he moves to New York and they are reunited, she initially refuses marriage for some time, eventually they do get married, but soon after she begins to act erratically. Virginia's growing symptoms include her becoming apparently schizophrenic, hearing voices, and going into states of psychosis, going so out of touch with reality that she didn't recognise her husband. Dr. Mark Kik (Leo Genn) works with Virginia, putting her through torturous electric shock therapy and other forms of therapy including hypnotherapy, the mental hospital is organised on a spectrum of "levels", the better a patient gets the lower level will be achieved. In Level One however she encounters the cruel Nurse Davis (Helen Craig) who is jealous of Dr. Kik's professional interest and what she sees as excessive concern for Virginia, she is so severe with her that she drives Virginia into having an outburst that causes her to be expelled from the first level and being put into a straight jacket. This setback does not stop Dr. Kik, his car continues and Virgina's mental state does improve, over time Virginia gains insight and self- understanding, and through question tests she is able to remember personal information and facts she perhaps would not have before, in the end Virginia is finally able to leave the hospital to return to normal life. Also starring Celeste Holm as Grace, Glenn Langan as Dr. Terry, Leif Erickson as Gordon, Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Greer, Lee Patrick as Asylum Inmate, Isabel Jewell as Asylum Inmate, Victoria Horne as Asylum Inmate, Tamara Shayne as Asylum Inmate, Grace Poggi as Asylum Inmate, Howard Freeman as Dr. Curtis and Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Stuart. de Havilland is brilliant at being emotionally and mentally unstable, but also sympathetic and traumatised, this was really harrowing and extremely controversial film for its time, and it still remains so, seeing both the story of a woman having a nervous breakdown and the ways and methods of the hospital to cure her and other inmates, with highly emotional and traumatic scenes, and touching moments too, especially the inmates singing "Going Home", this film will definitely make an impact, a fantastic psychological drama. It won the Oscar for Best Sound, and it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay and Best Music for Alfred Newman. Very good!
Review of The Snake Pit
