Can't believe it took me so long to watch 'The Snake Pit', and can't think of a reason why when it had all the reasons for watching it as with most of the films watched by me. The subject, based upon a semi-autobiographical novel, was very daring back then as was its approach to it. The cast is such a great one (hard to go wrong with Olivia De Havilland, Celeste Holm and Leo Genn), Anatole Litvak did a lot of good to brilliant films and Alfred Newman seldom disappointed when it came to film scoring.
'The Snake Pit' is an outstanding film in every regard and its courageousness in attacking such a hard subject with the amount of impact it did is truly admired. Have not seen a film this harrowing for a long time, by both late 40s standards and today's) and it is one of my most emotionally powerful recent film viewings. Being somebody myself with mental health problems this struck a chord with me. Some may consider the portrayal of the medical department "old-fashioned" today, but that wasn't an issue with me when everything else was so brilliant. 'The Snake Pit' is a contender for Litvak's best film, has one of Newman's best scores and has one of De Havilland's best performances.
Visually, 'The Snake Pit' is beautifully made. It is very beautifully and atmospherically shot with some very creatively vivid camerawork that adds to and even enhances the claustrophobia and seething atmosphere. Personally do not think Litvak's direction was too strident, any harshness that it had was not overdone and was effective in showing such a difficult subject so uncompromisingly instead of any sugar-coating. Newman's score is one of his most haunting and suitably unsettles and the sound quality adds to the eeriness.
It is a very intelligently scripted film that is both eerily seething and movingly sympathetic. Not an easy balance to achieve and even either or is hard to do, but 'The Snake Pit' is one of the few films to nail it. The story is hugely compelling and is boldly harrowing for showing how scary mental breakdown is, intelligent in showing the slow recovery process and is also very moving. Much has been said for the heart-wrenching "Going Home" sequence and for good reason, while the realism of the characters and the setting is frightening.
One would be hard pressed to find more moving portrayals of female inmates anywhere on film. De Havilland's performance, authoritative and affecting, is one of her very best, while Celeste Holm and Beulah Bondi are excellent as always. Leo Genn's sympathetic turn is striking too.
Summing up, wonderful. 10/10
'The Snake Pit' is an outstanding film in every regard and its courageousness in attacking such a hard subject with the amount of impact it did is truly admired. Have not seen a film this harrowing for a long time, by both late 40s standards and today's) and it is one of my most emotionally powerful recent film viewings. Being somebody myself with mental health problems this struck a chord with me. Some may consider the portrayal of the medical department "old-fashioned" today, but that wasn't an issue with me when everything else was so brilliant. 'The Snake Pit' is a contender for Litvak's best film, has one of Newman's best scores and has one of De Havilland's best performances.
Visually, 'The Snake Pit' is beautifully made. It is very beautifully and atmospherically shot with some very creatively vivid camerawork that adds to and even enhances the claustrophobia and seething atmosphere. Personally do not think Litvak's direction was too strident, any harshness that it had was not overdone and was effective in showing such a difficult subject so uncompromisingly instead of any sugar-coating. Newman's score is one of his most haunting and suitably unsettles and the sound quality adds to the eeriness.
It is a very intelligently scripted film that is both eerily seething and movingly sympathetic. Not an easy balance to achieve and even either or is hard to do, but 'The Snake Pit' is one of the few films to nail it. The story is hugely compelling and is boldly harrowing for showing how scary mental breakdown is, intelligent in showing the slow recovery process and is also very moving. Much has been said for the heart-wrenching "Going Home" sequence and for good reason, while the realism of the characters and the setting is frightening.
One would be hard pressed to find more moving portrayals of female inmates anywhere on film. De Havilland's performance, authoritative and affecting, is one of her very best, while Celeste Holm and Beulah Bondi are excellent as always. Leo Genn's sympathetic turn is striking too.
Summing up, wonderful. 10/10