The Snake Pit

When The Snake Pit appeared with a splash of acclaim in 1949, its brutal realism blinded the public eye and aroused a good deal of righteous indignation. Six years of national reflection on the inadequacy of mental hospitals has brought little reform. Hearsay from PBH Volunteers seems to refute accusations that the movie was more imaginative than truthful. Reconsideration shows that it has both qualities.

Whether the treatment the mildly heroic doctor uses conforms to actual techniques is unimportant because it all seems quite plausible. A series of unhappy experiences in childhood and adolescence has left his subject unable to cope with marriage. A frustrated writer of sorts, she fluctuates on the border between sanity and insanity amidst the worst possible surroundings: misguided, often stupid doctors and nurses, fellow patients who would upset a rational mind, and hospital facilities that can lead only to depravity.

The depressing outlook is relieved, of course, by inevitable cure. Even a lengthy, schmaltz denoucment, complete with a sing-song rendition of "Goin' Home" (from, naturally enough, the New World Symphony), doesn't seem ludicrous after an intense portrayal of life in the hospital wards, Director Anatole Litvak uses occasional special effects with great success, particularly for the doctors' Inquisition to which each patient must submit before release. The flash-back technique, employed when doctors probe the patient's unconscious to unearth disturbing influences, is slick and convincing.

One can see why Olivia de Havilland was heaped with plaudits in 1949 for her characterization of the mentally disturbed young woman. Her sensitive countenance reveals the changing moods of a deranged mind. The light and dark spreading across her face when a nagging word aggravates the unbalanced mind is very effective; she loses, and then regains, at a moment's notice the inhibitions of the sane.

As her bewildered yet sympathetic husband of a few days, Mark Stevens is less successful. In the role of the concerned but helpless bystander, he is barely convincing. Although Stevens is a trifle too All-American and anxious, his voice as narrator in some flashback scenes is far more pleasing. Leo Genn is appropriately noble as the young healer who must fight his boss over methods for Miss de Havilland's cure. He is strong, intelligent, calm, and quite impressive.

The Snake Pit will brighten the day of few who see it. But as a significant social warning, the sacrifice is well worth-while. A stop-over at the Casablanca after the show is not recommended.