The Cobweb - Warner Archive Collection

Little problems and petty grievances can often blow up into massive headaches and brutal tugs-of-war that expose hidden personality traits. That's the basic premise of The Cobweb, director Vincente Minnelli's deliciously soapy adaptation of William Gibson's novel. (Gibson would later win a Best Play Tony Award for The Miracle Worker and receive an Oscar nomination for his screenplay adaptation.) Emotions and neuroses run rampant in this melodramatic tale that's best described as Grand Hotel in a mental hospital.

Distinguished by an all-star cast in the vein of the previous year's Executive Suite, The Cobweb trades the boardroom for a plush sanitarium populated by troubled, affluent patients. The sensitive Stevie (John Kerr), an aspiring artist, has been browbeaten by his domineering dad. The middle-aged Mr. Capp (Oscar Levant) suffers from chronic mother issues, and the painfully shy and insecure Sue (Susan Strasberg) recoils from relationships and bristles at the idea of venturing beyond the compound's cozy confines.

They all seem pretty normal, though, when compared to the hospital staff, almost all of whom could also benefit from some time on the proverbial couch. Dr. Stewart "Mac" McIver (Richard Widmark) is a workaholic whose 24/7 dedication to his patients leaves his lonely, sexually frustrated wife Karen (Gloria Grahame) pining for affection and a fraction of the attention he lavishes on his patients. Mac's colleague, Dr. Douglas Devanal (Charles Boyer), is an alcoholic womanizer who resents being marginalized after decades as the hospital's top dog. The uptight, often downright rude business manager, Victoria Inch (Lillian Gish), uses her seniority to rigidly enforce rules and relishes reprimanding those who cross her, while the soft-spoken, statuesque art therapist Meg Rinehart (Lauren Bacall) seeks solace in the secluded clinic as she picks up the pieces of her shattered life after losing her husband and child in an auto accident.

All these ticking time bombs detonate over Dr. McIver's seemingly innocuous decision to let the patients decide on the new drapes for the clinic's library. Stevie is tasked with designing the drapes, but that doesn't sit well with Victoria, who vehemently opposes the needless expense and wants to install cheap, drab drapes instead. The neglected Karen also sees a chance to make her mark and impress her husband by going behind his back and getting the board's approval for some pricey, patterned drapes. All the fuss deepens the rift between Mac and Karen, which sends Mac into the arms of Meg and inspires Karen to flirt with the randy Dr. Devanal. The bitter Victoria vows to take everyone down, while all the patients struggle to keep their heads above water in a sea of dysfunction.

Will the drapes spell curtains for Mac and Karen and send Victoria over the edge? Maybe in this case, the inmates really should be running the asylum.

The Cobweb may not rank among Minnelli's finest films, but it's an engrossing, weirdly fascinating drama that shows off his versatility. The hubbub over the drapes seems like a fitting theme for Minnelli, who began his career as an art director and reportedly obsessed over such minute decorative details in his movies. Though best known for helming some of the greatest musicals of all time, most notably Meet Me in St. Louis, the Oscar-winning An American in Paris, The Band Wagon, and the Oscar-winning Gigi (which also won him his sole Best Director Academy Award), Minnelli was equally comfortable with comedies (Father of the Bride, The Long, Long Trailer) and dramas (The Clock, The Bad and the Beautiful). Plots with psychological overtones seemed to tickle his fancy, so The Cobweb was right up his alley.

The censors demanded some changes to Gibson's tale, axing allusions to homosexuality and requiring a retooled ending that's not particularly believable, but enough juicy turmoil remains to keep our interest piqued. The literate screenplay by John Paxton, who earned an Oscar nod for Crossfire (a searing exposé of anti-Semitism) several years before and would later adapt the devastating doomsday drama On the Beach, makes it all relatively palatable, and though some scenes go a bit over the top, let's face it, the histrionics are part of the fun. Minnelli's original cut ran two-and-a-half hours, and when he refused to trim it down, producer John Houseman took charge and shaved the film to 124 minutes. Who knows what tasty morsels landed on the cutting room floor, but the movie still flows well.

All the actors sink their teeth into their parts, yet resist chewing the scenery...most of the time. Widmark takes a break from playing heavies, but brings his patented toughness - along with some welcome tenderness - to the conflicted Mac. The role of Karen is tailor-made for Grahame and she plays it to the hilt, infusing her portrayal with her unique combo of pouty, slinky sexuality, brazen defiance, and a dash of good old-fashioned crazy. Lana Turner was originally slated to play Karen, but it's impossible to imagine anyone other than Grahame in the part.

The earthy Bacall was reportedly a last-minute replacement for Grace Kelly (and a better casting choice, in my view), and Kerr, who's best known for Tea and Sympathy and South Pacific, stepped into the role of Stevie after the first choice, James Dean, proved unavailable. Though Kerr, in his film debut, is perfectly fine, we can only imagine what Dean, whose specialty was tortured, disturbed young men, could have brought to the part. Boyer is surprisingly good as the lascivious, drunken Devanal and Strasberg, also making her film debut, exudes waifish vulnerability as the cocooned Sue, but it's Gish in one of her rare post-silent film appearances who makes the biggest impression as the sourpuss spinster who has a penchant for barking orders and hanging up on almost everyone who telephones her. It's a bold, against-type performance from the actress who made a career playing wispy, good-hearted women.

The Cobweb spins its tangled narrative well and Minnelli's clever use of the CinemaScope canvas maintains the claustrophobic stuffiness that's key to the story's success. Psychiatry nerds will enjoy analyzing the plethora of neuroses on display and how the drape designs reflect the personalities of those who selected them. Does The Cobweb reflect what life is really like behind the gates of a mental hospital? Let's hope not. But it's fun to peek behind the drapes and spy on the problem-plagued people who live and work there. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
The Cobweb arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

A brand new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original camera negative produces a top-flight 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that does the CinemaScope photography by 13-time Oscar nominee George Folsey proud. Grain has been nicely resolved without sacrificing the feel of film, while excellent clarity and contrast allow us to drink in all the details in Minnelli's meticulously composed frames. Colors often pop, with Grahame's red lipstick and Strasberg's red dress making bold statements, and flesh tones stay true throughout.

Inky blacks enhance the story's moodiness, the crisp whites are especially impressive (the texture of Grahame's terrycloth bathrobe is well rendered), and marvelous shadow delineation keeps crush at bay during several nocturnal scenes. Close-ups come at a premium in CinemaScope and really aren't that close, but the ones here are sharp enough and showcase fine facial features well. No dirt or damage dot the pristine print and no digital anomalies could be detected. I don't own the 2011 DVD, but this is surely the best The Cobweb has ever looked on home video, so fans can upgrade with confidence.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track pumps out robust sound with some distinct separation across the front channels. The stereo really amps up the impact of the deliciously eerie score by two-time Oscar-winner Leonard Rosenman, who wrote The Cobweb music in between his two memorable scores for two James Dean pictures, East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. A wide dynamic scale gives all of its soaring highs and weighty lows plenty of room to breathe, while wonderful fidelity enhances tonal depth. All the dialogue is well prioritized and easy to comprehend and no age-related hiss, pops, or crackle sully the mix. Not many Warner Archive titles are blessed with stereo soundtracks, so this one is a real treat.

The Cobweb DVD only contained a trailer. Warner Archive imports that preview over to this Blu-ray release and adds a vintage short and cartoon.

• Vintage Short: Salute to the Theaters (SD, 17 minutes) - This two-reel MGM promotional short hosted by actor George Murphy and shot in CinemaScope provides a preview of the studio's forthcoming product for the year 1955. Some scripted banter with Esther Williams and Gene Kelly breaks up the parade of previews for such fare as Jupiter's Darling, The Prodigal, The Glass Slipper, Hit the Deck, It's Always Fair Weather, Interrupted Melody, Love Me or Leave Me, and - of course - The Cobweb.
• Vintage CinemaScope Cartoon: The Egg and Jerry (HD, 8 minutes) - In this Tom and Jerry cartoon, Jerry must contend with the antics of a baby woodpecker who believes Jerry is his parent. But when Tom tries to eat the hatchling, the two join forces against the hungry cat, leading to the usual violent mayhem.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3 minutes) - The film's original preview promises a "startling different drama based on the daring best-seller."

Getting tangled in The Cobweb and the melodramatic plot strands of this all-star drama makes for some campy fun, but all the sturm und drang amounts to very little. Minnelli's lush visuals and the spirited portrayals of the fine cast enhance the over-the-top tale, as do the tiptop transfer that's struck from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative and remastered stereo soundtrack. Recommended.