Plot Synopsis:
Director Anatole Litvak’s classic adaptation of Mary Jane Ward’s book, The Snake Pit (1948) is a harrowing portrait of a young woman (Olivia de Havilland, in a stunning performance) whose life is torn apart when she suffers a mental breakdown and is admitted to an institution. A plea for understanding, a critique of contemporary conditions and treatments, and a superb melodrama, this is a film that both horrifies and touches. Also featuring a wonderful performance by Leo Genn as a shrewd, sympathetic psychiatrist.
Read our review of this disc in the site blog.