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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Anatole Litvak's "The Snake
Pit" charts the typical view of psychoanalysis
prevalent in most classic films, in other words,
everything is linked to one's childhood trauma,
repression of that trauma and subsequent guilt.
That shortcoming aside, "The Snake Pit" is a
stark, often disturbing, melodrama about life
inside a mental asylum. It follows the dementia of
Virginia Cunningham (Olivia de Havilland), a woman
suffering from an emerging psychosis in which she
has developed an intense distrust and fear against
her placid husband, Robert (Mark Stevens). Leo
Genn plays the sympathetic psychiatrist Dr. Mark
Kick to whom Virginia's mental health is
entrusted. It is through his care and patience
that Virginia's psychosis is finally laid to rest.
The ending -- true to Hollywood's golden age
conventions -- is infused with hope and promise,
but nevertheless offers a critical commentary on
the inner mental anguish that, more often than
not, is incurable and debilitating. De Havilland
delivers a stellar and shockingly dramatic
performance. The film is a vision of insanity
under horrendous conditions.
The transfer is troublesome. Although the
grayscale is presented at a well-balanced level,
and blacks are generally solid, age-related
artifacts are sometimes glaringly present. Film
grain, as well as edge enhancement and
pixelization are present for an image quality that
is rarely smooth and only moderately easy on the
eyes. The audio has been cleaned up and is nicely
presented.
Fox Studio Line is about as skimpy on extras as is
the rest of their output of classic films on DVD.
One wonders why the distinction is made between
"Studio" titles and just regular releases. Here we
get a sparse audio commentary, some stills and
theatrical trailers. Big deal!
I recommend this film for its performances, but
the DVD is not up to reference quality. |
