"A woman loses her mind and is confined to a mental institution." That's the usual TV-listing encapsulation of The Snake Pit -- and like most such encapsulations, it only scratches the film's surface. Olivia de Havilland stars as an outwardly normal young woman, married to loyal, kindly Mark Stevens. As de Havilland's behavior becomes more and more erratic, however, Stevens comes to the sad conclusion that she needs professional help. She is sent to an overcrowded state hospital for treatment -- a curious set-up, in that, ...
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"A woman loses her mind and is confined to a mental institution." That's the usual TV-listing encapsulation of The Snake Pit -- and like most such encapsulations, it only scratches the film's surface. Olivia de Havilland stars as an outwardly normal young woman, married to loyal, kindly Mark Stevens. As de Havilland's behavior becomes more and more erratic, however, Stevens comes to the sad conclusion that she needs professional help. She is sent to an overcrowded state hospital for treatment -- a curious set-up, in that, while de Havilland is treated with compassion by soft-spoken psychiatrist Leo Genn, she is sorely abused by resentful matrons and profoundly disturbed patients. Throughout the film, she is threatened with being clapped into "the snake pit" -- an open room where the most severe cases are permitted to roam about and jabber incoherently -- if she doesn't realign her thinking. In retrospect, it seems that de Havilland's biggest "crime" is that she wants to do her own thinking, and that she isn't satisfied with merely being a loving wife. While this subtext may not have been intentional, it's worth noting that de Havilland escapes permanent confinement only when she agrees to march to everyone else's beat. Amazingly, Olivia de Havilland didn't win an Academy Award for her harrowing performance in The Snake Pit (the only Oscar won by the film was for sound recording). While some of the psychological verbiage in this adaptation of Mary Jane Ward's autobiographical novel seems antiquated and overly simplistic today, The Snake Pit was rightly hosannahed as a breakthrough film in 1948. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $3.48, good condition, Sold by Valleys Books & More rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Roanoke, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th.
Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $3.86, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Orange County rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Ana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th.
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Seller's Description:
Good. This item has very light surface scratches that do not affect the use of the disc/s. This is a USED item. Case and cover may or may not have wear or damage. All items unless otherwise noted will include disc, case, and artwork. Codes have been used. Other contents such as booklets may vary, please inquire for details. All items ship Monday-Friday within 2-3 business days.
Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $4.51, very good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th Century Fox.
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Seller's Description:
Howard Freeman, Lee Patrick, Beulah Bondi, Leif Erickson, Helen Craig, Glenn Langan, Celeste Holm, Leo Genn, Mark Stevens,... Very good. 1948 Run time: 108. Case is scratched but disc is in perfect condition. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by 20th Century Fox.
Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $7.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th Century Fox.
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Seller's Description:
Howard Freeman, Lee Patrick, Beulah Bondi, Leif Erickson, Helen Craig, Glenn Langan, Celeste Holm, Leo Genn, Mark Stevens,... Very good. 2004 Run time: 108. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $7.90, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th.
Add this copy of The Snake Pit to cart. $12.50, new condition, Sold by groovaciousrecords rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Cedar City, UT, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by 20th Century Studios.
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Seller's Description:
Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Glenn Langan, Helen Craig. New in new packaging. Language: English. Run time: 108 mins. Aspect ratio: 1.33: 1. Originally released: 1948. factory sealed brand new not a promo or cutout
Good story on mental illness . This is the first movie available to mass audience .Recommend for advocates of the mentally ill!.
lennieblue
Oct 7, 2011
Spellbinding
I ordered this movie because my mom loved it years ago and I like it too. It was for our "movie and popcorn time". Olivia de Havilland is one of my mom's favorite actresses and she is great in it. Definitely not a boring movie. All good acting and interesting story line.
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