Review of Shock Corridor (1963) by Daniel K — 18 May 2011
3: Crazy film from a crazy filmmaker. Putting it side by side with practically every other American picture from the era would be fairly amusing. It isn't entirely unique, especially since it was made as late as 1963, but it is far more daring, risquà (C), and iconoclastic than one expects to see in an American film from this period.
Sam Fuller definitely did not fit the standard Hollywood director mold, although most of the other great ones didn't either. Look up iconoclastic directors in a dictionary and you might see his picture.
I can't say I particularly enjoyed the film, as the subject matter isn't exactly entertaining, but it was quite effective. Making a black man in an insane asylum a KKK sympathizer was a brilliant twist.
It's about as backwards a way of deriding racism as I can think of. Shock Corridor definitely must have shocked more than a few viewers out there, namely because of the mental asylum setting, the outlandish behavior, the exploration of racism, and the strip tease scenes.
This review of Shock Corridor (1963) was written by Daniel K on 18 May 2011.
Shock Corridor has generally received positive reviews.
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