Review of The Snake Pit (1948) by Bernard A — 17 Feb 2010

In some ways actress Olivia de Havilland had something to do with the dismantling of the old "studio system" as it were. During the early 40's she started declining roles that Warner Brothers tried to assign her citing a desire for more substantial roles than what Warners was regularly offering her. Warners punished her with a suspension and then refused to release her from her contract even though it was up - citing that de Havilland "owed" the studio for lost time. de Havilland sued Warners to be released and she did not appear in any films during the litigations - ergo the absence of films in her resumé during the period 1943-1946.

Well...de Havilland won the case - the first suit won by an actor/actress against a major studio - known as The de Havilland Decision - which limited studio contracts to 7 years (including suspension time) - granting actors/actresses greater creative freedom.

Olivia de Havilland would come back and win a best actress award for her role in the 1946 film TO EACH HIS OWN. She would again be nominated for her role in THE SNAKE PIT where she plays a woman suffering a mental illness - most definitely a less glamorous role than what she was used to at Warners! It's also fascinating that the subject matter of THE SNAKE PIT was considered taboo in the 40's and director Anatole Litvak had a difficult time getting the green light for the project.

Psychoanalysis was just beginning to get a foothold in the public consciousness, so in a way the use of Freudian analysis in this film would seem a bit dated...but doesn't really take away much from the compelling story. de Havilland's character, Virginia Stuart undergoes 180 degree mood swings which could easily look comical performed by a less accomplished actress...so it's to de Havilland's credit that we care very much for her character's well being. We cringe whenever the switch to the electro-shock machine is turned on. It's also frightening to consider the possibility of losing control of one's mental faculty.

Some of the scenes which take place in a mental institution reminds me of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST too...there is even a prototype of Nurse Ratched present.

Leo Genn portrays the sympathetic Dr. Kik...who tries to understand the origin of Virginia's psychosis. Mark Stevens plays Virginia's caring husband. Veteran actress Beulah Bondi has a juicy role as one of the more eccentric patients in the asylum. I'm surprised that THE SNAKE PIT predated THE THREE FACES OF EVE by about a decade.

Olivia de Havilland...ya did good!!!

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