Review of The Snake Pit (1948) by Lori B — 17 Aug 2011

"The Snake Pit" is one of the most underrated films of all time. Virginia Cunningham (de Havilland) is a newly- married woman-- but things aren't going so well. Her husband (Stevens) begins to get worried after many weird attacks of memory loss and confusion, so finally, he checks Virginia into a mental hospital.

When she gets there, she doesn't know what's happened or even why she's even there, and through the duration of the movie, we get closer and closer to the cause. Anatole Litvak directed this gripping drama from 1948.

This was a hard movie to compete with that year for de Havilland-- Ingrid Bergman for "Joan of Arc", Irene Dunne for "I Remember Mama", and Barbara Stanwyck for "Sorry, Wrong Number" (another great Litvak movie) were all getting nominated.

The award eventually went to Jane Wyman for "Johnny Belinda", but I disagree with that choice, and I've even seen it! Olivia de Havilland was just amazing in this performance. This was such a daring film for its time, considering its one of the first mental illness movies.

But de Havilland stepped into this tough role, and not only succeeded to snag an Oscar nom, but proved to everyone what a darn good actress she was. This movie is brilliant-- it's daring, dark, and frighteningly realistic, so if you're in a mood for a movie that will impress you, rent "The Snake Pit".