The Hospital (1971)
As was the case with many movies from the 1970s, the first half hour of The Hospital was very enjoyable – then the rest of the movie took a wacky turn and pleased only the “question authority” protestors who lived through the decade with long hair and equal amounts of anger and drugs. I really liked the frantic pace of the hospital setting, complete with hospital director George C. Scott confiding in his friend and resident psychologist that his entire life is in shambles. He literally can’t handle anything else on his plate, and of course, since it’s the beginning of the movie, we know more will happen. Due to a very odd combination of incompetence and medical error, a doctor died in the middle of the night while mistaken for a patient. The hospital has to cover it up, but will they be able to if more and more people start asking the wrong questions?
Then, Diana Rigg shows up. Her character is extremely irritating, smug, detached, and unpredictable. Even though George’s plate is overflowing, even though he has professional and personal problems, and even though he’s been incapable of going to bed with his wife or any other woman, he’s suddenly seduced by Diana and all his problems are solved by one night of passion. This Paddy Chayefsky screenplay turns out to be rather cynical and tongue-in-cheek, rather than as touching as some of his other work. Diana turns out to be as weird as weird gets, and her perpetually braless, native chanting, 1971 hippie persona gets old fast. I would have much preferred the film to focus on the inner workings of the hospital, like The Young Doctors or The Interns. I wasn’t interested at all in the “romance,” and I found George’s character to be inconsistent and unrealistic.
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More George C. Scott movies here!
Then, Diana Rigg shows up. Her character is extremely irritating, smug, detached, and unpredictable. Even though George’s plate is overflowing, even though he has professional and personal problems, and even though he’s been incapable of going to bed with his wife or any other woman, he’s suddenly seduced by Diana and all his problems are solved by one night of passion. This Paddy Chayefsky screenplay turns out to be rather cynical and tongue-in-cheek, rather than as touching as some of his other work. Diana turns out to be as weird as weird gets, and her perpetually braless, native chanting, 1971 hippie persona gets old fast. I would have much preferred the film to focus on the inner workings of the hospital, like The Young Doctors or The Interns. I wasn’t interested at all in the “romance,” and I found George’s character to be inconsistent and unrealistic.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "FleurRinna Gunta" for posting!
More George C. Scott movies here!