Does anyone want to see June Allyson as the bad guy? I was very excited to see America's Sweetheart wear a different hat, especially since I don't normally like her. José Ferrer starred and directed The Shrike, an intense and intimate drama that starts with marital difficulties. In the opening scene, Joe has just attempted suicide and his wife lets the hospital put him in the mental ward. Yes, this is a heavy movie.
There are all the classic elements of a "cuckoo's nest" movie: the unreasonable nurse, the violent inmates, the hallucinating inmates, the unfair release board interviews, and the frightening realization that the protagonist might just stay there until he's actually driven mad and belongs there. In one fantastic scene, Joe is being questioned by the "parole board". He's so nervous because he wants to be released. You can see every thought flitting through his head as he stalls for time before answering their questions. He wants to appear normal yet changed and humbled, he doesn't want them to think he needs more time to learn more lessons, he doesn't want to answer too quickly or too slowly, and he knows one wrong word can prevent his release.
Why did he attempt suicide in the first place, if he's married to the supportive and loving June Allyson? Why does he murmur the name "Charlotte" in his sleep? Through flashbacks, we see his life from years earlier to the present state. We understand how he made a drastic, and innocent enough at the start, mistake with June, and we hope desperately alongside him that he can get released from all his shackles. Try to find a copy of this obscure movie if you want to feel a bit uncomfortable this evening. And don't hold the ending against it. Obviously, you won't find any spoilers here, but just know that the ending had to be changed (much to the director's chagrin) to suit the studio.
There are all the classic elements of a "cuckoo's nest" movie: the unreasonable nurse, the violent inmates, the hallucinating inmates, the unfair release board interviews, and the frightening realization that the protagonist might just stay there until he's actually driven mad and belongs there. In one fantastic scene, Joe is being questioned by the "parole board". He's so nervous because he wants to be released. You can see every thought flitting through his head as he stalls for time before answering their questions. He wants to appear normal yet changed and humbled, he doesn't want them to think he needs more time to learn more lessons, he doesn't want to answer too quickly or too slowly, and he knows one wrong word can prevent his release.
Why did he attempt suicide in the first place, if he's married to the supportive and loving June Allyson? Why does he murmur the name "Charlotte" in his sleep? Through flashbacks, we see his life from years earlier to the present state. We understand how he made a drastic, and innocent enough at the start, mistake with June, and we hope desperately alongside him that he can get released from all his shackles. Try to find a copy of this obscure movie if you want to feel a bit uncomfortable this evening. And don't hold the ending against it. Obviously, you won't find any spoilers here, but just know that the ending had to be changed (much to the director's chagrin) to suit the studio.