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Poster for The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit

1948 · 108 min

A sobering, compassionate plunge into mental illness and institutional care, anchored by a raw lead performance and a slow-burning sense of unease.

Directed by
Anatole Litvak
Genres
Drama, Mystery
Starring
Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
Tagline
Married and in love... with a man she didn't know or want!
Overview
Virginia Cunningham is confused upon finding herself in a mental hospital, with no memory of her arrival at the institution. Tormented by delusions and unable to even recognize her husband, Robert, she is treated by Dr. Mark Kik, who is determined to get to the root of her mental illness. As her treatment progresses, flashbacks depict events in Virginia's life that may have contributed to her instability.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Anatole Litvak
Genres
Drama, Mystery
Starring
Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • madness
  • identity
  • memory
  • isolation
  • healing
Places
  • hospital
  • big city
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror3
Humour2
Realism7
Romance4
Tension6
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, mystery
Directed by
Anatole Litvak
Written by
Frank Partos, Millen Brand
Starring
Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Glenn Langan, Helen Craig, Leif Erickson, Beulah Bondi
Music
Alfred Newman
Cinematography
Leo Tover
Runtime
108 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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