The Hospital (1971)

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Paddy Chayefsky (writer)

Release Date:

29 September 1972 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Madness, Murder and Malpractice.

Plot:

Black comedy in which a suicidal doctor struggles to find meaning in his life while a murderer stalks the halls of his hospital.

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Black Comedy | Suicidal | Doctor | Sex

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

George C. Scott	...	Dr. Bock
Diana Rigg	...	Barbara
Barnard Hughes	...	Drummond
Richard Dysart	...	Dr. Welbeck
Stephen Elliott	...	Dr. Sundstrom
Andrew Duncan	...	William Mead
Donald Harron	...	Milton Mead
Nancy Marchand	...	Mrs. Christie
Jordan Charney	...	Hitchcock
Roberts Blossom	...	Guernsey
Lenny Baker	...	Dr. Schaefer
Richard Hamilton	...	Dr. Ronald Casey
Arthur Junaluska	...	Mr. Blacktree
Kate Harrington	...	Nurse Dunne
Katherine Helmond	...	Marilyn Mead

Also Known As:

Right Smack Into the Wind (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content and drug references.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (1997) | Finland:S | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Simcha Productions

Trivia:

According to TCM host Robert Osborne, Paddy Chayefsky passed on having Walter Matthau or Burt Lancaster in George C. Scott's role, and either Jane Fonda, Ali MacGraw, or Candice Bergen in Diana Rigg's.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the Emergency Room, the dead patient's eyes and head change positions between the time Mrs. Cushing and Dr. Spezio look at him.

Quotes:

Herbert Bock: Now what in hell am I going to tell this boy Schaefer's parents? That a substitute nurse assassinated him because she couldn't tell the doctors from the patients on the floor?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Best! Movies! Ever!: Hospitals (#1.13)" (2007)

A must see for anyone who's spent any time in one!

Certainly the highlight of this film is it's cast.

Diana Rigg, George C. Scott, Bernard Hughes to mention a few.

I have accumulated more time in hospitals and with doctors over the years than I care to think about.

This comedy attacks the pomp and pretension in all aspects of our society, through the setting of one of it's "Most Haughty" institutions... the Medical profession.

The idea that such goings on could be possible, might be a shock to some, but is a delight to anyone with the perspective of experience.

Dr Brock (Scott) undergoes a mid-life crisis of monumental proportions before our eyes as we, and he, become enamored with the prospect of his involvement with Miss Drummond (Rigg).

The thread of the absurd is woven into this wonderful mix in the form of the irony that the Hospital appears to be killing it's own workers as they mismanage their affairs in it.

The climax is unpredictable (unless you've seen it) and made even more hilarious if you happen to guess.

It's not everyone's brand of humor, to be sure, and has uproariously funny "Dark Moments" if you're open to them.

I loved every minute, and was delighted to see it out on DVD.