The Snake Pit
September 2004 Reviewed by: Eric Hetherington Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

The nascent science of psychology and psychoanalysis was the basis for several movies of the 1940s. Anatole Litvak's The Snake Pit, along with Hitchcock's Spellbound, is among the best of these films. The Snake Pit is very different in tone and overall effect from Spellbound, in which Hitchcock uses psychoanalysis for his own ends and doesn't take its details seriously. (Everything in Hitchcock's films is a handmaiden to his own overall visions.) The Snake Pit, on the other hand, presents a serious look at the specific details of a mental hospital of the time, and the trials of Virginia Cunningham (Olivia de Havilland), who is striving to get well and hopes to be reunited on the outside with her husband Robert (Mark Stevens).

The narrative structure of The Snake Pit resembles a mystery. When the movie opens, Virginia is already a patient at the mental hospital, but we do not know why she is there. Through a flashback from her husband's point of view, we get to see that she suffered a nervous breakdown, but the audience and characters are still left trying to figure out why she had it and how she can get over her problems. Through various methods, including electroshock therapy and hypnosis, Dr. Kick (Leo Genn) works with her to secure her memories so that she can be released.

Two scenes stand out for their cinematic virtues. The first is a scene where Virginia is given electroshock therapy. The second is a scene indexed on the disc as chapter 24; in this sequence, the meaning of the film's title is revealed in a scene that begins with dancing shadows, and then moves on to several actresses dancing around de Havilland as the camera pulls up and away, revealing the hospital as a large pit. Alfred Newman's soundtrack is essential to the film, and adds a level of drama to several scenes (such as the electroshock segment).

This is another admirable addition to the 20th Century Fox Studio Classics series. Like others in the series, it has many extra features, and very good technical presentation. The standout extra feature is the well-done commentary by Aubrey Solomon, a television and movie writer and producer as well as author of Twentieth-Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. There are also a number of short Movietone News newsreel clips of moments related to the film (including one from, "N.Y. Film Critics Honor Olivia de Havilland"). Movie trailers for The Snake Pit and four other Studio Classics (All About Eve, Gentleman's Agreement, The Song of Bernadette, and The Three Faces of Eve), and a gallery of still pictures related to the filming of the movie are included. The black-and-white film looks magnificent. Even in very dark scenes, detail is present that poorer transfers have obliterated. The sound is also very good, considering the age of the film. We are offered an English stereo option as well as mono versions in English, French, and Spanish.

It is easy to recommend this DVD to classic film fans and the casual movie watcher alike. De Havilland's performance is excellent, as is most of the supporting cast’s, and the story is compelling and told at just the right pace. Dedicated fans will want to add this film to their collections as an exemplary piece of 1940s filmmaking, and casual movie watchers will want to spend an enjoyable evening with it.

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