Women who are not allowed to love
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Women who are not allowed to love |
| Original title | The Caretakers |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1963 |
| length | 99 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hall Bartlett |
| script | Hall Bartlett |
| production | Hall Bartlett for United Artists |
| music | Elmer Bernstein |
| camera | Lucien Ballard |
| cut | William B. Murphy |
| occupation | |
| |
Women who are not allowed to love (OT: The Caretakers ) is an American feature film from 1963 with Robert Stack as a psychiatrist with enlightened ideas in the fight against intolerance and bigotry in a closed institution. Joan Crawford took on an important supporting role as head nurse.
action
Lorna Medford suffers a nervous breakdown after the death of her only child and is admitted to a mental institution. The attending physician, Dr. Donovan MacLeod, decides to treat Lorna in an open therapy group despite her suicidal tendencies. Other members of the group include a nymphomaniac, a schizophrenic, a psychopathic murderer, a dementia patient, and a pyromaniac. The institute is run with an iron hand by Lucretia Terry, the bigoted and hard-hearted head nurse, who has the trust of the willless director Dr. Jubal Harrington is enjoying. Every day, Dr. MacLeod and Lucretia, who see MacLeod's new ideas as useless and dangerous. Lucretia is a firm believer in shock therapy, single cells, hydrotherapy and, if necessary, lobotomies. Only at the end does Lucretia realize that the world has changed and that the innovative approach of Dr. MacLeod is a blessing for everyone involved.
background
Joan Crawford said goodbye to the big screen in 1957, despite a large number of offers, in order to devote herself to the concerns of the beverage company Pepsi after she had married its chairman Alfred Steele in 1955. When Steele died unexpectedly in 1959, he left Crawford with millions in debts. The actress was more or less forced to take up film offers again in order to pay off the liabilities. A cameo in All My Dreams in 1959 brought her a handsome fee and other offers. Among the multitude of projects, Crawford ended up collaborating with Robert Aldrich and Bette Davis in What Really Happened To Baby Jane? . The macabre story of two sisters who are chained to each other in a hateful relationship brought in a lot of money for the stars, as they had a percentage of the box office profits. However, the success turned out to be deceptive for both actresses, as there were only offers for appearances in inferior films in the period that followed.
Women who are not allowed to love was originally conceived as a critical commentary on the still intolerable conditions in state facilities for the treatment of the mentally ill. The script was based closely on the film The Snake Pit , which had a similar subject as early as 1948. During the implementation, director and producer Hall Bartlett concentrated on the representation of various mental defects and cheap shock effects rather than serious criticism. Joan Crawford was initially enthusiastic about her role. In the original version, the character of Lucretia Terry took up a lot more space and in the end it should go mad in a dramatic scene. In the end, however, most of Crawford's appearances fell victim to the scissors.
The role of Dr. Jubal Harrington is played by Herbert Marshall , who appeared alongside Joan Crawford in When Ladies Meet in 1941 . Marshall was already very ill, and Crawford was very considerate of her former co-star to make filming as comfortable as possible.
Theatrical release
With revenues of $ 2,050,000 in the US and an additional $ 1,110,000 from abroad, the film was a tolerable success with cumulative box office income of $ 3,160,000.
Reviews
The critics accused the film of cheap showmanship and false pathos.
Time Magazine wasn't very fond of:
"The fans of medical dramas know that in the conflict between the young and the old doctor, the young doctor always takes the right opinion [...] Robert Stack, a serious young doctor, comes across the question of how patients should be treated in a psychiatric facility." , in conflict with Joan Crawford, a cold, hard-hearted head nurse [...] After a while, Sister Crawford's disgust at what happened becomes quite understandable. "
Variety found a certain contradiction between the glamorous appearance of Crawford and the role of a bitter carer:
“Miss Crawford doesn't play her few scenes as much as she does it. She looks like she is on her way to a meeting of the Pepsi board of directors. "
As usual, Bosley Crowther didn't find a good word for Joan Crawford in the New York Times :
“Overall, this melodrama is hollow, gimmicky and cheap - the bad commercial exploitation of a sensitive subject. [...] All that is missing is Miss Crawford's lively exit, who tugs her clothes and exclaims "Cursed". "
Awards
Despite the negative reviews, the film received a few nominations.
- Nomination: Best Cinematography (Black / White) - Lucien Ballard
- Nomination: Best Film - Drama category
- Nomination: Best Director - Hall Bartlett
- Nomination: Best Actress - Polly Bergen
literature
- Roy Newquist (Ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9 .
- Shaun Considine: Bette and Joan. The Divine Feud . Dutton, New York 1989, ISBN 0-525-24770-X .
- Lawrence J. Quirk : The Complete Films of Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1 .
- Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell: Joan Crawford. The Essential Biography . University Press, Lexington, KY. 2002, ISBN 0-8131-2254-6 .
- Bob Thomas: Joan Crawford. A biography . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1978, ISBN 0-297-77617-7 .
- Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9 .
Web links
- Women who are not allowed to love in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Women who are not allowed to love at Turner Classic Movies (English)
- Background information
- Essay and set photos
Individual evidence
- ↑ see information here: legendaryjoancrawford.com ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Fans of medical drama are well aware that when young doctor and old doctor disagree, the young doctor is right. [...] Robert Stack, an earnest young doctor, comes into conflict with Joan Crawford, an aging, hardened head nurse, over how to handle the patients in a mental hospital [...] After a while, Nurse Crawford's distaste for the proceedings begins to seem understandable.
- ↑ Miss Crawford doesn't so much play her handful of scenes as she dresses for them, looking as if she were en route to a Pepsi board meeting.
- ↑ Altogether, this woman's melodrama is shallow, showy and cheap - a badly commercial exploitation of very sensitive material…. The only thing missing is a slinky exit by Miss Crawford, twirling her chiffons and muttering, "Curses!"
