The Hospital (1971)

An over-burdened doctor struggles to find meaning in his life while a murderer stalks the halls of his hospital.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Paddy Chayefsky (by)

Stars:

George C. Scott, Diana Rigg, Barnard Hughes

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George C. Scott	...	Dr. Bock
Diana Rigg	...	Barbara
Barnard Hughes	...	Drummond
Richard Dysart	...	Dr. Welbeck (as Richard A. Dysart)
Stephen Elliott	...	Dr. Sundstrom
Donald Harron	...	Milton Mead
Andrew Duncan	...	William 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

Storyline

Herbert Bock, the chief of medicine in a New York City teaching hospital, is contemplating suicide; he's impotent, his wife has left him, and his children aren't speaking to him. His hospital is also suffering from a recent spate of inexplicable deaths. In the midst of these setbacks, Bock is romantically drawn to the much younger Barbara, whose father is a patient. As Barbara restores Bock's will to live, it turns out that the hospital deaths are murders.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | hospital | doctor | new york city | dead patient | 

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Taglines:

Behind the lab coat beats the heart of a man who's been pushed to the edge.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

Right Smack Into the Wind

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$19,711,560

Company Credits

Production Co:

Simcha Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1995, it being deemed a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" work.

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Goofs

About ten minutes into the movie, as the characters walk down a hospital hallway, followed by the camera, a technician and his microphone are revealed behind a nurse's cart. The camera then tightens the shot around the actors.

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Quotes

Mrs. Cushing: Dr. Spezio. I think one of your patients in here is dead, Dr. Spezio.
Dr. Spezio: Why do you say that, Mrs. Cushing?
Mrs. Cushing: Because he wouldn't give me his Blue Cross number, Dr. Spezio.

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Crazy Credits

Although Barnard Hughes played two distinct roles, the end credits lists Hughes as playing the role of Drummond but not Dr. Mallory.

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Connections

Featured in Best! Movies! Ever!: Hospitals (2007)

User Reviews

A Classic!

Anyone who has spent time working in a hospital or medical facility has got to appreciate this film. The plot is absolutely wild but entertaining from start to finish. The acting is superb. George C. Scott is the brilliant doctor but class A failure as husband, father. Diana Riggs, a sex symbol of the 1960s and 1970s (of The Avengers), saves him from himself. The surrounding cast is superb and the dialogue quite entertaining. I think I enjoyed the film more on viewing it the 4th., 5th. or 6th. time because I caught that much more of the richness of the dialogue and the interplay of the characters. Well worth seeing again and again. You just won't want to check in to a hospital in the near future.