The Hospital (1971)

The Age of Commercialism

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The movie has its flaws but script by Chayefsky elevates this to a great commentary on the modern organisation.

An over-burdened doctor (George C. Scott) struggles to find meaning in his life while a murderer stalks the halls of his hospital.Although the film was not quite as funny as I think it could have been, it still has its moments and successfully makes a scathing attack on the medical system. Today (2017) the attack is no less potent, so the film has really stood the test of time. The writing is superb, and there is no surprise that it took home so many awards on the script.George C. Scott is excellent, as always, and Diana Rigg makes her American debut. Her character is unusually flaky and may not be to everyone's liking. The mystery aspect is quite fun, though it does not seem that enough clues are given for the audience to make any sort of informed guess.

Schizophrenic film that can't decide whether it's Playhouse 90 or Airplane!. In one corner are Scott and Chayevsky making with the intense psychological realism and some really powerful moments; in the other is chaotic urban hospital laboring at zany gallows humor with a few scattered laughs. In between is director Hiller hoping for single workable whole. Result is awkward pastiche that doesn't live up to super-rich potential. Film is object lesson in how miscasting of even top-notch talent can produce disappointment. I keep wishing gifted amateurs like Zucker Bros. & Jim Abrams had gotten hold of idea first. Sure, Scott is great actor, but he's so authentic he overwhelms ambient efforts at satire; yes, Chayevsky gets off some good lines, but keeps piling on the prose long after it's peaked out. What the movie really needs are more sight gags and a lot less talky angst. In short, let the visuals carry the message -- something word master Chayevsky could never allow. My advice: once hippie chick Rigg starts bragging about Scott's restored virility, switch off, because it's a downhill ride from there.

This a fantastic movie, although I can't figure out why it's labeled as a "horror/something" story. There is absolutely nothing of a horror movie in "The Hospital"....Yes, some patients die, as mentioned in the storyline, and it has many elements of drama, but overall this is a dark, satirical comedy that is never scary but might have you rolling on the floor laughing your head off; in fact some scenes and dialogs I would describe as the funniest ever put in a movie (assuming you appreciate dark humor).The acting, vital in such a movie, is top notch, and the all-star cast does justice to one of the best, most intelligent Hollywood scripts ever written. It's quirky, darkly funny, thought-provoking, and it questions the very basis of our society, and our life, without ever being cheesy or preachy. All the characters, for better or for worse, feel extremely real, and yet they tread the edges of surreal, tragicomic events that, in turn, can take them (and us, the audience) to emotional places as diverse as hilarity, despair, and even optimism.I saw it for the first time many years ago, just bumped into it while channel-surfing, and couldn't turn it off until the end credits came up on the screen. I watched it again recently and found it just as powerful, funny and mesmerizing as that first viewing. If you love great cinema, and a drama with ideas instead of a transparent agenda, don't miss out on "The Hospital", it's a masterpiece.