The Hospital (1971)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

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.

With cinema taking a clear turn for the biting in the '70s, it was inevitable that there would be a movie like "The Hospital". George C. Scott plays the Chief of Medicine in a New York hospital. He's getting hit with a double whammy: his personal life is falling apart, and everyone seems to be dying in the hospital! Whether intended as an indictment of the US health care system or just a straightforward black comedy, Arthur Hiller's movie works in every way. It focuses very much on the characters, often using long conversations to let them develop (the discussion between Scott and Diana Rigg about an hour into the movie is almost like a movie itself!). Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky later used similar characters in "Network". I recommend both movies.Also appearing are Barnard Hughes, Nancy Marchand (of "The Sopranos"), Lenny Baker, Katherine Helmond, Frances Sternhagen, and a young Stockard Channing.

This film has George C. Scott doing some fine, fine acting. Diana Rigg, while beautiful, not so much. But then her character is written as sort of "out there" so maybe it's me, not her. Scott's sometimes ranting, sometimes musing, sometimes defeated, sometimes angst-ridden, sometimes power-boss role allows his vast range to shine. The script may be a gem, or it may be a problem. There seems to be some disagreement about that in previous comments, and I can see both sides. The direction was unobtrusive, and the cinematography was a bit claustrophobic, but almost certainly deliberately so. The ending makes the film seem pointless, but I think that was exactly the point. Check it out.

The Hospital is somewhat of a cult classic for reasons that are obvious but shows unfortunate signs of age and ends up being a mixed bag. The story centers on Dr. Bock (George C. Scott) as well as the rest of the staff and the patients of a Manhattan hospital marred by bureaucratic nightmares while mysterious deaths occur. STORY:Penned by Paddy Chayefsky, this is a rather dark comedy that tackles a lot of issues which, almost 40 years later, are still very relevant. Throughout the story, the apparent flawless nature of science clashes with the failings of the nature of men. The main character Dr. Bock most brilliantly depicts this conflict. Bock is a man with intense desires and a drive to achieve yet is a broken soul. His vocation is to heal and save lives but he suffers himself from illnesses and contemplates suicide. The main character is amazing but the peripheral characters in The Hospital rarely cut it and most seem like caricatures, lessening the global impact and social commentary of the film. Furthermore, the most interesting parts of the film deal entirely with the bureaucratic aspects and the staff. The mysterious deaths take more and more importance as the story progresses and actually detract from this movie. The last half hour makes the whole almost seem pointless.CAST:On one hand, George C. Scott delivers another performance that demonstrates why he can still be considered one of the greatest actors who ever lived. His character, Dr. Bock, is complex and Scott uses all his range. This is magnificent acting. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is so-so, due to bad casting choices, weak acting and also uninspiring characters.CINEMATOGRAPHY:Rather bland and unremarkable but still serviceable. We do get a sense of the hospital building but very few shots really grabbed me.Overall, this is a fine script by Paddy Chayefsky and George C. Scott is amazing, but some of the dialog is badly dated and a better director would have crafted a better overall film. Director Arthur Hiller is mostly renowned for getting great performances out of lead actors but a Kubrick he isn't when it comes to crafting a cinematic masterpiece.