The Snake Pit Blu-ray - Olivia de Havilland

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Anatole Litvak
USA 1948

Shocking and highly controversial at the time of release, The Snake Pit broke new ground in Hollywood cinema for its depiction of mental illness and its treatment. Olivia de Havilland (Gone with the Wind; The Heiress), delivers an astounding performance as a young bride who suffers a breakdown and finds herself committed to an asylum.

Director Anatole Litvak (Sorry, Wrong Number; Anastasia) had to fight to persuade producer Darryl Zanuck to back the film, but the result remains one of the most potent and powerful films to tackle the subject and was an influence on later works such as Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor (1963), Robert Rossen’s Lilith (1964) and Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975).

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In this psychological drama, Virginia Cunningham (Olivia de Havilland) is confused upon finding herself in a mental hospital, with no memory of her arrival at the institution. Tormented by delusions and unable to even recognize her husband, Robert (Mark Stevens), she is treated by Dr. Mark Kik (Leo Genn), who is determined to get to the root of her mental illness. As her treatment progresses, flashbacks depict events in Virginia's life that may have contributed to her instability.

Posters

Theatrical Release: November 4th, 1948

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Review: Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:47:56.470
Video	1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,215,594,716 bytes Feature: 31,825,278,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.95 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Region
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Indicator 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,215,594,716 bytes Feature: 31,825,278,528 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.95 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio commentary with author and film historian Aubrey Solomons • The Battles of Olivia de Havilland (2019): critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson discusses the revered actor’s illustrious career (9:27) • Neil Sinyard on ‘The Snake Pit’ (2019): A new appreciation by the author and film historian (30:59) • Theatrical trailer (2:23) • Image gallery: On-set and promotional photography • Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Lindsay Hallam, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits Blu-ray Release Date: April 22nd, 2019 Transparentd Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Indicator bring The Snake Pit to to Blu-ray via a "4K remaster from the original negative". It's on a dual-layered Blu-ray in 1080P with a max'ed out bitrate. Like many Fox films of this era - the source is in pristine condition and the 4K restoration looks fabulous in 1080P. It is in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and beautifully film-like with impressive contrast and some occasional depth. On my system this looked exquisite.

The film is transferred in the original 1.0 mono, via a linear PCM transfer. The film features a dramatic score by Alfred Newman (No Way Out, The Diary of Anne Frank, Bus Stop, Blood and Sand, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Panic in the Streets, The Song of Bernadette etc. etc.) that adds tension to The Snake Pit. The dialogue is consistent and audible. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on this Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

Indicator include the informative audio commentary with author and film historian Aubrey Solomon from the 2004 Fox DVD. It goes into detail about the medical procedures, director Litvak, Olivia de Havilland and the author of the novel, Mary Jane Ward. New are the 10-minute long The Battles of Olivia de Havilland with critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson discussing the revered actor’s illustrious career. Under Analysis is a new in-depth appreciation by author and film historian Neil Sinyard running over 1/2 hour giving some further analysis of the production options. There is an original theatrical trailer and image gallery of on-set and promotional photography. Indicator's package has a limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Lindsay Hallam, an account of The Snake Pit’s production, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

I have always found this a hard film to watch because it is so effective with many horrifically sad moments. I am heart-broken by The Snake Pit's characters. Like many disc viewings - this is enhanced by the higher resolution presentation. Indicator's 4K restored Blu-ray transfer is exemplary and I appreciated the, albeit repeat, commentary and new interview supplements for this devastatingly impacting film.