5/4/2019 0 Comments Analysis XIV: The CobwebDrapes signal the end of the world in the 1955 film, The Cobweb directed by Vincente Minnelli. The film follows Dr. Stewart 'Mac' McIver (Richard Widmark) as he attempts to balance his professional life helping the mentally disturbed while trying to spend time with his wife Karen (Gloria Grahame) and his children. The main conflict arises when Dr. McIver comes up with a plan to have the patients design new drapes for a lounge area of the institute rather than going with the planned concept. The prominently featured patient Steven Holte (John Kerr) is placed in charge of designing the new drapes and this greatly aids his recovery. However, McIver's wife is upset by how her husband splits his time and puts up her own drapes. This sends Steve into a rage, causing him to storm off and run away from the facility. In the end, Dr. Devanal (Charles Boyer) steps down from his position as lead official at the facility and gives the position to Dr. McIver. McIver and his wife then find Steve who has returned to the facility, and let him sleep in their houses, wrapped in a blanket bearing the design of the drapes he hated so much. In this analysis, I will primarily be analyzing the film's usage of themes and social commentary For a film that often seems a bit confused and disorganized, it does possess its share of themes to focus on. One such theme is equality of nature. Despite there being a separation between patients and staff in the mental institute of the film, there is one clear difference between this one and the majority of other facilities like it. The patients are often presented on a level playing field with the staff, as pictured in the scene above, during forums. While patients are treated as such in the facility, they are all treated with respect and most of the time they act as though they deserve this. Patients act civil during these forums, they don't interrupt eachother, or cause scenes during these meetings. Insightfully, blogger Matías Piñeiro summed this up quite well by adding, "Through Minnelli’s eyes, there are no good guys or bad guys. All the characters share the same cobweb: a CinemaScope frame that avoids close-ups". The lack of close-ups in the film do help to create a shared space in the film that creates an ecosystem for characters and avoids isolation. This reinforces the theme that despite one half of the institute's population being mentally ill, they stand equal to the sane staff as human beings and the director conveys this idea admittedly well. Another theme is balance. Dr. McIver clearly lacks balance in his life and this causes his wife to feel neglected. However, McIver also knows that his institute is ready to fall apart at the seams and that without his help, things will completely unravel rather quickly. Yet as people, we must all learn to balance our own needs and wants, not neglecting anything too important. ![]() Now one might expect a film made in the 1950's to critique the mentally ill as animals that need a firm hand to set them straight. Yet this film does not take that approach. In this way, the movie is years before its time, reflecting more modern attitudes rather than views common at the time. Yet another major difference is that in the 1950s, medical professionals lacked the same tools to help the mentally ill overcome their ailments. Dr. McIver still tries to help his patients anyway but therein lies another interesting element of the film. In the movie, the different staff members feud over the best way to handle the drapes, which is a metaphor for how to handle the patients. McIver wants them to embrace their creativity and thus, help them to realize their own potential. This contrasts with the other doctors, who tend to prefer the cheapest solution to fix the problem, oblivious to a great plan that will help the patients succeed. As a film, The Cobweb may be somewhat sparse in terms of material, but it's portrayal of the mentally ill and their treatment is quite advanced. Despite being one small film in the grand scheme of things, it took a multitude of small steps to lead up to the big change experienced later on in American society, one that treats mental illness as a very real threat and treats it accordingly.
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