There, Virginia is befriended by Grace (Celeste Holm), who tries to protect her from the wrath of the humorless nurses. Another patient is Beulah Bondi, who believes she is the epitome of wealth and fashion. Virginia is herded about by various nurses, all of whom are as unpleasant and hostile as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Virginia is also routed through the hospital's various levels, where patients are segregated by their degree of mental impairment and potential for violence.
Fortunately for Virginia, a predictably handsome staff doctor, Kik (Leo Genn) takes a strong interest in her, and patiently perseveres in successful psychotherapy. It seems that Virginia had a loveless mother (Natalie Schafer, later from "Gilligan's Island") and a father who doted on her. But whenever Virginia had a dispute with her meddlesome mother, the spineless father invariably took the side of the mother, aggravating poor Virginia.
When father suddenly died, Virginia blamed herself, supposing her anger toward him caused his death. This trauma was later repeated when her take-charge older boyfriend Gordon (Leif Erickson) also died.
So, according to Dr. Kik, who is always right, this being a movie, Virginia has gone mad from the fear that her love for Robert will make him die, too. Once all this is made clear to Virginia, she is ready for the real world. A happy ending for everyone, except Virginia's disturbed best friend Hester (Betsy Blair). But maybe electric shock treatment will work for her also.
The film was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Mary Jane Ward. It soon came out that the novel was autobiographical. Ward had been institutionalized, and effectively rescued by a brilliant psychoanalyst, Dr. Gerard Chrzanowski, who told others to refer to him as "Dr. Kik" since it was easier for Americans to pronounce.
Arthur Laurents claimed in his autobiography to have written the second draft of the screenplay, after director Litvak was unhappy with the efforts of Frank Partos and Millen Brand. Per Laurents, he was denied screen guild credit because of unethical actions by Partos and Brand. It was Brand's only film credit, and the only Oscar nomination that Partos received. Partos' other writing credits are undistinguished aside from The Uninvited (1944), a nifty low-budget horror film.
How others will see it. The Snake Pit was well received. It garnered six Oscar nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, and of course, Best Actress. de Havilland lost to an actress (former Ronald Reagan spouse Jane Wyman) also playing a character with both a handicap and a kindly doctor.
At the box office, the film also did well, tied for sixth place for the year, again with Wyman's Johnny Belinda.
Today at imdb, the film has a respectable and consistent user rating of 7.7 out of 10. But the vote total is low at 4K, especially given the film's several Oscar nominations. User reviews dwell on the ground-breaking and fairly realistic depiction of an American mental hospital, ignoring the stereotypical aspects of the handsome devoted doctor, glamorous lead actress, ideal boyfriend/husband, and wicked (step)mother. de Havilland's failure to secure the coveted Oscar is chalked off as too much, too soon following her win just two years prior for To Each His Own, suggesting that Wyman's mute performance was less deserving.
How I felt about it. de Havilland is convincing, and the mental patients and malevolent nurse (Helen Craig) are fun. We especially like Bee Humphries thumbing her nose at authority via a ragged and unexpected musical performance of "Sweet Georgia Brown."
Still, there are limits to where the film can go. Electric shock treatment is depicted as constructive, instead of as a punishment for misbehaving inmates, as in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The latter film gets it right. Also, the dark side of the insane is underplayed. And would parental Dr. Curtis (Howard Freeman) actually wave his finger rudely at length in front of a mental patient?
It is apparent that Dr. Kik has a personal involvement with Virginia. When he fights to prevent her from leaving the institution to live with her husband, is it actually because he enjoys his sessions with her? Would he spend as much time on an older, homely patient? When Virginia claims to no longer be in love with him, we roll our eyes. With her father complex?
A would-be moving, but unconvincing, scene has Jan Clayton singing "Goin' Home" at a dance. The setting is a lunatic asylum and not a supper club.