Asylum 4K 1972

A young specialist arrives at a private psychiatric clinic in response to an advertisement placed by the chief physician to apply for a job. The hospital is located in a stately mansion, the gates open without any problems, and, as expected, the potential employee first has an interview with the head of the institution.

Here he discovers that life does not stand still: the chief physician has become a patient, and his deputy has turned this unfortunate circumstance to the advantage of the business, arranging a test of professional suitability for the prospective colleague...

The film's strengths: a captivating atmosphere, Mussorgsky's music, good acting, and a successful scene with a picturesque gallery above the staircase.

But the most important of these is the invitation to Lovecraftian correspondent Robert Bloch to serve as a screenwriter. As is well known, he had a penchant for stories related to mental disorders (Psycho, The Straitsuit, The Shadow of a Maniac) and devoted his pen mainly to the short story genre. Accordingly, the film is built on a solid literary foundation.

This is very important, as the entire film is a beautifully crafted banality. Despite the variety of plots, each of them is quite predictable, right down to the main intrigue. Therefore, the fact that predictability is insignificant can be considered a great merit of The Shining.

It is atmospheric, high-quality banality with impeccable actors, but without any overarching goal.

The impression is too obvious and therefore deceptive.

The story of Doctors Martin and Rutherford is a satirical tale about the limitations of common sense and the dangers of managing affairs through an intermediary. Rutherford's finale changes his place with the patients in the viewer's perception, because it is his normality that turns out to be madness in this place and in this situation.

The surprising is not the fruit of a disturbed mind; it is close to the victims of sanity.

As a result, the question arises: who is more deserving of the title of incurable patient?