The Caretakers

The Caretakers (released in the UK as Borderlines) is a 1963 American drama film starring Robert Stack, Polly Bergen, Diane McBain, Joan Crawford and Janis Paige[4][5][6] in a story about a mental hospital.

The Caretakers
Original theatrical poster
Directed byHall Bartlett
Produced byHall Bartlett
Screenplay byHenry F. Greenberg
Story by
Based onthe book by Dariel Telfer
StarringRobert Stack
Polly Bergen
Joan Crawford
Janis Paige
Diane McBain
Music byElmer Bernstein
CinematographyLucien Ballard, A.S.C.
Edited byWilliam B. Murphy, A.C.E.
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
August 21, 1963 (1963-08-21)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2,050,000 (US/Canada)[1] $1,110,000 (Foreign) [2][3]

The screenplay was adapted by Henry F. Greenberg from a story by Hall Bartlett and Jerry Paris[4] based on the 1959 novel The Caretakers by Dariel Telfer.[7][8] The film was produced and directed by Bartlett, co-produced by Paris and distributed by United Artists. The Caretakers is reminiscent of The Snake Pit (1948), a film set in a similar hospital. The on-screen text in opening credits states: "Dedicated to the caretakers whose research and sacrifice discover truth. For Beba, Alice, Paul, Cathy, Laurie, Pearl, Margaret, Warren, Arthur".

Plot

Optimistic psychiatrist Dr. Donovan MacLeod wants to prove his theory that mental patients can benefit from group therapy. His method of treatment, with no violence or punishment, is met with a great deal of resistance from his unyielding and self-righteous head nurse, Lucretia Terry, who believes in traditional methods such as strait-jackets and padded cells for treating the mentally ill.

Head of the hospital Dr. Harrington is weak-willed. Terry's assistant, nurse Bracken, supports her superior's stand. After much trial and error and the harrowing near-rape of a patient, MacLeod's ideas prevail in spite of the opposition and meet some success.

Patients include distraught mother Lorna Medford, former prostitute Marion, pyromaniac Edna, and former schoolteacher Irene.

Cast

Production

Co-writer/co-producer Jerry Paris appears in The Caretakers as a passerby Lorna bumps into on the street.

Joan Crawford arranged for each day's scenes with veteran actor Herbert Marshall, an old friend who was in frail health, to be shot first, thus allowing him to finish his work early in the day.[9]

Crawford was on the board of directors of PepsiCo, and product placements for Pepsi-Cola include a scene at the hospital picnic, which features a wagon that is dispensing the soft drink.

Reception

Variety wrote "Miss Crawford doesn't so much play her handful of scenes as she dresses for them, looking as if she were en route to a Pepsi board meeting", and called the film a "superficial, ineptly-plotted drama"[10] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times noted "Altogether, this woman's melodrama is shallow, showy, and cheap - a badly commercial exploitation of very sensitive material."[10]

Despite some negative reviews, the film grossed over $3 million worldwide, ranking #57 on Variety's list of top grossing films for 1963.[11]

Awards and nominations

The Caretakers received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for Lucien Ballard. It received Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama for Polly Bergen, and Best Motion Picture Director for Hall Bartlett.

Home media

The Caretakers was released on Region 1 DVD on April 15, 2010, through Amazon.com as part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Top Rental Features of 1963", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 71. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross.
  2. The United Artists Story by Ronald Bergen
  3. Bret 2008, p. 275.
  4. "The Caretakers". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  5. Variety film review; July 3, 1963, page 6.
  6. Kaplan (1983). Variety Film Reviews, Vol. 10, 1959 - 1963. India: Education-Garla Books. ISBN 978-0824052096.
  7. Telfer, Dariel (1959). The Caretakers (1st ed.). New York City: Signet Books. ASIN B00005XBH2.
  8. Telfer, Dariel (1969). The Caretakers (Paperback ed.). New York City: Signet Books. ISBN 978-0451017901.
  9. Quirk & Schoell 2002, p. 213.
  10. University of Southern California; Division of Cinema; American Film Institute; Center for Understanding Media. Filmfacts, Volume 6. p. 180.
  11. "The Top Box-Office Hits of 1963", Variety Weekly, January 7, 1963.
  12. "The Caretakers". MGM Home Entertainment. MGM Holdings. April 15, 2010. ASIN B003B3O5GI. Retrieved November 14, 2016.

Sources
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