The Cobweb (film)
| The Cobweb | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Vincente Minnelli |
| Produced by |
John Houseman Jud Kinberg |
| Screenplay by | John Paxton |
| Based on |
The Cobweb (1954 novel) by William Gibson |
| Starring |
Richard Widmark Lauren Bacall Charles Boyer Gloria Grahame |
| Music by | Leonard Rosenman |
| Cinematography | George Folsey |
| Edited by | Harold F. Kress |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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124 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,976,000 |
| Box office | $1,978,000 |
The Cobweb (1955) is a MGM Eastmancolor film. It was directed by Vincente Minnelli and based on a novel by William Gibson. It was released on DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection on January 18, 2011.
The film features an elite cast, revolving around the disturbed psyches of inmates and staff members at a posh psychiatric clinic. Stewart McIver (Richard Widmark) leads the way as the head of the clinic, while his wife Karen (Gloria Grahame) takes it upon herself to select new drapes for the hospital's library. These seemingly ordinary drapes set off a melodrama with an equal amount of love and lunacy.
The opening credits are followed by the following onscreen words:
"The trouble began."
At the end of the film, the words appear onscreen.
"The trouble was over."
Dr. Stewart McIver (Richard Widmark) is now in charge of a psychiatric facility, one run for many years by medical director Dr. Douglas Devanal (Charles Boyer).
McIver must address the needs of a number of disturbed patients, among them Steven Holte (John Kerr), a possibly suicidal artist, and the self-loathing Mr. Capp (Oscar Levant). All of his responsibilities keep McIver so busy that his wife, Karen (Gloria Grahame), feels increasingly frustrated and ignored.
When new drapes are needed for the clinic's library, the dour and penny-pinching Victoria Inch (Lillian Gish) orders unattractive ones. Karen McIver takes it upon herself to buy a more expensive and colorful set instead, gaining the approval of chairman of the board Regina Mitchell-Smythe (Mabel Albertson) but without the knowledge of her husband. What should be an insignificant matter is complicated further by Dr. McIver giving the patients, principally Stevie, permission to design and create the new drapes themselves.
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