MovieChat Forums > The Snake Pit (1948) Discussion > The Snake Pit= a sexist film about women

The Snake Pit= a sexist film about women

posted 14 years ago by pixienat
16 replies | jump to latest

First impression and i've read a lot about 1950s post-WWII America, the "crazy" woman, a warning to men that their wife maybe a nutcase, probably because she's sleeping around and has a paying job.

If this film wanted to be accurate it would show the man insane, the post-war veteran having some issues. Why is he perfectly fine and only the wife is crazy? Must because they have no kids.

"And then I was being chased my an improperly filled in bubble screaming 'None of the above!' ".

[–] Clemencedane 10 years ago

I don't think it was a political film in that way at all. It's based on a book which was based on one woman's personal experiences in a psychiatric hospital. It was not meant to be a blanket statement about women with careers and there was nothing about "sleeping around" either. Really, I think it was a pioneering film finally acknowledging psychoanalysis and its role in helping people.

Have you actually watched the film?

[–] ziggystar86 9 years ago

Haven't seen this yet, about to Watch, maybe it was sexist, it was made in the 40s anyway. But personally Interested to watch a movie about a woman with a mental illness, that's why I'm seeing this and too because I wnat to see how it was in the 40s.

Not everyone are mentally ill, propably the man just happened to be the one who was healthy.