The Hospital
Short description
Dr. Herbert Bock is the chief of medicine at a large Manhattan hospital, and his personal life has fallen apart: his wife has left him, his children have turned away, and he has begun to contemplate suicide. The hospital itself is in turmoil, with a string of strange deaths among the medical staff and growing unrest over the care being provided. Into this crisis comes Barbara Drummond, the daughter of a comatose patient, whose presence pulls Bock away from his despair even as the deaths around him demand answers.
The film was directed by Arthur Hiller, the fourth of seventeen features he made in chronological order, following The Out-of-Towners and preceding Plaza Suite. Paddy Chayefsky wrote the screenplay and produced alongside Howard Gottfried. George C. Scott leads as Bock, with Diana Rigg as Barbara, Barnard Hughes as her father, and Richard Dysart, Stephen Elliott and Donald Harron among the credited cast of sixty-nine.
Released in December 1971, the film took in about 20 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 7.1 rating from roughly 8,100 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.6 from a much smaller group of 114 votes. A critics' rating of 7.8 from thirteen reviews places it somewhat above the audience scores recorded on both platforms.
What's left behind the scenes
- In order not to interfere with the normal functioning of the hospital, the film crew occupied two floors in the building of the new psychiatric ward for indoor filming, which was under construction at the time and was only scheduled to open in January 1972, i.e., after the completion of filming.
- In 1995, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
- George C. Scott (1927-1999) was cast as Dr. Bock, but he almost lost the role when the actor demanded a $3 million fee (a very substantial fee at the time). The role was offered to Rod Steiger (1925-2002), but his demands were even more excessive, and the role ultimately went to Scott.
- Barnard Hughes (1915-2006) appeared on screen in two roles – Edmond Drummond, and also (in makeup and a wig) as the surgeon Dr. Mallory. Initially, this confused some viewers, as they recognized him and assumed Drummond was pretending to be Mallory. It didn't occur to them that these were two different characters.
- George C. Scott was initially cast as Doctor Boca, but he was passed over after demanding a $3 million fee. The role was then offered to Rod Steiger, but his demands were even more insatiable.
- To avoid disrupting the normal functioning of the hospital, the film crew occupied two floors of a new psychiatric ward that was under construction at the time and was scheduled to open after filming ended.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
