The Happiness Cage

Format:	TV Movie
Year:	1972
Country:	International
Language:	English
Genre:	Drama, Science Fiction
IMDB:	IMDB Page
Rating:	7.0 Rate
Collection:	Seen It Wishlist
Community:	1 Has Seen


Director	Bernard Girard
Selected Cast	Christopher Walken as Privatz James H. Reese
	Joss Ackland as Dr. Frederick
	Ralph Meeker as The Major
	Ronny Cox as Sergeant Boford Miles

Notes

aka "The Mind Snatchers".
Denmark / USA co-production.

Comments and Reviews


Magic Marmalade 13th Sep 2023		Rated 7/10 Weird, quirky little film. There are two basic associations to be made in connection with this movie, in order to convey what it is about: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and A Clockwork Orange. (Not bad company to keep, I'd say!) But this is basically a three man stage play (with a couple of other peripheral characters), about a troubled soldier, who gets arrested for acting on his mental disturbances, one night, and finds himself farmed off to a country mansion to be experimented on by a Doctor, in order to "fix" him, under the auspices of the military, as part of an experimental project. He is interred with an equally troubled room mate: also ex-soldier: Ronny Cox... (Who's wild, brash, charismatic character basically steals the show) And it's essentially a "talky" movie, which feels like it exists somewhere between the flower power sixties and the seventies, in terms of tone, and subject. The obvious theme is a direct allusion to the Nazi experimental programmes, and the ideas of free will, and person-hood. There's a disturbing rape scene, the consequence of the situation acting on Cox's already disturbed mind, but thankfully, this calls things for what they are, which contrary to modern popular belief, doesn't fall into that idea that people back then didn't realize what things were, or think of them other than the crimes they are - "It was a different time..." etc. ...No. this is proof to the contrary. A weird, sixties "Groovy" soundtrack tune at the beginning, and a little later, quite an intriguing Tangerine Dream style tune... But other than this, it is a fairly flat out, stage play style drama, rather than a "movie", so to speak. The three central actors here all give very strong performances, that essentially carry the show: Joss Ackland's doctor, and the two inmates: Walken and Cox. The only other point of note is the many names this seems to go by for some reason: As mentioned in notes, as well as: The Happiness Cage, and as the title screen shows: The Mind Snatchers, it also seems to go by just: Mind Snatchers, and indeed, on the packaging of the DVD I watched this from: Mind Snatcher. Bizarre. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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