Herbert Block is chief of medicine in a major teaching hospital. His wife has left him, he is impotent and his children have both disowned him. He is toying with the idea of suicide when patients begin dying, not from complications, but from the erroneous treatments the Hospital is giving them. People in the wrong beds are given wrong medicines, sent to operating theaters for incorrect surgery, and found in waiting rooms dead of natural causes. Barbara Drummond has come to take her comatose father back to the Sioux reservation where he operates a clinic and they each reach out to each other for emotional support, as a shadowy figure stalks the patients and staff of the hospital. –IMDb
Arthur Hiller, OC (born 22 November 1923) is a Canadian film director. His filmography includes 33 major studio releases, including the 1970 film Love Story. A film festival in Hiller’s name was held each spring from 2006 until 2009 at his alma mater, Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts, in tribute for his continued support of the school.
Hiller was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and graduated from University College, University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947, a Master of Arts degree in psychology in 1950 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1995.
Hiller began his show business career in television for the CBC in Toronto in the 1950s, and was a successful television director before moving into films and Hollywood. In the 1950s Hiller directed an episode of the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents entitled “Disappearing Trick” which starred Betsy von Furstenberg and Robert Horton. He also directed a number of episodes of Thriller. read more
Not only is it a complex dry dark comedy but its also an engaging character study! George C. Scott delivers such an amazing performance that balances depression and moral responsibility. Though I think Network established Paddy Chayefsky as an unique voice, this shows him as a good storyteller.
Chayefsky is almost infallible at giving the toughest and loudest social and existencial commentaries under the veil of comedy. He did that flawlessly in "Marty" and "Network", but not here. Still, George C. Scott is magnificent, as always. His rage and tortuous pain seem on the surface all the time, like he really was the character he plays.
I know Network is technically a better film but something about this film keeps me coming back more often. I LOVE George C. Scott. I love George C. Scott's face. If a movie features him in some kind of despair I'm there. The dialogue is needless to say great. I really Rigg too in this film.
