Films Illustrating Psychopathology Danny Wedding Mary Ann Boyd ...

210 Movies and Mental Illness
Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) Drama ΨΨΨ
Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth in a film about
alcoholism and marriage. Booth won an Academy
Award for Best Actress for her role.
Come Fill the Cup (1951) Drama ΨΨ
James Cagney and Jackie Gleason star in this serious
examination of the problems of alcoholism in
an ex-newspaperman.
Dark Obsession (1989) Drama/Mystery ΨΨ
Five drunken British military officers are involved in
a hit-and-run accident in which the victim dies. The
five men take a vow of silence; one is troubled by the
decision. Interesting analysis of responsibility for
one’s behavior while intoxicated.
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
Blake Edwards film starring Jack Lemmon and
Lee Remick. Lemmon teaches Remick how to
drink. Lemmon is saved by AA; Remick is unable
to stop drinking, despite the consequences.
“You see, the world looks so
dirty to me when I’m not drinking.
Joe, remember Fisherman’s
Wharf? The water when you
looked too close? That’s
the way the world looks to
me when I’m not
drinking.”
Kristen describes why
she continues to drink
in Days of Wine and Roses
Drunks (1995) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
This film is the best available introduction to
Alcoholics Anonymous. It is highly recommended
for any student who will be working with substance
abuse issues.
Educating Rita (1983) Drama ΨΨ
Michael Caine as an alcoholic college professor
who takes on the task of educating a working-class
woman.
Fire Within, The (1963) Drama ΨΨΨΨΨ
French filmmaker Louis Malle’s remarkable
account of alcoholism, suicide, and the existential
choices that confront us all.
Gervaise (1956) Drama ΨΨΨ
French film based on Emile Zola’s story about a
young Parisian woman with an alcoholic husband.
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to
seduce me. Aren’t you?”
The Graduate
Graduate, The (1967) Drama/Comedy ΨΨΨ
A telling indictment of the shallow values of the
time (e.g., “plastics”). Mrs. Robinson’s alcoholism
impairs her judgment and ruins her life.
Great Man Votes, The (1939) Drama ΨΨ
John Barrymore plays an alcoholic college professor
fighting to maintain custody of his children.
Harvey (1950) Comedy ΨΨ
Jimmy Stewart is a happy drunk who goes drinking
with Harvey, an invisible six-foot rabbit. When
hospitalized, Stewart frequently switches places
and counsels his psychiatrist, Dr. Chumley.
Iceman Cometh, The (1973) Drama ΨΨ
Lee Marvin in an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s
play about alcoholism and the pathos of dreams
unfulfilled.
I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955) Biography ΨΨΨ
Singer Lillian Roth (Susan Hayward) attempts suicide
as a way of coping with her alcoholism before
AA support helps her find her way.
Ironweed (1987) Drama ΨΨΨΨ
Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep in compelling
roles as homeless alcoholics. The film, a very realistic
portrayal of life on skid row, should be contrasted
with another excellent film made the same
year, Barfly.
Key Largo (1948) Crime ΨΨΨ
Claire Trevor won Best Supporting Actress for her
role as an alcoholic singer forced to beg gangster
Edward G. Robinson for a drink during a hurricane
in Key West.
Last Night at the Alamo (1983) Drama ΨΨΨ
Fascinating examination of bar culture in a small
Texas town. Unforgettable characters, most of
whom are coping with alcoholism and adultery.
From: Wedding, D., Boyd, M.A., & Niemiec, R.M. Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology
© 2005 Hogrefe & Huber Publishers (www.hogrefe.com)