Plot & Details
A "bad movie" with a fervent fan following, The Caretakers is set in a bleak mental institution. Joan Crawford plays the hard-bitten head nurse (we first see her taking a karate lesson!) who is dead set against the progressive theories of new doctor Robert Stack. After a few minutes' exposure to the inmates, half the audience has sided with Crawford. The most disturbed individual in the place is Polly Bergen, who never speaks when screaming will do. But thanks to the compassionate treatment of Dr. Stack, it is Bergen who saves the day by preventing fellow inmate Barbara Barrie from burning the institution to the ground. Virtually every scene in The Caretakers is a gem of glorious excess, including the obligatory shock-treatment vignette. The film strives to avoid subtlety, but its fans wouldn't have it any other way.
- Genre(s): Drama
- Run Time: 97min.
- Distributor(s): United Artists
- Director(s): Hall Bartlett
- Starring: Robert Stack , Polly Bergen , Joan Crawford , Janis Paige , Diane McBain
- Themes: Doctors and Patients
- Tone: Disturbing,Frantic,Passionate,Stylized,Tense
- Keywords: doctor,group-therapy,mental-institution,mental-patient,nurse
Awards
Golden Globes
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Director | Hall Bartlett | Nominated |
| 1963 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | Polly Bergen | Nominated |
| 1963 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Picture - Drama | Nominated |
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