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The Caretakers

Play trailer Poster for The Caretakers Released Aug 21, 1963 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 23% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Dr. MacLeod (Robert Stack), an idealistic psychiatrist, has developed a new type of therapy for severely disturbed individuals at a mental institution. However, head nurse Lucretia Terry (Joan Crawford) resists these changes, feeling that the only effective ways of dealing with patients are force and punishment. Even though MacLeod is rebuffed by many of the hospital staff, his methods show promise on some patients, including the frenzied Lorna Medford (Polly Bergen).

Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com The only good thing in this campy Joan Crawford mental hospital flick is the Oscar-nominated cinematography by Lucien Ballard. Rated: C Aug 23, 2012 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An unintentionally funny overwrought melodrama. Rated: C- Mar 22, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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SICKS6SIX S Anyone who didn't understand this film hasn't been sectioned yet. They are brutal. Drug crazed murderers in white coats. The only way you will understand this film is by becoming their victim and you don't want that. The word CARE should be deleted from their job reference. They create nightmares for people of all ages 6 to 60 everyone's catered for. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review steve d A few good performances, some terrible ones and a weak script. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is SOOO poorly made. In most sciences you can see the shadow of the microphones. Several reviews state how good it is because of how it deals with mental health issues. That maybe but has really poorly predictable acting Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/10/19 Full Review ashley h The Caretakers is a decent film. It is about the trials of the mentally ill and their care-givers in an over-crowded ward of a hospital. Joan Crawford and Robert Stack give good performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. Hall Bartlett did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Decent little melodrama about waring philosophies of how to treat patients at a mental hospital. Joan Crawford is the old school head nurse who wants to lock up and isolate the crazies, while Robert Stack is the young idealistic doctor who sees them as patients and wants to treat them with his radical new ideas around "group therapy". The script is pretty smart and there are some good performances, but the film feels like a poorly edited TV movie. Not as good as it could have been, but not bad either. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Dull, trite insane asylum story Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Caretakers

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The Caretakers

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dr. MacLeod (Robert Stack), an idealistic psychiatrist, has developed a new type of therapy for severely disturbed individuals at a mental institution. However, head nurse Lucretia Terry (Joan Crawford) resists these changes, feeling that the only effective ways of dealing with patients are force and punishment. Even though MacLeod is rebuffed by many of the hospital staff, his methods show promise on some patients, including the frenzied Lorna Medford (Polly Bergen).
Director
Hall Bartlett
Producer
Hall Bartlett
Screenwriter
Henry F. Greenberg
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Hall Bartlett Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 21, 1963, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 22, 2017
Runtime
1h 37m