Synopsis
A newly qualified surgeon takes the blame for his drug addict colleague after the death their patient through neglect.
Behind the Mask
Cast
Director
Producers
Writer
Original Writer
Casting
Editor
Cinematography
Executive Producer
Production Design
Composer
Sound
Costume Design
Makeup
Hairstyling
Studios
Country
Language
Alternative Titles
Hinter der Maske, 人性与面具, 비하인드 더 마스크
Genre
Releases by Date
Theatrical
-
Sweden
Releases by Country
Sweden
23 Nov 1958
- Theatrical
Popular reviews
More-
I have dedicated my entire life to being crazily fixated on the Redgraves, which is surprising but true. But if for the first 14 years of my life I was mainly interested Vanessa, the years after that I only adored her father madly. In this scene where both a father and daughter are playing, my panic knows no bounds.
We are equally enthralled by both the incredibly realistic operating room scenes and the psychological tension in these situations between the characters, which is to be expected given the film's exploration of serious themes. A patient's unexpected death, the respected hospital's head who is gradually losing his composure, his gorgeous and fervently devoted daughter, a Polish doctor with a history of…
-
Drama unfolding in the elite circles of cardiac surgeons. As the subject isn't as exciting as it could be, I might as well point out what's likely to stay with me for more than 72 hours.
First of all, this is the first film role for Vanessa Redgrave, who, as in real life, plays her father's daughter (warning: mise en abyme). Secondly, the film deals with two subjects that, to my knowledge, have received little attention in European cinema: firstly, medical error or negligence and, secondly, the problems of drug addiction in the hospital environment.
There's no denying the obvious: the two Redgraves, father and daughter, shine whenever they're on screen. As for Carl Möhner, the German actor playing the Polish anesthesiologist Carl Romek, he's perfect here.
A DVD zone "nepotism in the land of medical mandarins".
-
Aren't you afraid they'll accuse you of wanting to found a dynasty?
The reference in the title to masks, Redgrave's character's sweaty panic at the audience watching him in the medical theatre, the sense in which he's a charismatic fraud, the casting of his own daughter amid all the talk of legacy and dynasties, the way he's feminised (referred to as an 'old woman', costumed as a dandy who always has a buttonhole flower) – this makes for a fascinating watch given Redgrave's own biography, particularly his struggles with performance anxiety and fear of exposure over his sexuality.
It's quite a dry and stuffy production, but this echoes the environment it's portraying of the NHS in the late 50s; the old boys' club, the cronyism, the covering up of mistakes.
It's interesting to see Vanessa Redgrave in her first role, her father's face dissolving into her own in an apt crossfade.
-
Notable for being Vanessa Redgrave's cinematic debut, Behind The Mask is a fairly accurate and engrossing, albeit somewhat slow-moving, look at the life of a newly qualified surgeon and the old boys network that exists within the NHS.
Tony Britton stars as our hero, Philip Selwood, a freshly qualified surgical registrar on the firm of the respected but ailing consultant Sir Arthur Benson Gray, played by Michael Redgrave. Selwood is also engaged to his mentor's daughter, Pamela (Vanessa Redgrave) which makes them rather tight, until an issue of malpractice within the hospital rears its head.
Carl Möhner co-stars as Dr Carl Romek, a Polish anaesthetist who is something of an outsider from 'The Pack' (the title of the novel this…
-
Finally done with my dissertation and largely over the stresses of uni, so how better to celebrate than with some silver-haired Michael Redgrave??
-
Behind the Mask (Brian Desmond Hurst, 1958) 6/10
Rare but undistinguished British hospital drama has the distinction of being 21-year old Vanessa Redgrave's film debut - she would not appear in another film for 8 years when she returned with a bang and luckily never left. A promising young surgeon (Tony Britton) gets the chance to work under the aegis of a distinguished senior surgeon (Sir Michael Redgrave) and is engaged to his daughter (Vanessa Redgrave - very tall, very slim and very glamorous). His trials and tribulations at the hospital along with his interactions with other doctors (Carl Möhner, Niall MacGinnis) form the basis of the story. Minor film is not without interest although its only claim to fame is to see a very young Vanessa play on screen for the only time with her father.
-
Vanessa Redgrave’s film debut, this is an underwhelming, overtheatrical look inside the hospital system. The social messages are painted with broad strokes at the expense of character development. The performances are all over-the-top, even for the time, and the score is used to manipulate emotion rather than support realism. Decent screenplay.
-
Middling British surgeon drama. Notable for starting Michael and Vanessa Redgrave.
-
Hospital drama about a young surgeon (Tony Britton) who has everything going for him. He's part of "the pack," that is, he's a well connected, talented man who's lined up to get a prime position under Sir Arthur Benson Gray (Michael Redgrave). He's even dating the guy's daughter (Vanessa Redgrave in her first role). Everything's fine until somebody dies because he's not at his post.
It's pretty pedestrian fare, talky, and clunky in bits. I personally think Vanessa Redgrave is an awesome actress, but she's entirely forgettable in this. Her father doesn't fare much better.
-
The plot of Behind the Mask (a patient dies because her doctor is busy helping a drug addict colleague after an overdose) is an interesting one, but the film feels incredibly wooden. There are good actors in it (including Michael Redgrave, and his daughter Vanessa, in her first film role), but it's very stuffy and proper and is shot in a very static, bland way.
-
A really well acted yet clumsy film which focuses far too much on meaningless fluff (eg the engagement) and misses the opportunity for more searching drama through the medical issues it tries to cover. The theatrical actors (Redgrave and Britton particularly) do sterling work though.