The Cobweb

The Cobweb (1955)

  • 80% of critics liked it
    (5 reviews)

  • 59% of users liked it
    (315 ratings)

William Gibson's novel The Cobweb was brought to the screen by MGM with an impressive, hand-picked cast. Richard Widmark plays the head of a posh psychiatric clinic. Widmark's wife Gloria Grahame jockeys for the honor of selecting new drapes for the hospital's library. One wouldn't… More

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
John Paxton, William Gibson
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1955 Wide

Critic Reviews

  • Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

    Strange, unique look at mental asylum is both visually and dramatically brilliant.

  • Niki Patton, Martha's Vineyard Times (Massachusetts)

    With its usual twist, it's surprising that The Cobweb hasn't become a cult classic. This '50's studio picture combines the ever popular Hollywood topic of mental illness with interior decorating.

  • Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

    Quintessential Minnelli melodrama is also a personal film: Set in an asylum in which the conflict concerns the kinds of drapes to be used, it offers inside look at a rigid institution in which the caretakers are as needy as the patients.

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    The highlight of the film was Oscar Levant singing "Mother" while being sedated.

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • jay n


    It's all about the DRAPES!!!! Truly odd film is loaded with great actors and a ludicrous story. How it ever got the green light from the studio is mystery number one, that Vincente Minnelli said okay to directing it is the second although that would explain why so many great… More

  • The Movie W


    Minnelli managed to assemble an all star cast for such a strange concept. On paper it would seem like the plot of a screwball comedy but the movie is played completely straight, and is all the worse for it. You'll be screaming at the characters to lighten up. None of them are… More

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