Strait-Jacket

Starring:Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, Howard St. John, John Anthony Hayes, Rochelle Hudson, George Kennedy, Edith Atwater, Mitchell Cox, Howard Hoffman, Patricia Crest, Vicki Cos, Laura Hess, Robert Ward, Patty Lee, Lee Majors, Lyn Lundgren
Director: William Castle
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Poor Joan Crawford just can't get a break. She hacks her husband to pieces and is sent away to a mental hospital; then after she comes back and tries to adjust to a normal life, there's more ax-swinging and more noggins rolling. Her pretty sculptress daughter (Diane Baker) just wants Mom to return to society and a happy, well-adjusted life... or does she? The plot is a little trite and predictable, the direction a bit staid, but it's all Joan's show anyway. Obviously director William Castle told her to play up her character's insanity, and Crawford turns the knob on the acting meter up to 10, then breaks it off and throws it away. She spectacularly mugs her way through the whole film, abruptly changing from severe schoolmarm to trampy vamp and back again several times. The scene where Mom meets her daughter's fiancée for the first time is particularly memorable; Mom guzzles half an iced-tea glass full of bourbon, then crawls all over the boyfriend while the viewer squirms uncomfortably. Back in '64, lucky moviegoers were given little cardboard axes when this feature made its run in the theaters. Sadly, the cardboard axes are long gone, but this is still highly recommended for fans of Crawford, Castle, and high-powered thespianism in general. --Jerry Renshaw

Customer Reviews:

Creepy.......2007-03-13

This film put me in mind of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane".
Just the kind of distorted role you expect to see Bette Davis in.
Joan Crawford did an outstanding job in this movie and proved to
me she can be just as creepy as Bette. Surprises all the way to the
end, even after the movie. You'll see what I mean when you watch it.
Definately a must see!!

Joan Does It Again.............2006-12-06

If you like Joan Crawford, and suspenseful thrillers, with a tasteful am out of gore, this is it.
I love this movie!!

This axe is sharp!.......2006-11-13

A good transfer of this classic Castle shocker with a few decent extras including screen tests of Joan Crawford swinging that axe. Crawford is fantastic and pulls out all the stops - you want crazy...she's it!

battle-axe.......2006-06-18

The star, Joan Crawford, and the period (early 60s) makes this work.
It's shuddery and creepy, though shlocky/cartoonish.

It's undeniably fun, but it's not even William Castle's best work, for goodness sake.

Imagine if he'd really done a better job on this film without leaving all the responsibility to Joan.

Joan's first encounter with the AXE.......2006-02-23

We've all seen Mommie Dearest. It's obvious that Tina took lots of things from her mother's movies to create that psychotic, yet comedic portrayal of her mom. Well, this gem of a film is loaded with Mommie Dearest source material. A must-have for any Crawford fan!

Investigative Reports - Untying The Strait Jacket

Average customer rating:

A powerful video on mental illness

Investigative Reports - Untying The Strait Jacket

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Investigative Reports - Shattered Mind
Understanding Mental Illness and Schizophrenia
Understanding Bi-Polar Disorder
Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness
NOVA: Dying to Be Thin

ASIN: B000FKP0MS
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Description

Some of the most horrific killers of all are found not guilty. They are the criminally insane, driven to commit crimes by psychoses and obsessions beyond their control. Instead of prison, they are committed to mental hospitals for treatment and some are eventually released. Go inside the wards of the highest-security mental institutions in America for a firsthand look at this twilight territory of the justice system. Never-before-seen footage reveals what life is like in the wards, from seclusion rooms and straitjackets to advanced treatment with anti-psychotic drugs. Meet the patients who claim to be cured and dream of their release, and learn the details of their horrifying crimes. One murdered his parents with a shotgun because a device in the attic controlled his thoughts. One, after 26 years of treatment, still believes he is a secret agent with a license to kill. And trace the saga of Hugh Kelly, released into society twenty years after committing murder and married to a woman also acquitted of murder by reason of insanity. With comments from leading security experts and criminal psychologists, this is a penetrating examination of a little-understood aspect of the justice system.

Customer Reviews:

A powerful video on mental illness.......2007-05-06

I purchased this DVD to do research for a graduate class presentation. The video is powerful.

Average customer rating:

Strait Jacket
Starring: Strait Jacket
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000641Z3G
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Description

Percy Scavenger works as a janitor at the Magnolia Mental Institution and when he learns that his nephew has escaped the hospital, he is forced to pull double duty as a detective and find him before the head psychiatrist does, whose methods of dealing with escapees are often deadly.

Average customer rating:

Strait Jacket
Starring: Strait Jacket
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Strait Jacket

Manufacturer: Evg
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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