Wrap-Up – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

This has been a great weekend of sharing information and overall appreciation of cinema related to medicine. I have to thank everyone who participated, read and commented on posts, and shared the news about this blogathon! You all definitely made this such a wonderful experience, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. I will definitely be hosting blogathons in the future!

As promised, here is a list of films to include in the wrap-up, as well as links to each day of the blogathon! Thanks again!

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society – Dr. Kildare Film Series (1938 – 1942)

Tranquil Dreams – My Sister’s Keeper (2009)

B Noir Detour – A Woman’s Face (1938 & 1941)

Day 1 Recap – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

Day 2 Recap – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

Day 3 Recap – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

I do not own the photos in this post.

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Day 3 Recap – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

We had another great day of fascinating, thought-provoking posts from the awesome bloggers partaking in the blogathon! Although this is technically the last day for the blogathon, I will write a wrap-up post tomorrow for any later entries. Enjoy perusing!

The Picture Show Girl – Good Night, Nurse! (1918)

Old School Evil – The Secret of NIMH (1982)

The Midnite Drive-In – Monk (2002 – 2009)

I Found it at the Movies – All That Jazz (1979)

Movierob – Awakenings (1990), MASH (1970), & Patch Adams (1998)

Moon in Gemini – Madame Bovary (1949)

dbmoviesblog – Spellbound (1945)

I do not own the photos in this post.

Until tomorrow for the wrap-up!

Day 2 Recap – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

So we have come to the end of the second day of the Medicine in the Movies Blogathon. The posts today have been very excellent, interesting, and educational! Here is a list for your perusing!

Cinematic Scribblings – The Wild Child (1970)

The Picture Show Girl – Dr. Jack (1922)

Champagne for Lunch – Three Men in White (1944)

Noirish – She Devil (1957)

Lifesdailylessonsblog – Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Movies Silently – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912)

Cinematic Corner – The Fountain (2006)

I do not own the photos in this post.

Until tomorrow, my fellow bloggers!

Day 1 Recap – Medicine in the Movies Blogathon!

There have been a multitude of excellent and informative posts today about medicine and its incorporation in films! I have greatly enjoyed reading them, and look forward to the next two days of posts. Here is a list so far of the bloggers and posts related to the blogathon’s theme!

Thoughts All Sorts – Tombstone (1993)

For The Love of Movies – Contagion (2011) & Persona (1966)

Movie Movie Blog Blog – A Day at the Races (1937)

Silver Screenings – Night Nurse (1931)

Picture Show Girl – High and Dizzy (1920)

Maddylovesherclassicfilms – The Nun’s Story (1959)

Realweegiemidget Reviews – K-PAX (2001)

Critica Retro – A Farewell to Arms (1932 & 1957)

The Motion Pictures – Eyewitness (1956)

Sean Munger – Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Listening to Film – Coma (1978)

and…

Yours Truly! – A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s recap of blog posts related to Medicine in the Movies!

I do not own any of the pictures in this post.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Family is an integral aspect and concept inhabiting human existence. Conflicts among those closest to us are inevitable, and their eventual resolutions may be civil or volatile. We also depend on familial relations for support, love, and resiliency. Joyous occasions, such as a birth, can facilitate immense celebration and happiness. An illness in a family member can create fear, panic, reflection, yet enhanced connectivity. Thus, it is quite evident that the idea of medicine extends beyond physical and mental illness to encompass the vital component of familial coping and interaction with their loved ones. “A Woman Under the Influence” is a brilliant 1974 drama film directed by John Cassavetes, demonstrating the wide array of familial emotions in the midst of a loved one’s illness.

Nick Longhetti (Peter Falk) is a hard-working construction worker married to Mabel (Gena Rowlands) and father to three children. He is quite preoccupied with others’ perceptions of Mabel’s eccentricities, and serves to exert a great deal of control over her decision-making and her behaviour. Mabel is acutely aware of this power dynamic, and puts a great deal of effort in trying to be a great “hostess”. She is greatly disturbed and confused by others’ expectations of her behaviour, manifesting into odd mannerisms and occasional outbursts. A variety of events over the course of a day including questionable conduct at a children’s party to a heated confrontation with her mother-in-law Margaret (Katherine Cassavetes) led to Mabel’s certification and involuntary psychiatric hospitalization for six months. Upon her return home, the familial expectation was complete cure (i.e. acting within the norms of society). It quickly became apparent that illness in any shape or form involves recovery – experiencing life in the present and using healthy coping strategies to deal with daily challenges.

This film has multiple assets which effectively conveys the stressors involved in living with mental illness. The acting is absolutely sublime. Peter Falk palpably harbours anger, confusion, and discontent with the reality of his ideal vision of family. The supporting cast’s emotions greatly increase the intensity and concern of their loved ones. However, I feel that it is Gena Rowlands’ acting talent and complete engulfment into Mabel’s world which makes this film a classic. She epitomizes the central struggle of a fragile individual living with a strained marriage and mental illness. As well, the long scenes feel improvised, allowing the viewers to watch an encounter where individuals’ behaviours evolve. Emotions heighten, and behaviours may become more unhinged and disintegrative in realtime. This enhances the fidelity of the film to many real-life circumstances, whereby the snowball effect leads to a potential familial crisis and an eventual intervention.

I believe that the title of the film lends itself to a variety of interpretations. Specifically, how was Mabel under the influence? Were her behaviours a manifestation of alcohol use, true mental illness, her personality, her reality, or her family’s expectations? In truth, a multifaceted lens needs to be adopted in understanding anyone’s behaviour. Psychiatry as well as other areas of medicine operates under a biopsychosocial model, in which biology, psychology, and social factors contribute to wellness or illness. Culture is another component influencing health care professionals’ and the public’s opinions on the manifestations of mental illness. Mabel’s behaviours and eventual hospitalization were not solely from an organic basis. They culminated from many aspects and ideas of our Western societal and cultural perception of illness, norms, and wellness.

I do not own any of the images in this post. This post is also a part of a blogathon I am hosting between May 26 – 28 related to Medicine in the Movies! Please check out other related posts over the next few days as we discuss the impact of the medical field on cinema!

Countdown to Medicine in the Movies Blogathon (May 26 – 28, 2017)!

Time flies when you are having fun blogging! I can’t believe that it is a week until I host my first blogathon. I am extremely excited to read, write, share ideas, and to learn more about medicine’s incorporation into the world of cinema. I am so pleased with the lineup of participants and topics they are going to discuss. The list is super diverse and interesting!

If interested, there is definitely still time to sign up to participate in the blogathon! Just write a message in the comments section and I will add your blog name and movie selection to the roster!

Here is a link to the original announcement containing the list of bloggers who have signed up thus far and their topic: Medicine in the Movies Blogathon Announcement! May 26 – 28, 2017

Once you send me a topic to write about, please feel free to use any of the banners below on your blog to inform others about the blogathon 🙂 Happy blogging!

Medicine in the Movies Blogathon Announcement! May 26 – 28, 2017

Hi to all! As many of you know, I am quite new to the blogging world. I just started in November, but I have been enjoying it so much. One of the best parts of blogging is connecting with others online who share and love very similar interests, and I have been finding that blogathons are such a great way to do that 🙂

I decided to launch my own blogathon with a bit of an offbeat topic. I have always found the topic of “medicine” and its varied portrayal in movies and visual media quite fascinating, as I have a background in public health and medicine. Some portrayals are quite accurate, such as the brilliant TV show Scrubs. Others are not so accurate. Either way, many are entertaining and extremely heartfelt.

So please feel free to write about any movie where there is some relation to medicine! For example, the main characters may be physicians or nurses, or they may be patients and family members dealing with illness.

Duplicates will be allowed but no more than two per movie or topic. However, you are welcome to write more than one post!

Please let me know which movie you wish to discuss! You can post your topic in the comment section below, send me a message through the “Contact” section of my blog, or send me a message through Facebook via the following link: https://www.facebook.com/charsmoviereviews/ I will keep an updated list! Please note the name of your blog and the url. Once your topic is confirmed, please use one of the pictures in this post to spread the word about this blogathon, and please tag “Medicine in the Movies” on the day which you decide to post.

I am excited about this! Happy blogging 🙂

The List So Far

Charlene’s (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews – A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Cinematic Scribblings – The Wild Child (1970)

Maddylovesherclassicfilms – The Nun’s Story (1959)

Tranquil Dreams – My Sister’s Keeper (2009)

The Movie Rat – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

I Found it at the Movies – All That Jazz (1979)

Silver Screenings – Night Nurse (1931)

Moon In Gemini – Madame Bovary (1949)

Picture Show Girl – High and Dizzy (1920), Dr. Jack (1922), & Good Night, Nurse (1918)

Realweegiemidget – K-PAX (2001)

In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood – Judy Garland’s struggle with addiction and Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001)

That William Powell Site – Arrowsmith (1931)

Movie Movie Blog Blog – A Day at the Races (1937)

Movies Silently – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912)

Champagne for Lunch – 3 Men in White (1944)

The Motion Pictures – Eyewitness (1956)

The Midnite Drive-In – Monk (2002 – 2009)

dbmoviesblog – Spellbound (1945)

Thoughts All Sorts – Tombstone (1993)

Whimsically Classic – Errol Flynn’s various roles portraying a doctor

Pfeiffer Films and Meg Movies – City of Angels (1998)

The Flapper Dame – Made for Each Other (1939)

movierob – MASH (1970)*, Awakenings (1990), & Patch Adams (1998)

Listening to Film – Coma (1978)

Michael Eddy – MASH (1970)* & The Hospital (1971)

Cinematic Corner – The Fountain (2006)

Old School Evil – The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Critica Retro – A Farewell to Arms (1932 & 1957)

seanmunger.com – Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society – Dr. Kildare film series (1938 – 1942)

B Noir Detour – A Woman’s Face (1938 & 1941)

For The Love Of Movies – Contagion (2011) & Persona (1966) 

lifesdailylessonsblog – Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Noirish – She Devil (1957)

 – * Please note that MASH has been taken twice and can thus no longer be selected as an entry in this blogathon. Thanks for understanding!