It's 1944 and Capt. Josiah J. Newman (Gregory Peck) is in charge of the military neuropsychiatric ward. Other staff includes Cpl. Jake Leibowitz (Tony Curtis) and nurse Lt. Francie Corum (Angie Dickinson).
The military is resistant to Newman and his views on PTSD. He is challenged at every turn. The movie itself was probably at the cutting edge in 1963. The movie was filmed 10 years after the end of the Korean war, and that usually is when the Hollywood reflection movies start to be made. The acting is still movie versions of crazy in today's terms. But it was probably a good improvement on a realistic look at mental illness at the time.
Captain Newman, M.D.
1963
Action / Comedy / Drama / War
Plot summary
In 1944, Capt. Josiah J. Newman is the doctor in charge of Ward 7, the neuropsychiatric ward at an Army Air Corps hospital in Arizona. The hospital is under-resourced and Newman scrounges what he needs with the help of his inventive staff, especially Cpl. Jake Leibowitz. The military in general is only just coming to accept psychiatric disorders as legitimate and Newman generally has 6 weeks to cure them or send them on to another facility. Among his latest of the ward's many patients are Colonel Norville Bliss, who has dissociated from his past; Capt. Paul Winston, who is nearly catatonic after spending 13 months hiding in a cellar behind enemy lines; and 20-year-old Cpl. Jim Tompkins, who is severely traumatized after his aircraft was shot down. Others come and go, including Italian prisoners of war, but Newman and team all realize that their success means that the men will return to their units and combat.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Mike Farrell as Patient
Robert Duvall as Capt. Paul Cabot Winston
Angie Dickinson as Lt. Francie Corum
Gregory Peck as Capt. Josiah J. Newman, MD
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 1.14 GB
1280*682
English 2.0
NR
Movie Reviews
Reviewed by
Good ... for its time
Reviewed by
an excellent depiction of psychiatry
I previously gave a terrible review to Peck's movie Spellbound. This movie just goes to show that he CAN make a good movie about psychiatry (unlike Spellbound--yuck).
Peck is an officer running a psychiatric ward stateside during WWII. He has a good heart and good intentions and tries a lot of different techniques to help these men. What I like is that although he is generally successful, it is very clear Captain Newman feels, at times, over his head dealing with these many patients. He is not a SUPERMAN but a decent guy who's trying his best.
Tony Curtis is the comic relief. So, while the movie is VERY serious at times, it also can be rather comical. This is a tough balance but it is done well and I liked Curtis in this film.
However, apart from Gregory Peck, the real standout in the movie is Bobby Darin. Although he only is a supporting player, his is the meatiest performance. He wonderfully plays a man suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (though he outwardly hides it with bravado and obnoxiousness)--this is particularly true when he is under the influence of Sodium Pentathol (or some other "truth serum"). I would say it is worth seeing the film just for this sequence--it's just so nice that there are many other good moments to recommend this flick.
Reviewed by
Definitely spoke to me
On paper, 'Captain Newman MD's' story sounded very intriguing and powerful. Along with the story, the main interest point into seeing the film for me was the cast. Have always liked Gregory Peck, while not liking every performance he did at his best (like 'To Kill a Mockingbird' he was superb),and have thought highly of a lot of the work of Eddie Albert and Robert Duvall. Bobby Darin was a fine singer who died too young, and his performance here shows that singers are capable of giving good acting performances.
'Captain Newman MD' didn't leave me disappointed at all, and had little doubt to be honest that it would work and would not leave me disappointed. The cast are terrific, which didn't surprise me at all considering they were very talented and in roles ideal for them, and it turned out to be a powerful and thoughtful film. One that didn't completely succeed with a couple of not so major quibbles, but more so did than it did not and came very, very close to doing so.
As said, 'Captain Newman MD' is not flawless. The shifts from comedy to drama, and vice versa, are not always smooth and are quite sudden at times.
Not all the comedy seemed necessary either.
However, it is a good-looking film and made with style and atmosphere. The direction always keeps the character interactions constantly engaging and the drama solidly paced and worth investing in emotionally. The music is used with presence but never in a way that in instrumentation and placement intruded too much. 'Captain Newman MD' is very thoughtfully scripted without rambling, the comedic moments being amusingly entertaining and the drama having vast emotional impact while not being too sentimental. The story is a compelling and powerful one, one that left me entertained, moved and in thought.
The cast all excel. Tony Curtis is fun to watch, the source of much of the humour, and doesn't jar, some of the levity actually was welcome even. Angie Dickinson is a fetching love interest and Peck was just made for the part he has here, his earnestness and intensity perfectly pitched. Albert and Duvall give tense and moving performances in nicely fleshed out roles, but one of 'Captain Newman MD's' biggest and most pleasant surprises was how Darin gave a performance as powerful as the one he gives here. Anybody that relates to his character especially will be very moved, certainly was myself.
In summary, very good. 8/10