Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageI Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977)
Director: Anthony Page
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This Roger Corman production, faithful in detail to Hannah Green's book (generally regarded as one of the best lay descriptions of schizophrenia), has 16-year-old Deborah Blake (Quin- lan) struggling with her fantasy-world-turned-remorseless-possessor and gradually being rehabilitated with the help of her hospital doctor. Unlike the book, though, the film fairly hurtles along, missing any real analysis of mental disturbance while going all out for Emotion. The inevitably beautiful victim suffers heavily sexual demons; the tragi-comic antics of her fellow inmates are exploited to the full; and the end is imbued with the peachy tints of a full-blown rose. But it's enjoyable and the performances are excellent, in particular Bibi Andersson's doctor and Kathleen Quinlan's staggering portrayal of Deborah. Nutsploitation of a superior kind.Author: HM
Cast & crew
Director: Anthony Page
Producer: Daniel H Blatt, Michael Hausman, Terence F Deane
Cast: Bibi Andersson, Kathleen Quinlan, Sylvia Sidney, Ben Piazza, Lorraine Gary, Darlene Craviotto, Reni Santoni, Susan Tyrrell, Signe Hasso, Diane Varsi full cast
Duration: 96 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
A Bond a day: No.5 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'
Join Time Out as we revisit the 21 official James Bond movies to celebrate the release of 'Quantum of Solace'
Steve McQueen on 'Hunger'
Dave Calhoun meets artist Steve McQueen’s whose debut feature film, ‘Hunger’, is the story of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands
Producer Stephen Woolley on ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People’
Stephen Woolley, recalls the near catastrophes he had to contend with in bringing Toby Young’s memoir to the screen
Paul Newman: 1925 – 2008
Paul Newman died at his Connecticut home this weekend, at the age of 83. We look back at one of the great movie careers of the twentieth century
Richard Attenborough: interview
‘Entirely Up to You, Darling’ is the long-awaited autobiography from Sir Richard Attenborough. David Jenkins meets him in his Richmond home
Hard hacks to follow
To celebrate the release of 'How To Lose Friends and Alienate People', Time Out pick some of the toughest journalistic gigs in cinema
What do you think?
Post your review now