Rent Lilith (1964)
3.4 of 5 from 68 ratings
1h 49min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg co-star in this haunting drama about the obsessive love between a therapist and his patient. Vincent (Beatty), a war veteran, returns to his bleak Maryland hometown and takes a job as an occupational therapist at Poplar Lodge, a private mental institution for the wealthy. There, Vincent meets a young schizophrenic, Lilith (Seberg), an enchanting patient whose fragile beauty bewitches all those with whom she comes in contact - especially Stephen (Peter Fonda), a troubled young man. As Vincent is drawn even deeper into her private world, he too becomes captivated by Lilith and will lie, betray and even destroy to keep her. Soon Vincent himself can no longer determine which of the two worlds - his or Lilith's - is the sane one. - Actors:
- Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg, Peter Fonda, Kim Hunter, Anne Meacham, Jessica Walter, Gene Hackman, James Patterson, Robert Reilly, Walter Arnold, Rene Auberjonois, Elizabeth Bader, Ruth Baker, Amelie Barleon, Carson Barnes, Jeanne Barr, David Barry, Joanne Bayes, Peter Bosche, Richard Branda
- Directors:
- Robert Rossen
- Producers:
- Robert Rossen
- Writers:
- Robert Rossen, J.R. Salamanca
- Studio:
- Sony
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- People of the Pictures, Remembering Gene Hackman
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 22/04/2019
- Run Time:
- 114 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- The Guardian Interview withWai'ren Beatty (1990, 87 mins): archival audio recording of a career-spanning interview with the celebrated actor and director, hosted by Christopher Cook and conducted at London's National Film Theatre
- The Suffering Screen (2019, 25 mins): a visual essay by journalist and author Amy Simmons which explores cinema's enduring fascination with narratives and representations of female madness
- The Many Faces of Jean Seberg (2019, 8 mins): critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson explores the life and career of the famed actor
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
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Reviews (2) of Lilith
A psychoanalytical fairy tale - Lilith review by PM
An intense movie, beautifully filmed in black and white. It explores, at times perhaps unwittingly, some of the clichés surrounding mental illness. At the time it was made LSD was certainly being used as an experimental treatment in some locations, and the professional boundaries which we take for granted these days were likely less evolved. There is no mention or inference about the details of medical treatment, but even so there are one or two scenes that smack of unbridled fantasy. But who am I to judge what may or may not have been likely in 1960's USA?
I found the first half hour a little slow, but the film became more engaging as the plot developed.
Unfortunately although the ending was probably a realistic kind of outcome, I found it difficult, abrupt and disappointing, and I wonder if it wasn't perhaps even a little moralistic. I didn't want to watch it again, even though the acting performances and cinematography were excellent.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Polish and Psychodrama in Rossen’s Swan Song - Lilith review by griggs
A slow, brooding character study, Lilith pairs Warren Beatty’s war veteran with Jean Seberg’s magnetic patient in a mental institution. On paper it promises fire, but in practice it smoulders more than it burns. The film is beautifully shot — every frame polished and deliberate — and Seberg gives the kind of performance that makes you lean forward, brittle and radiant at once.
Beatty, by contrast, feels stiff, and the Freudian psychology tips toward melodrama. What should be unsettling starts to feel overwrought, as if the script is more fascinated with case studies than characters. Still, there’s an atmosphere that’s hard to deny: hushed, claustrophobic, and occasionally hypnotic.
For all its beauty and intensity, though, the story never quite earns its weight. Lilith draws you in, then circles the same ground until the tension thins. It’s a striking swan song for Rossen, but not an entirely satisfying one.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.