Mental Health Depression Schizophrenia Vintage 1950s Films

Description: Please read & note: This is a Rights holding DVD created & produced by me and is not factory made or sealed. I strive to produce the best DVD's possible from the sometimes VERY old Public Domain material. Films that are public domain are unpreserved and not professionally re-mastered. I re-master all of my films myself to the best possible quality achievable. My DVDs are not the quality of todays Modern DVDs or Bluray discs. If you are looking for this kind of quality then these discs are not for you. All pictures are actual screen captures from the DVDs. Please note this when purchasing, but also know that all of the films are very watchable. To keep my prices as low as possible all my DVDs are delivered in plain paper DVD sleeves and the DVDs title will be labeled on the back of the DVD envelope. (See picture) All of my DVD's come with a menu for easy film selection. 　 Total runtime of this DVD is 117 minutes. Item specifics are: 　 Film 1: "The Empty Life" (1950) B&W Runtime 22 minutes Discusses America's mental health problem of boredom and its probable underlying causes. Indicates that those not able to help themselves should seek psychiatric help. This 50's film claims to be about boredom, but its actually about the depression, angst, and neuroticism that lay just under the surface of many middle class families. Hugh Marriott is bored with life, but actually he’s angry and depressed because his wife disapproves of him doing the kind of work he loves, and he’s too much of a wimp to go against her wishes. He’s the main case study here, but other "bored" people in his neighborhood are mentioned as well, including a neighbor woman who’s an alcoholic, a local grocer who’s a sex addict, and a teen hot rodder who’s headed down the road towards being a grim traffic statistic. The film is bizarre and jaw-dropping in some moments, and quite realistic and sensitive in others, especially the portrayal of how Hugh’s boredom affects his son, leading to problems for the boy. The narration is relentless and deadpan, and the soundtrack music is wailing, angst-ridden jazz, giving the film a dark, heavy feel that resembles the leaden pain of depression. This combination of good and bad qualities results in a film that is hard to evaluate one way or the other, being both campy and weird, and realistic and sensitive by turns. At any rate, it’s far from boring. Film Release Date: 1950 Film Entered the Public Domain: 1979 　 Film 2: "Mental Hospital" (1953) B&W Runtime 20 minutes This 50s film, made by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, tries very hard to make its state mental hospitals look friendly and not intimidating, but it doesn't wholly succeed. It tells the story of Fred Clanton, a guy who began to believe his wife and brother-in-law were conspiring against him. He is committed to the state hospital in short order by a judge, where he is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and given insulin shock treatments. He gets better eventually, begins to participate in the hospitals recreational therapy programs, gets a hospital job as a groundskeeper, and eventually gets to go home, where he is no longer suspicious of anyone and is grateful to the hospital for his treatment. Much is made of the hospitals facilities, which are all huge and institutional. Much is also made of the therapeutic benefits of patients working at various jobs at the hospital, enough so that you start to wonder after awhile whether or not some exploitation might be going on. The positive-sounding narration fails to overcome the visuals, which tend to confirm most stereotypes about mental hospitals. The film does give a fascinating portrait of mental health treatment during the 50s, which was the heyday of treating mental patients in big institutions. Film Release Date: 1953 Film Entered the Public Domain: 1981 　 Film 3: "Symptoms in Schizophrenia" (1940) SILENT B&W Runtime 13 minutes This SILENT film shows masked mental patients enacting various schizophrenic symptoms as they were understood at the time. A disturbing film that raises questions about the condition and treatment of its subjects. Given the age of the film, it's not terribly surprising that little could be done for the people in this film. What is surprising is how much is done to/with them; several forms of schizophrenia on display (this film is essentially an interactive exhibit of the syndrome) allow the "therapist" to pose, push around, and force the sufferers into distorted pantomime. It's a little sad, really, but it does what it promised to do, explores the symptomology of the disease. Film Release Date: 1940 Film Entered the Public Domain: 1969 　 Film 4: Anger at Work: The Story of the Headache Switch (1956) B&W Runtime 20 Minutes Anger At Work explains the "headache switch," one of the mental mechanisms of man's personality which induces displacement of anger onto other men and impairs one's efficiency in everyday living. Several incidents are presented depicting some of the techniques people have developed for handling such overwhelming feelings as anger, resentment, and frustration. Ed Wilson had just begun in his new job as a draftsman when his boss smudged a drawing that he had been working on for several hours. As a result, he vehemently let his boss know how he felt about the matter. Frank McCoy, a fellow worker, explained to Ed that he was using the "headache switch" when he lost his temper with the boss and contended that he was just "letting off steam" caused by the pressure of a new job and the flat tire he had had on the way to work. Frank suggested that he try several methods for getting the same emotional release without outbursts of anger. The validity of this advice was strengthened when Ed went home and lost his temper with his wife and child. At the time he had forgotten what Frank had advised, but, upon reflection, concluded that his suggestions had merit. The film points out that some people use different techniques to combat emotional tension. In the case of Mike O'Shea, the firm's top salesman, this tension was worked off on the golf course or tennis court. Volpae, the company janitor, accomplished this by working in his garden. Frank McCoy laughed about his problems and made a joke of them. Gus Peterson put all of his energy into his love for the job he was doing and the achievements he made. Film Release Date: 1956 Film Entered the Public Domain: 1984 　 Film 5: Back to Life (1954) B&W Runtime 30 Minutes Interesting tale about a fellow who suffers from schizophrenia, and how it affects his life. He gets increasingly gets snippy at work and at home and is shipped off to a psychiatric hospital. Film Release Date: 1954 Film Entered the Public Domain: 1982 　 Film 6: Mental Health: Keeping Mentally Fit (1952) COLOR Runtime 12 Minutes The four steps in acquiring, maintaining and improving mental health: express emotions naturally, respect yourself, respect others, and solve problems as they arise. Film Release Date: 1952 Film Entered the Public Domain: 1981 　 I claim ownership and rights to this media. All the films on this DVD have been researched and are copyright free or the copyrights have expired due to non renewal.

Price: 7.99 USD

Location: West Terre Haute, Indiana

End Time: 2024-09-19T18:35:43.000Z

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