''Hospital'' is an 84-minute 1970 American documentary film directed by
Frederick Wiseman
Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is "devoted primarily to exploring American institutions". He has been called "one of the most important and original filmmakers wor ...
, which explores the daily activities of the people at
Metropolitan Hospital Center
Metropolitan Hospital Center (MHC, also referred to as Metropolitan Hospital) is a hospital in East Harlem, New York City. It has been affiliated with New York Medical College since it was founded in 1875, representing the oldest partnership bet ...
, a large-city hospital in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, with emphasis on its emergency ward and outpatient clinics.
The film won two
Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in News Documentary Programming - Individuals and Outstanding Achievement in News Documentary Programming - Programs. In 1994, it was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film was selected for screening as part of the Cannes Classics section at the
2016 Cannes Film Festival.
Synopsis
The film follows hospital staff and a variety patients in an episodic manner. The film is highly
observational
Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data (information), data via the use of scienti ...
, using no
voice-over
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
narration or interviews. Names are not formally given, and the hospital is only mentioned once as "Metropolitan" by a doctor on a phone call. The patients come from a variety of
ethnic backgrounds and
social classes, but most are
poor and
marginalized. Doctors, nurses, police officers, and social workers attempt to aid patients with medical care and
social welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
. The staff's actions are often compassionate but limited by an overwhelmed public system. Among the patients are a man who fears he has cancer, a
neglected toddler who fell out a window, an art student who ingested an unknown drug and is suffering a
bad trip, a
queer teenager trying to obtain welfare, and an elderly women who has a
pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...
and is in
critical condition
Medical state is a term used to describe a hospital patient's health status, or condition. The term is most commonly used in information given to the news media, and is rarely used as a clinical description by physicians.
Two aspects of the patien ...
. A group of patients attending
Catholic mass
The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...
serves as the closing sequence.
See also
*
List of American films of 1970
This is a list of American films released in 1970.
''Patton'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
The top-grossing film at the U.S. box office was ''Airport''.
__TOC__
A–B
C–F
G–I
J–M
N–S
T–Z
See also
* 1970 in ...
References
External links
*''Hospital'' essay by Barry Keith Grant on the National Film Registry websit
*''Hospital'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 660-66
*
1970 documentary films
1970 films
American documentary films
Black-and-white documentary films
Documentary films about health care
Documentary films about New York City
Films directed by Frederick Wiseman
United States National Film Registry films
American black-and-white films
Films set in hospitals
Healthcare in New York City
1970s American films
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