The Cobweb Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Cobweb Blu-ray Movie Review

It's curtains for you.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 13, 2025

It seems sensible to pivot from my recent re-watching of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to Vincente Minnnelli’s The Cobweb, an appropriately tangled 1955 drama that unfolds at a high-end psychiatric clinic hanging on by a thread. One seemingly insignificant decision -- picking out new curtains for the hospital’s library -- threatens to totally unravel the fabric keeping everything together, which doubles as a needle-sharp examination of mental health and the human condition that’s deeper and more layered than it seams at first. (No more puns from here on out, honest.)

"Castle House" is the name of the mental institution, and new administrator Dr. Stewart McIver (Richard Widmark, Pickup on South Street) brings with him a bold change of plans: to treat the patients like human beings. Rather than the robotic control and medication-driven treatment of, say, someone like Nurse Ratched, he'd rather use the tools of self-expression and creativity to improve their environment and recovery. There's some pushback, naturally, as Castle House's stalwart head of administration Victoria Inch (Lillian Gish, The Night of the Hunter), obviously isn't as receptive to fresh ideas. This friction manifests itself in an unusual way, arriving with the decision to choose new curtains for the library: Victoria wants to do everything by the book, but compassionate art therapist Meg Rinehart (Lauren Bacall, To Have and Have Not) would rather let the patients make them together. "And so, the trouble began…"

The decently made and expertly cast The Cobweb immediately lets us know that layers are lurking underneath its surface, albeit subtly at first. As said layers are gradually peeled back, even first-time viewers will be able to see the long-gestating melodrama simmer to a slow boil. Victoria's experience and ego stand in the way of potential progress. Dr. McIver’s wife Karen (Gloria Grahame, The Big Heat), who orders more expensive curtains with the blessing of board chair Regina Mitchell-Smythe (Mabel Albertson, What's Up, Doc?), resents her husband's connection with widowed art director Meg. Former hospital head and alcoholic Dr. Douglas Devenal (Charles Boyer, Gaslight) does little to keep the peace while cheating on his wife Edna (Fay Wray, King Kong) with secretary Miss Cobb (Adele Jergens, A Thousand and One Nights ). Then there are the patients, including suicidal artist Stevie Holte (John Kerr, The Pit and the Pendelum), who finds solace in creativity as well as another resident, Sue Brett (Susan Strasberg, Picnic).

There's even more to the story of course, which means that The Cobweb has a lot of balls in the air... and to its credit, it does what it can with such an overstuffed narrative. (If released in modern times, I'd imagine that most critics would feel it better suited to a limited TV series.) Yet while several speed bumps remain in the construction of this 134 minute melodrama, what's here is still plenty interesting due to the wealth of interesting characters and terrific cast. Framed in the then-new Cinemascope format but shot in a way that often protects characters and key objects from pan-and-scan presentations, The Cobweb looks better than ever on Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, which may even allow long-time fans of the film to better appreciate its story thanks to the increased clarity of this recent restoration.

The Cobweb Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original 2.55:1 Cinemascope aspect ratio, this sparkling 1080p transfer of The Cobweb was sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative. As expected, Warner Archive has given it their usual white-glove treatment, revealing a basically pristine presentation that far outpaces the 2011 DVD edition. Fine detail, colors, black levels, and shadow detail are all well above expectations and, for die-hard fans of the film, will undoubtedly heighten their enjoyment level since the framing choices rarely allow for anything resembling a tight close-up. Grain levels are consistent with many other films from this era, always remaining visible but rarely overwhelming the image even in its darkest scenes. Disc encoding reveals no obvious compression-related issues, as the film's length is alleviated by the aspect ratio and thus consistently runs at a high and supportive bit rate. As always, buy with confidence.

The Cobweb Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the wide majority of Cinemascope films, The Cobweb's original four-track magnetic stereo master has long since succumbed to age-related deterioration. According to a reliable source, MGM's sound department created L/R fold-down mixes of many soundtracks from this era, and it's these backup elements that were utilized for the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix included on this Blu-ray. It's a strong track, all things considered, and one with noticeable channel separation and excellent overall fidelity, from prolific composer Leonard Rosenman's original score to the dialogue. It's essentially the best possible presentation of the best surviving source, so for that reason it likewise scores an easy 5/5.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Cobweb Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art. A few era-specific extras are included.

• Salute to the Theaters (18:00) - Also known as 1955 Motion Picture Theatre Celebration, this vintage MGM preview short teases a handful of then-upcoming productions including Jupiter's Darling, The Glass Slipper, The King's Thief, Love Me or Leave Me, Moonfleet, It's Always Fair Weather... and of course The Cobweb, which is personally introduced by the original novel's author, William Gibson.

• The Egg and Jerry (7:00) - Everyone's favorite mouse unknowingly "hatches" an egg and has to raise a cute li'l baby woodpecker in this likeable 1966 Tom and Jerry short, which was included on Warner Archive's recent Complete Cinemascope Collection and will also be on their forthcoming Golden Era Anthology.

• Theatrical Trailer (4:00) - This lengthy vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

The Cobweb Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vincente Minnnelli's The Cobweb is a crowded but compelling melodrama, weighed down by details yet still buoyed by interesting characters and an excellent ensemble cast. The result falls a little short of expectations if you're a fan of the director, but it's nonetheless well worth a look for its obvious merits. Warner Archive's Blu-ray supports the cause with another top-tier A/V restoration and several thoughtful legacy extras. Recommended to the right crowd.