Perhaps others who have seen "Shock" have become inured to the fears other older folk have of the medical profession, with the psychiatrists at the top of the ladder. This admittedly old black and white movie captures, better than "The Snake Pit" or even in some ways "One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest" the helplessness of the patient and the power of the psychiatrist. This is a mystery only insofar as we cannot see how the lovely young wife can be saved from the clutches of the murderous shrink and his equally vicious girlfriend. The mounting tension in the interplay of all the characters, punctuated by the welcome entrance of Reed Hadley's DA, is very well done. Price is fine as are the other actors. In many ways as much a radio play as a motion picture, and all the better for that, "Shock" is an excellent example of a *tense* movie. It is not 21st century "shock" by any means but rather post World War 2 shock, demonstrating the dislocation of a returning soldier and symbolizing the lack of perfection even "back home" in what should be the good old safe USA. Falling into the hands of Price's psychiatrist is parallel to the prison experiences he endured in Europe, but this time it is his faithful and truthful wife experiencing the horror firsthand. This is a tight little movie worth checking out.
