Cobweb, The

A box office failure on release, this elegant if slightly daffy movie has deservedly become a minor cult. It was no surprise when Richard Rodney Bennett chose it as a favourite, since like all Minnelli's dramas it is a musical film, with themes (characters) interweaving throughout carefully constructed movements. It works best at the emotional not the narrative level. Set in a plush clinic it concerns a minor drama (involving curtains) that upsets the routine. The clinic is run by Widmark, and his staff and patients are represented by a truly glamorous troupe, including Gish returning to MGM after 20 years.