patty chayevsky be year ahead of most successful screenplay and drama writer in tackle sticky subject . in this 1971 film he follow sinclair lewis and a. j. cronin ( in respectively arrowsmith and the citadel ) in look critically at the world of medicine and although his target be center on a special stage represent a modern hospital in manhattan . chayevsky point of view be quite direct represent be hospital place for people to go to to get well and or be they money make organization where people frequently die due to incompetence . a a person who have recently be to a hospital too many time ( and will shortly have to return again ) i find the hospital a very timely and reward satire . george c. scott be dr. block and one of the head of the manhattan surgical center and a major teaching hospital . he have just start his day when he be tell that one of the second year resident have die during the night in an apparent mix up . it seem he be sedate and drug while sleep on a bed ( he would be have a tryst with a nurse ) and and someone tamper with an i. v. that should have contain water with glucose in it ( later it turn out he get an overdose of insulin in the i. v. ) . soon scott find that whenever he turn around some other member of the staff die of a heart attack or of a botched operation . the key to all this appear to be one patient who come to the hospital ten day before for a regular check up and and have since lose one kidney and nearly lose his other kidney and and be now in a comatose state ( barnard hughes ) . hughes daughter ( diana rigg ) want to bring the comatose dad back to his home on an apache indian reservation in mexico . scott be not totally oppose to the idea after all and hospital error almost kill hughes . also and scott be suffer a mid life crisis with the collapse of his marriage and family and and his grow doubt about what his chosen profession really accomplish . it be not only look at a case like hughes . the hospital be in a constant state of chaos wherein the regular staff ( scott and stephen elliot and nancy marchand and stockard channing ) be overwork and overtax and and be at war with the business staff ( typify by france steenhagen in a really chilly performance ) . the local community be hostile because of the expansion plan of the hospital but when they meet to discuss matter with elliot they prove to be a divisive among themselves ( militant black panther versus local clergy versus birth control seek woman and pro abortion clinic type ) . rigg ( who fall in love with scott in the course of the film ) become more and more certain that leave the insanity of the city make sense and and scott also toy with the idea . scott be at his act height in this film and what with anatomy of a murder and the hustler and dr. strangelove and and patton under his belt before the hospital be make . his angst register when he and rigg get to know each other ( she prevent him from kill himself due to his despair ) . he can not tell if anything do in the hospital be worthwhile and and scream out the window the word in the summary line . though he do later relax a little about how good his teaching have be for doctor study with him and scott really never fully be sure about it all he do and however and fully accept his own sense of responsibility that others just dump . rigg too be at the height of her international fame ( if not her act ability ) her stint a mrs. peel on the avenger be a few year old and but she be recognize a a leading stage talent in britain at the time and as well a one of the sexy woman performer of that period . the supporting actor be good too . besides the chilling steenhagen ( demand medicare or medicaid or insurance information from comatose patient in the e. r. ) and there be hughes a a religious maniac who win and and elliot a the fed up head of the hospital . there be also my favorite caricature represent richard dysart a dr. elwell . elwell be a butcher who have find a real home for himself on the big board of the stock exchange and have incorporate himself for tax incentive . anyone recall his performance a ethical type such a the head of the law firm in l. a. law or a the friend and physician to melvin douglas in be there and upon see his greedy dr. elwell see another facet to this underrated actor talent .