Britannia Hospital Audio Commentary

Описание: Britannia Hospital (1982), directed by Lindsay Anderson and written by David Sherwin, is the final installment in the satirical "Mick Travis" trilogy (following if.... and O Lucky Man!). It is a savage, black comedy that uses a run-down British NHS hospital to mirror the dysfunction, class conflict, and moral decay of Thatcher-era Britain.
The story unfolds during the 500th anniversary of the Britannia Hospital, a day plagued by total chaos. Hospital administrator Vincent Potter (Leonard Rossiter) is desperate to keep order while catering to the visit of the Queen Mother, who is set to open the new, ultra-modern "Millar Centre for Advanced Surgical Science". However, the hospital is besieged by violent protesters angry about the treatment of a privileged, cannibalistic African dictator, Ngami, who is being pampered as a private patient. Inside, ancillary workers and nurses are on strike, protesting the inequities between the wealthy patients and the general public, leading to a breakdown in services.
Parallel to this chaotic, farce-like atmosphere, journalist Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell)—the recurring protagonist of the trilogy—sneaks into the hospital with a camera crew to expose the sinister activities happening within the new Millar wing. He investigates the mad scientist, Professor Millar (Graham Crowden), who is using NHS funds to perform Frankenstien-like experiments. While spying, Travis discovers a refrigerated room of human body parts and realizes that the "Genesis" project is not a medical breakthrough, but a grotesque amalgamation of human limbs.
As the Queen Mother arrives, the union heads (Joan Plowright) are bought off, and police clash violently with protestors. Travis is caught by the staff, murdered, and his head is used as the final component in Professor Millar’s creation. The creature is awakened, attacking Millar, resulting in mayhem.
The film concludes with the protestors breaching the building and invading the lecture theatre just as Millar presents his "Genesis" creation to the elite guests. The creature, a disembodied brain wired to a computer, speaks in a robotic voice, delivering a chilling, nihilistic speech—a soulless recitation of "What a piece of work is a man" from Hamlet—before repeating "How like a God," highlighting a future where human intelligence is replaced by technological madness. The movie ends on a bleak, chaotic note, portraying a society that has lost its humanity.