# Best depiction of mental collapse in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384 "2007-06-17T20:39:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/81 "2007-06-20T04:59:00Z")
another performance worth mentioning in ths vein is Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall (a baseball player who suffered a mental breakdown) but I’m unable to recall/look up the name of the film now. He does a very good job of portraying the charcter’s pain. Of course, after “Psycho” Perkins was pretty well pigeonholed into wierdo roles. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/82 "2007-06-20T05:04:35Z")
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it so I may be mis-remembering, but what about Tim Robbins in Jacob’s Ladder. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/83 "2007-06-20T05:59:33Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Humphey Bogart’s testimony in _The Caine Mutiny_ [/QUOTE] Another Bogie role: Fred C. Dobbs in _Treasure of the Sierra Madre_ Besides, it’s got the “stinkin’ badges” scene. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/84 "2007-06-20T12:23:43Z")
Other than the maniacal laughter, Ida Lupino in [They Drive by Night](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033149/). ---
**Author:** ![gulliver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@gulliver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gulliver)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/85 "2007-06-20T13:08:17Z")
[QUOTE=well he’s back] another performance worth mentioning in ths vein is Anthony Perkins as Jimmy Piersall (a baseball player who suffered a mental breakdown) but I’m unable to recall/look up the name of the film now. He does a very good job of portraying the charcter’s pain. Of course, after “Psycho” Perkins was pretty well pigeonholed into wierdo roles. [/QUOTE] [Fear Strikes Out.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050383/) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/86 "2007-06-20T13:35:52Z")
I was pretty impressed with Jeff Daniels in _Imaginary Heroes_. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/87 "2007-06-20T16:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Jack Nicholason and Louise Fletcher’s pied a deux in Cuckoo’s Nest. [/QUOTE] He seems to be showing up quite a lot in this thread. Then again, the all his characters seem about to fall off the edge. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/88 "2007-06-20T18:50:00Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] It wasn’t a permanent collapse, but William Forsythe losing hope during **The Waterdance** left me crying too. [/QUOTE] Heeeeeeeeeee. Okay. I admit it. I saw Coming Home when it came out, and by about 1983 or so, I stopped crying. So strictly speaking it wasn’t a permanent collapse but it was _damned close_. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/89 "2007-06-30T04:19:31Z")
[QUOTE=riker1384] **Evil Captor** has suffered a mental collapse, and he doesn’t even know what movies he’s talking about anymore. He thinks Wilford Brimley starred in every action movie since 1980. [/QUOTE] Hey, it was just the oatmeal talking, man. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/90 "2007-06-30T19:35:24Z")
Posted before Rambo in “First Blood” was actually very ,very true to life ,except for wiping out a whole community single handled. Tom Hanks character was amazingly authentic with his portrayal of PTSS in “Saving Private Ryan” it was truly chilling ,almost like watching a real case.l ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384/91 "2007-07-01T02:03:21Z")
Philip Seymour Hoffman in [Love Liza](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0282698/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-depiction-of-mental-collapse-in-film/408384.md?page=4)