The Happiness Cage

The Happiness Cage is a 1972 American science fiction film directed by Bernard Girard. The film stars Christopher Walken in his first starring role and Joss Ackland. The film was also known as The Mind Snatchers and The Demon Within.^[2]

After an altercation at a party given by his girlfriend, U.S. Army private James Reese is arrested for assault. Reese comes to the attention of Major, the head of Army program attempting to help those with terminal illnesses deal with their pain via a brain implant. Reese is determined to suffer from schizophrenia, making him an excellent candidate for the experimental program. Dr. Frederick is trying to find a way to ease the aggressive nature of soldiers by developing a microchip to access the pleasure centers of their brains.

Reese is transferred to the Veterans Hospital in Frankfurt, where the experiments are being conducted by United States Army. However, the experiment has taken a darker turn.

The Army doctors are drilling into the patients’ skulls, attach wires, and alter their brains to create better soldiers and happier men — human robots. The patients are three veterans waiting to go into the operation clinic. The implant is placed into Reese. Another soldier with the implant goes berserk, and Reese rips the wires and connections away from the soldier, the soldier dies. Reese escapes the hospital but is recaptured. He refuses to activate the implant, but the Major overrides his decision and activates it.

Reese, now docile and controlled by the Major, appears at a press conference as proof of the success of the program.^[2]

• Christopher Walken as Pvt. James H. Reese
• Joss Ackland as Dr. Frederick
• Ralph Meeker as The Major
• Ronny Cox as Sgt. Boford Miles
• Marco St. John as Lawrence Shannon
• Bette Henritze as Anna Kraus
• Susan Travers as Nurse Schroeder
• Birthe Neumann as Lisa
• Claus Nissen as Army Psychiatrist

This film is based on Dennis J. Reardon’s acclaimed play The Happiness Cage, which opened at Joseph Papp Public Theater’s Newman Theater in New York on October 4, 1970.^[3][4]

The film contains some brilliant performances, according to the review in The New York Times.^[3] They also state that the story works better as a play than a movie, although Walken's performance was found to be gripping.^[5]

『SF百科事典』は、この映画は低予算と舞台劇を原作としているという点で制約があるとしながらも、後の『時計じかけのオレンジ』と同じテーマをいくつか探求していると指摘している。

TV Guideは、この映画には非常に興味深い部分もあったが、最終的には成功しなかったと評した。同誌はウォーケンの演技を称賛したが、演出にはもっと想像力豊かなアプローチが必要であり、セリフは不自然だと指摘した。^{[ 6 ]}

• IMDbの「幸福の檻」