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Spellbound [1945] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Alfred Hitchcock takes on Sigmund Freud in this thriller in which psychologist Ingrid Bergman tries to solve a murder by unlocking the clues hidden in the mind of amnesiac suspect Gregory Peck. Among the highlights is a bizarre dream sequence seemingly designed by Salvador Dali--complete with huge eyeballs and pointy scissors. Although the film is in black and white, the original release contained one subliminal blood-red frame, appearing when a gun pointed directly at the camera goes off. ISpellbound/I is one of Hitchcock's strangest and most atmospheric films, providing the director with plenty of opportunities to explore what he called "pure cinema"--i.e., the power of pure visual associations. Miklós Rózsa's haunting score (which features the creepy electronic instrument, the theremin) won an Oscar, and the movie was nominated for best picture, director, supporting actor (Michael Chekhov), cinematography and special visual effects. --IJim Emerson/I | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| I don't believe in dreams. That Freud stuff is a lot of hooey... | |
| | Featuring a script from one of Hitchcock's favourite writers, Ben Hecht, the acting talents of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman and dream sequences by Salvador Dali Spellbound should be an excellent slice of Hitch. br /br /That it doesn't quite match the sum of it's parts is perhaps not surprising when one factors in the censoring eye of David O Selznick. There is an argument that Selznick is unfairly maligned, but in this case there seems little doubt that by removing some of the funniest bits of the original script and calling in his own psychiatrist to give "realism" to the film (with Hitchcock, as usual, having no interest in tedious authenticity) certainly hampered the end product. br /br /The leads give strong performances, although the viewer will have little sympathy for Grant's character - a man with a "guilt complex" who may or may not have murdered a doctor - and may grow slightly weary of the constant psycho analysis that Bergman's character makes him go through. br /br /Still there is much to enjoy; the Dali scenes are well done (even if most was cut out and/or reshot), it's packed with numerous stylistic technical touches and if it's not entirely successful it is still a very interesting movie. If only it had ended 30 seconds earlier than it does.
| | | Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by the ever popular David O. Selznick, with a cast that anyone would die for (and a few do), this is the formulae for the perfect movie. br /br /As with all of Hitchcock's work, it's not the "what" but the "how it's handled" that makes it work. br /br /Gregory Peck is John Ballantine who poses as a psychiatrist, all while he's having amnesia. Ingrid Bergman decides she thinks he's the murderer of the real physhiatrist and tries to figure everything out. Confused? You won't be when you see it.br /br /There are many dreams in this movie, and a lot of inuendo and subtle references to sex, death, and just about everything else. Shadows abound and images turn from one thing into another. This is probably Hitchcock's most dream-like movie.br /br /I read somewhere that Hitchcock used Dali images or at least those like Dali, for much of the film. Ben Hecht was also part of the filmmaking process and it shows. Great film.
| | | As others have suggested, this movie is very hard to take seriously nowadays. Not just that Freud is more or less discredited, but the explanations of psychoanalysis are patronisingly simplistic, the over-literal interpretation of dreams etc is risible (gabriel valley, give me a break), the flash of red is tacky, Dali's contribution seems distinctly underwhelming and dated.br /br /For a master of technique, Hitchcock often seems clumsy and this is no exception. It's impossible to ski down a mountain in a straight line, hardly moving your body, as the heroes do. Given his physique I guess Hitch didn't spend much time on the slopes.br /br /Neither does he bother with a plot that makes sense. As Murchison says, Ingrid is a very stupid woman to tell him what she knows without police backup. Why would she do that? She points out that he could get away with some time inside for the first murder, but killing her would mean the chair. So presumably his desire to live is what stops him from popping her. So why, five seconds later, does he turn the gun on himself?br /br /And having watched Casablanca many times, it's interesting to see the lovely Ingrid bring out the same succession of ticks and gestures here, in a slightly different order - a saddening confirmation that she was an actor of limited range.
| | It Makes You Want To Write A Review! | |
| | It has been said to be one of Hitchcock's more interesting "failures". I loved it and I think the reason that it has been deemed a failure is because it doesn't consentrate on suspense as much as his others around that time. Plus David O. Selznick was not the best partner for Hitch and interfeered a lot. brThe story revolves on the axis of psychoanalysis and maybe consentrates on the theme a little too much as Hitch was interested in the criminal mind. But it is obviously a classic Hitchcock and, contrary to another reviwer, has stood the test of time.brAs for suspense, there are a number of obviouse occasions where it is being put to great use- With the gun at the end and the ski slope to name but two. And all through the movie there is a lingering shadow, or rather layer of dread that they may be found out before Peck is cured.brThere are also some ingenuitive and ingenious Hitchcock moments; the milk glass and the flash of colour (in a black and white movie) as the gun is fired- from a great angle... plus Dali's dream sequence which is entrawling! Just one of those examples will definetly whet your apetite.brIngrid Bergman is absolutly fantastic in this film; better, even, than in Notorious, and is a delight to watch. It will strike you straight away and she keeps it up throughout the entire picture. brGregory Peck is, as always, a treat and matches Cary Grant as one of Hitchcock's top leading men.brThe twists at the end are captivating and will get your pulse racing.brMaybe Hitchcock's most unusual U.S film and a must have for collectors and fans. It pairs well with the different but brilliant Notorious!brNuff' Said!
| | Not really stood the test of time | |
| | I am sure that when this film was released in 1945, it appeared dazzling and intriguing to its audience, dealing with presumably a novel subject to the cinematic medium at the time ; psychoanalysis and the interpretation of dreams. The plot is fairly straightforward and the pace of the film ponderous as Ingrid Bergman's Constance tries to unravel the mystery behind Gregory Peck's Dr. Edwards ,a man who is not what he appears. Romance fuses with a murder mystery as psychoanalytic techniques are used to solve the puzzle. There have been so many films and TV shows featuring psychoanalysis in some way since "Spellbound" that it's effect has been dulled over time and the lauded Dali Dream Scene now seems a bit tacky and dated , as indeed will all SFX and CGI based scenes from modern day films appear in the near future as well.
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