175. Spellbound (1945)

Directed By Alfred Hitchcock

Synopsis

Ingrid Bergman is a psychoanalyst/psychotherapist aka Analrapist. So is Gregory Peck, or is he?! What happened to the real Dr. Anthony Edwardes who was supposed to come and take care of the mental hospital, now that Doctor Strangely-evil-faced has retired. Who could have wanted to kill his replacement?

Review

Well this was slightly disappointing, I love Hitchcock as much as anyone, but there really wasn't much to this film. The 1001 Movies book admits this and tells us to watch out for the great Salvador Dali created dream-sequence... and we do.

The dream sequence lasts what? 2 minutes? Maybe. And it is pretty good, it helps compound the utterly fallacious interpretation of psychoanalysis present in the film. No it doesn't work like that, sorry. I know I've had it done!

So, not that impressive, although it is always a pleasure to see Ingrid Bergman and Peck in a film, even if she is playing the bookish type, because she is a doctor, and therefore has no feelings, until she falls in love. And of course a woman in love relinquishes all her brain cells and cannot be trusted to be scientific. Thank you Mr. Hitchcock for that wonderful insight into the female psyche. Also look out for the completely stereotypical German doctor halfway through.

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

Spellbound caused major contention between Alfred Hitchcock and producer David O. Selznick. Hitchcock was contracted to make films for Selznick, who ordered him to make a movie based upon Selznick's own positive experience with psychoanalysis. Selznick even brought in his own therapist as a technical advisor. She and Hitchcock clashed frequently.

Further contention was caused by the hiring of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí to conceive certain scenes of mental delusion. Selznick hated Dalí's ideas, and although much of his work was used, one dream sequence depicting Bergman turning into a statue of the Greek goddess Diana was cut. The footage apparently no longer exists (although some production stills have survived).

The film boasts an orchestral score by Miklós Rózsa notable for its pioneering use of the theremin. Spellbound was filmed in black and white, except for one or two frames of bright red at the conclusion when a gun is turned into the camera. This red detail was deleted in 16mm and video formats and was restored only for the film's DVD release.


The Dream: