Spellbound

Rating:
Summary: Great addition to any Hitchcock collection
Review: I was most impressed with this film. This is not one to be taken lightly or watched carelessly. Hitchcock gives the viewer an intellectual run-for-his-money in a thriller that combines classic suspense and a deep application of the psychoanalytic theories which were becoming more and more popular during the time this movie was made. If anything, one should view the film just to see the dream sequence created by artist Salvador Dali.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE
Review: This was an Excellent movie. I am doing a report for skool so i watched this movie, Rebecca, vertigo, and rear window. I think this was the best out of all of them. i HIGHLY recommend renting this instead of going and seeing any of the new movies at the movie theater (which most of them arent HALF as good as this). By the way i am 14 years old so this is coming from a teenager not some old guy thinking about "the good ol days"

Rating:
Summary: A journey of self-realization
Review: One one level, Hitchcock's Spellbound is the story of J.B' s (the initials stand for John Ballantine) treatment and eventual cure. On a deeper level, it's Dr. Constance Petersen's story--that is, how she's transformed as a consequence of treating and becoming emotionally involved with Ballantine. Both characters are, therefore, on a journey of self-discovery. Gregory Peck as Ballantine and Ingrid Bergman as Dr. Petersen gives low key performances; and there's a splendid turn from Michael Chekov as Dr. Alex Brulov, Peterson's friend and former teacher. This is an interesting romantic thriller set against a Freudian dream therapy background.

Rating:
Summary: I thought it was spooky.
Review: I was thoroughly entertained by this film. The performances were excellent, as was the script. The cinematography is also excellent, like looking inside a glass of milk, or having a gun aimed at you. There are some intensely suspenseful scenes, and a hint of romance. It all happens with a dark moodiness. Watch for an errie "dream" sequence.

Rating:
Summary: Bad psychology, great movie
Review: As a Movie -- "Spellbound" is a true Hitchcock masterpiece, however flawed. The plot's a good deal of fun: Bergman portrays an icy Freudian psychotherapist who falls in love with an amnesiac played by Gregory Peck. Since Peck is suspected of murder, Bergman must crack his amnesia using Freudian therapy while they're on the lam. Much of your enjoyment will depend on your willingness to suspend disbelief over some hilariously dated Freudian concepts. (Come on, does anybody really believe anymore that dream analysis can cure serious mental troubles?)

Luckily, Bergman and Peck overcome the movie's silly psychological underpinnings with their intensely melodramatic acting. Plus, all the things you love about Hitchcock are present, from the usual dramatic tension following characters running from the authorities to splendidly arty sequences such as Salvador Dali's dream segment.

As a DVD -- Anchor Bay has gone "bare bones" with these early Hitchcock films, so don't expect a DVD with loaded extras like "North by Northwest." Don't let that dismay you, however. After all, the movie looks gorgeous and sounds pristine given it's age. With that, who needs extras?

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Classic
Review: What's remarkable about "Spellbound"--aside from wonderful performances by stars Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck--is that despite its foundation in psychology for plot, it never devolves into the dark, pretentious psychobabble of contemporary films. Instead, the framework of a brilliant man (Peck) suffering from amnesia that results from a murder he may have committed is just that--a framework for what is essentially a mystery-love story. And it works because of Alfred Hitchcock's dream-like direction and the chemistry of its eminently watchable stars. Less film noir and more expressionism, the film delights in a terrific atmosphere of the strange, including a brief but interesting animated sequence by Salvador Dali. Nonetheless, the main characters are always warm and sympathetic. Add Miklos Rosza's elegant score (which will remind some viewers of his work 30 years later on "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes") and the result is an often overlooked masterpiece from an era of great films.

Rating:
Summary: Ingrid Bergman In The First Of Her Classic Hitchcock Roles
Review: The words "Directed by Alfred Hitchcock", in the opening credits always alerts me to the fact that I am possibly about to see something special up on the screen no matter what the genre. This legendary director put his stamp on a large number of classic films such as "Rebecca", "Notorious",and "Rear Window". With "Spellbound", Hitchcock made cinematic history by beginning his successful collaboration with favourite leading lady Ingrid Bergman that also produced the classic "Notorious", co starring Cary Grant. Ingrid Bergman here has a most challenging vehicle as a dedicated psychiatrist who through psychoanalysis attempts to uncover the dark secret life of an amnesia victim that possibly involves murder. Bergman here shows what total emersion into a character can do for the conviction of a story and the results are most satisfying in what was to become one of her many fondly remembered roles by fans and critics alike.

The action begins at Green Manors Psychiatric Sanitarium where there is a change occuring in the head personnel with the "retirement", of facility head Dr Murchison (Leo G. Carroll), after a bout of illness. His replacement a Dr. Anthony Edwardes is due to arrive shortly and in the meantime we are introduced to young psychiatrist Dr. Constance Peterson, (Ingrid Bergman), an all business enthusiast of psychoanalysis totally dedicated to her job. When Dr. Edwardes arrives however all is not well and not only does he appear to be far too young for such an important role but he has a number of "spells", where his own mental health is called into question. Constance finds herself experiencing an immediate attraction to this strange young man who before long she realises is not actually Dr. Edwardes but an amnesia sufferer who harbours a severe guilt complex about something unexplained that occured in his past. When complications start to arise and "JB", as he now calls himself is accused of the murder of the real Dr. Edwardes he quickly leaves the sanitarium and hides out in a New York Hotel. Convinced of his innocence Constance follows him to New York and together they try via psychoanalysis to get to the root of JB's problems and find out actually who he is. Pursued now by the police who also are also searching out Constance as an accessory, JB and Constance then travel to see her old University mentor Dr. Alex Brulov (Michael Chekhov). Alex discovers the truth about JB's real condition and feels that he might have been capable of murder all along. Constance is firm in her belief of his innocence however and after travelling to a ski resort JB starts to recall his past and what happened to cause him to loose his memory. It seems his severe guilt complex was over the accidental death of his young brother for which he has always blamed himself. It is revealed that Dr. Edwardes actually died on the ski slope which caused JB to assume the blame for his death. With a clearer picture now JB and Constance work to trace the real murderer. The police however apprehend JB leaving it up to Constance to prove his innocence. The clues lead Constance back to the Green Manors where Dr. Murchison has resumed his former position. A slip of his tongue where he states to Constance that he thought the real Dr. Edwardes was a horrid man when earlier he stated he had never met him alerts Constance to who the real murderer is and in a fateful confrontation the real truth and its tragic consequences all come out. The bright aspect of this conclusion of the situation is that "JB", learns his real name, "John Ballantine", and is freed of any suspicion in Dr. Edwardes' death. He and Constance also can then plan a future together now that he is cured of his earlier amnesia.

Despite the dated medical practices that make up the core of the action in "Spellbound", the uniformily fine acting performances by the cast make this film a memorable viewing experience. Ingrid Bergman was in the middle of her extraordinary run of critical and box office success as possibly the freshest performer in Hollywood at this time and she had her choice of a dazzling array of leading men eager to work with her. Gregory Peck only teamed with her the once and despite his relative inexperience with film at this time, despite being nominated for an Oscar for "Keys of the Kingdom", he already shows the mettle that would make him one of Hollywood's most enduring leading men. A favourite character actor of mine, Leo G. Carroll long associated with pedantic, fussy men in his film roles had one of his best roles here as Dr. Murchison who features prominently in the unexpected thrilling finale to "Spellbound". He teams particulary well with Ingrid Bergman and their nail biting climatic scene at the film's conclusion has become a classic. Hitchcock used a number of quite innovative practices to make "Spellbound", a creative and for the times quite thought provoking work of cinema. Boasting an Oscar winning musical score by Miklos Rozsa, the film is also justly famous for the elaborate dream sequence designed by the legendary Salvador Dali. Originally much longer and surreal than as it appears on screen now, it was cut in length due to Studio pressure so as to not "alienate", the average audience. Its rich expressionist symbolism however creates a marvellous illustration in showing Gregory Peck's characters search for the truth about his past. Also the famous colour gun shot at the gripping conclusion in an otherwise black and white production helps create another not expected element in the story.

Viewed today "Spellbound", might not be considered the best work in Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed body of work however it provides interesting asides into the then fashionable world of psychanalysis and its benefits to those suffering guilt complexes and associated memory losses. Despite its dated elements that are very obvious with the passage of time and advances in medical practices "Spellbound", I feel justly takes its place as one of David O. Selznick's more thoughtful productions from this time and is still best remembered as one of the jewels in the crown of Ingrid Bergman's career in the early 1940's. Enjoy

Rating:
Summary: I stayed up way too late watching this video...
Review: But Hitchcock certainly knows how to hold your attention. This movie was of interest to me because of how a professional woman was portrayed at a time when women were largely restricted from entering the professions (other than nurse or teacher). Ingrid Bergman's psychoanalyst character is the only woman physician at the mental hospital she works at. In some ways, her role fits in the stereotypes of women (turning to mush when they fall in love) but on the whole, Bergman's character is quite gutsy -- particularly at the suspenseful end. She manages to hold her own in what was surely a difficult environment for women -- but then you'd need to be a tough woman to compete in that environment.

The plot involves a new director at the mental hospital, supposedly a famous psychoanalyst. Bergman quickly figures out he's an imposter, but not before she's fallen in love (in one day! I told you, the part about the irrationality of women in love is something of a male fantasy). Her colleagues are not far behind her in figuring out this man is an imposter, but the real Dr. Edwards has vanished and the imposter could be the killer.

So what does Bergman do? She tries to cure the patient, made more difficult because they end up on the run. Sounds a bit silly in the telling, but honestly, it's a very compelling movie that reminded me of North by Northwest, probably because both movies involve a pursuit.

If you haven't seen this movie, you definitely need to see it -- this is classic Hitchcock and ages very well.





Rating:
Summary: "YOU CAN REMEBER , YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!"
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Spellbound is one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films for two reasons.

1. The use of a theremin in the soundtrack is among one of the first times it was used in a movie score but did not gain major recognition until it's use in "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

2. The dream sequence devised by Salvador Dalí is very impressive and is a great example of surrealism ans dadaism in cinema.

The film is about a woman who works at a mental institution who assists her new boss with some problems he has, but things are not as they seem. It is very difficult to reveal any more about the plot without a spoiler so I will stop here.

The film's soundtrack by Miklos Rozsa won an Academy Award® for bst original score and is superb, especially with the use of a theremin. The acting by Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant are very impressive and among their greatest performances. Salvador Dalí's dream sequence in the film is very famous and very well choreographed.

The DVD's special features are also very well done and comprehensive.

There is of course the near-obligatory theatrical trailer and hundreds of photos from publicity stils production stills and lobby cards.

Hitchcock scholar Marian Keane does a great audio commentary and as it is a psychological thriller, she makes many analyses of scenes from a Freudian perspective.

There is also the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation bordcast in 1948

There is also a large presentation about the Ddream sequence with storyboards and script excerpts of delected scenes. There are also two essays by other Hitchcock Scholars which are quite good.

Finally two special features about the soundtrack which are an audio interview with the composer, Miklos Rozsa, and an NPR broadcast about the theremin, which is the signature musical instrument used in the soundtrack.

This DVD went out of print in January of 2004 and as with all OOP Criterion DVD's the price goes up a lot over time.

Best to buy soon while it is still cheap!

Rating:
Summary: Criterion's spellbound DVD is great. But it has a glitch!
Review: Criterion's release of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound has a slight flaw. 74 minutes into the film we get a shot of J.B. (Gregory Peck) holding a razor blade, whilst hearing Brulov's (Michael Checkov's) line off screen 'Is that you Mr Brown?'
We then cut to Brulov for his next line 'Oh I thought it was you.' Simple, no? Well, the Criterion DVD cuts away from the razor blade too soon, and then
has the footage of Brulov mouthing his 2nd line, whilst overdubbing his !st! Then we get the 2nd line properly. In other words, the footage of Brulov's line
'Oh I thought it was you' is spliced together twice!!

So far I don't know if the Criterion disc is the only version affected.

If you don't mind the glitch, then Criterion's version of Spellbound is the version to collect (great extras and picture quality). And if you can still find it somewhere (since it's now Out of Print)don't hesitate to buy it, it's still a very good disc and those extras really make this DVD into a true collector's item. Just don't throw away that old VHS tape!