Spellbound (1945)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Palmer (novel) and
Hilary St. George Sanders (novel) ...

Release Date:

28 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Strange . . . Strange . . . Their Irresistible Love! Dark . . . Dark . . . Their Inescapable Fears !

Plot:

A female psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory.

Plot Keywords:

Impostor | Murder | Psychiatrist | Amnesia | Police

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Ingrid Bergman	...	Dr. Constance Petersen
Gregory Peck	...	John Ballantine / Dr. Anthony Edwardes
Michael Chekhov	...	Dr. Alexander 'Alex' Brulov
Leo G. Carroll	...	Dr. Murchison
Rhonda Fleming	...	Mary Carmichael
John Emery	...	Dr. Fleurot
Norman Lloyd	...	Mr. Garmes
Bill Goodwin	...	House detective
Steven Geray	...	Dr. Graff
Donald Curtis	...	Harry
Wallace Ford	...	Stranger in Hotel Lobby
Art Baker	...	Det. Lt. Cooley
Regis Toomey	...	Det. Sgt. Gillespie
Paul Harvey	...	Dr. Hanish

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (USA) (promotional title)
The House of Dr. Edwardes (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

111 min | Canada:95 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Spain:18 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Germany:16 (f) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #10456)

Filming Locations:

Alta Lodge - 10230 E. Little Cottonwood Road, Alta, Utah, USA

Company:

Vanguard Films

Trivia:

One of the first Hollywood films to deal with psychoanalysis.

Goofs:

Continuity: The envelope which John Ballantine slips under the door of Dr. Peterson's room remains close the door and with its border parallel to the door bottom line. Later it appears a little distant from the door and skewed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Nurse: [offscreen] Miss Carmichael, please. Dr. Petersen is ready for you.

Movie Connections:

References The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Soundtrack:

Spellbound Concerto

A Fine, Distinctive Film Despite Its Implausible Aspects

"Spellbound" is one of Hitchcock's hardest films to evaluate, because its plot and credibility are so heavily dependent on theories of psychoanalysis that are usually considered to be implausible, at the very best. But if you can accept, for the sake of entertainment, the more dubious plot devices, what remains is a fine film dominated by the great director's usual creativity and technical mastery. Although it's hard to get away from the implausibilities, it's a fine movie in all other respects.

Gregory Peck stars as an amnesia case, and Ingrid Bergman as a psychoanalyst trying to unravel his mysterious - and possibly murderous - past. Most of the other characters are also psychoanalysts or patients, and the plot revolves around the ways that Bergman's character uses Freudian theories to solve the mystery. Whether you can enjoy the story depends on how willing you are to suspend disbelief concerning the wilder aspects of these theories, but if you are willing to do so, it's quite nicely done in most parts, with some fine scenes and a couple of good plot twists. It is also worth watching for the famous Salvador Dali dream sequence, which is very creatively done and fascinating to watch. Peck and Bergman also create interesting and sympathetic characters, who make the viewer want to know what will happen to them.

Overall, this is a distinctive film, and well worth seeing for any Hitchcock fan.