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Movies / On DVD / Spellbound
Spellbound

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Spellbound (1945)

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Reviews Counted:30

Fresh:26

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Drawing on psychoanalysis to frame a transcendent love story, Alfred Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND is a mind-bending study of just how far people might go to escape trauma or to pursue passion. Gregory... Drawing on psychoanalysis to frame a transcendent love story, Alfred Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND is a mind-bending study of just how far people might go to escape trauma or to pursue passion. Gregory Peck is introduced as Dr. Edwardes, the newly arrived director of a mental asylum. However, when Edwardes starts displaying strange behavior in a meeting with the staff, Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) begins to suspect that all is not right with him. Edwardes proves to actually be John Ballantine, a patient suffering from amnesia--and a consuming dread in relation to the missing Dr. Edwardes. As suspicion of murder falls over Ballantine, the icy Peterson finds herself growing more and more emotionally attached to him and more and more convinced that curing his amnesia is the key to proving his innocence. Retreating to an upstate residence, Peterson enlists the help of leading psychoanalyst Dr. Brulov (Michael Chekhov). Pursuing the truth of the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Edwardes leads deep into the tangled mindscape of Ballantine and proves that danger is very close indeed. To illustrate the psychological journey Ballantine undergoes, the film includes a captivating dream sequence designed by the legendary surrealist painter Salvador Dali. [More]

Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G. Carroll, Michael Chekhov

Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G. Carroll, Michael Chekhov, Rhonda Fleming, John Emery, Norman Lloyd, Steven Geray

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: David O. Selznick
Composer: Miklos Rozsa

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 7, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Spellbound

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/04/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/16/04
Apollo Guide

Not to be speechless about it, David O. Selznick has a rare film in Spellbound.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times

The pat psychoanalytic answers seem all too easy by today’s standards, but that really doesn’t take away from enjoyment of this classic film.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
09/14/02
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Spellbound lands as one of Hitchcock's classics but it's far from his best work.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/09/02
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
11/04/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Stylish psychodrama

comment Comment
06/29/04
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
David Poland
David Poland
Hot Button

A syrupy serving of Freudian analysis that looks tempting but tastes of too much superego, id, and subconscious jive to be taken seriously.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/02/01
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

For fans of Hitchcock, it will be obvious that this isn’t one of his best, but, as always, the atmosphere of suspense and mystery that he creates makes the film worth seeing.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
07/23/03
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Apollo Guide

All in all, Spellbound is more than solid, although still overrated psychological thriller. Its true importance lies not in its quality, but in the roads Hitchcock paved for future filmmakers in it.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
06/06/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/24/04
Eric Melin
Eric Melin
Lawrence.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/11/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

No review available.

comment Comment
08/24/05
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

an incessantly talky film, with every significant action being explained in long-winded speeches about guilt and repression

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
09/26/02
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

Severely dated but supremely entertaining psychological thriller

comment Comment
07/09/04
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

It has a lot of great stuff, not least of which is the odd dream sequence, designed by none other than Salvador Dali.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
02/13/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

It sounds utterly schematic, but this top-notch production redeems the majority of the clichés.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
06/03/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

once again Hitchcock's camera is the star of the film, elevating its status

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
09/22/02
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews
 
 
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