Cast
Ingrid Bergman ... Dr. Constance Petersen
Gregory Peck ... John Ballantyne
Michael Chekhov ... Dr. Alexander 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
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Storyline
Dr. Anthony Edwardes, sent to replace Dr. Murchison as head of Green Manors mental hospital, is an impostor. When Murchinson calls the police, Edwardes leaves, followed by Dr. Constance Peterson, who has fallen in love with him and wants to treat his amnesia. She believes he is a medical doctor whose name is John. Skiing down a long slope, accompanied by Constance, John relives the memory of his brother being impaled on an iron fence with parallel bars, an accident for which he feels responsible. Police find the real Dr. Edwardes' dead body and John is accused of his murder. Written by alfiehitchie
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posted 9 July 2001 | review by Snow Leopard (Ohio)
"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.
source:imdb.com
