Spellbound

You've fallen for a man who's an impostor, although his memories of before he cannot foster, a psychologist by trade, you're intent to move the shade, and prevent John Ballantyne from getting loster. He disappears, you track him down and run away, to your mentor's house you find a place to stay, as together you decrypt, in abstract dreams you find transcript, then make your way to mountains where folk ski and sleigh. It soon transpires that there's skulduggery at work, you're new loves actions, can't possibly be shirked, a slippery slope is more inclined, riven with twisting, turning lines, a casual comment fills with light, removes the dark.

Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck enchant throughout.

I watched Spellbound for the first time this morning, and overall I was very impressed. While Spellbound is far from his best film, it is in general very well done, and I would definitely watch it again for a number of reasons. Hitchcock's direction is noteworthy, maybe not as tight as it usually is, but still noteworthy. The film is shot with breathtaking black and white cinematography, particularly the scene in the countryside, in fact the only scene where it didn't quite work was in the skiing scene, it looked rushed and a tad too amateurish. On a more positive note, the music score by Miklos Rosza was absolutely outstanding; it is without a doubt one of the best film scores I have ever heard, and in my opinion one of the more memorable scores in any Hitchcock film. From the beautiful sweeping title theme, to some truly haunting parts in especially the scene with the sleepwalking. The final solution is exceedingly clever and unpredictable, and the dream sequence by Salvador Dali while short was essential to the plot and very effective. Speaking of the plot, mixed with psychological nuances and a young doctor's struggles to help her patient/ lover and prove his innocence, has its usual twists and turns and is pretty suspenseful. I will admit some of it is implausible, and the script may just lack the sophistication of the scripts of Hitchcocks like Vertigo or Rebecca, but on the whole it was cleverly crafted. The performances are in general very good; Gregory Peck is disappointingly one-note, but as the beautiful but cold Constance Peterson Sweedish beauty Ingrid Bergman is a revelation. The standout supporting turns come from Michael Chekov as Alex and Leo G. Carroll as Murchison, both add a lot to the film and do very well, and Hitchcock himself makes a cameo. All in all, has its flaws, and is definitely not Hitchcock's best, but I do recommend it. And I do think that along with StageFright it is one of the more undervalued Hitchcock movies. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Alfred Hitchcock makes his customary quick cameo at 38:52-38:55 at the Empire Hotel lobby in New York City. He's exiting an elevator, smoking a cigarette.

While I wouldn't include 'Spellbound' in my top five favourite Alfred Hitchcock movies it's still wonderfully entertaining. Of course it had dated badly in some ways, but not enough to spoil a modern viewer's enjoyment. Psychoanalysis was still quite a cinematic novelty at the time, but this means that we have to put up with an awkward opening sequence, complete with "explanations" on the screen, and a few pretty hokey moments throughout, but hey, I can live with that, and the amateurish filmed skiing scene. These few flaws, quite a rarity for Hitchcock, are still small potatoes. The legendary Salvador Dali designed dream sequence allegedly used very little of the great surrealists outlandish ideas, but even so it's striking and memorable. I also really enjoyed the inventive score by Miklos Rozsa, which utilized the eerie sound of the theremin, later used in the science fiction classic 'The Day The Earth Stood Still', and The Beach Boys psychedelic pop masterpiece 'Good Vibrations'. Now the best thing about 'Spellbound' and what really makes it into a wonderfully entertaining mystery/romance is Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. These two Golden Age superstars are both absolutely wonderful individually, but together they are magical, and one of THE great romantic couples in movie history. 'Spellbound' may not be Hitchcock's very best work, but I still highly recommended it. I can't see how anyone could not enjoy it.

"Spellbound" has become one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. I think Gregory Peck is excellent in this movie as John Ballantine, the amnesiac who receives help from Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman). But John has more problems than amnesia. He cannot stand to see dark lines on a white background. For example, a blanket, a robe, and a tablecloth. But he remembers what had happened to him thanks to Constance and her former teacher, another psychologist named Dr. Brulov.

There is also a wonderful performance by Leo G. Carroll, who plays Dr. Murchison. He has also been one of my favorite actors, and he's brilliant in this movie.

So the bottom line is, you should really see this movie, and not just for Gregory Peck's handsome face, or Ingrid Bergman's beauty. I think it's one of Hitch's best suspense movies. By the way, Gregory Peck does look very, very handsome in this movie, so for those girls out there who still think you might not want to see it, it's worth it!