La maison du docteur Edwardes

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.

One of the first films in Hollywood to deal with the subject of psychoanalysis, Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound is an expertly crafted psychological thriller that works equally well as a brain teaser for its viewers. It tells the story of a psychiatrist who protects the identity of an amnesia patient, disguised as the new head of a mental asylum, and covers her attempts to recover his memory.

Cleverly directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the film is full of twists & turns throughout its runtime and repeatedly plays a dream sequence that toys with viewers' mind like a strong puzzle asking to be solved. Cinematography is a stunning work of film-noir, editing keeps the tension alive from start to finish & thanks to its terrific use of music, it manages to keep the viewers at the age of their seats for the majority of its runtime.

And also worth mentioning are its brilliant performances from Gregory Peck, Michael Chekov & the immensely beautiful Ingrid Bergman amongst whom Bergman impressed me the most for I was completely in awe of her. On an overall scale, Spellbound is a spellbinding tale by the master of suspense that never lets out the entertainment factor for its viewers & keeps them invested in its story with a sense of self-generated curiosity. Highly recommended.

"Spellbound" is a psychological thriller that tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum (Peck) who turns out to be an imposter. It's love at first sight for Constance (Bergman), a psychiatrist at the asylum, who falls for Anthony (Peck). However, his amnesia and dizzy spells reveal that he isn't the man he says he is, and he may have actually killed the man he's pretending to be.

As things begin to unravel and the situation becomes public knowledge, Anthony does a runner and Constance leaves the asylum to track him down. The pair reunites and Constance quests to prove the innocence of her new lover.

This movie has suspense written all over it. I'm a big fan of Hitchcock movies, especially the cinematography. I love it when the shot cuts to a new location or landscape - almost in complete silence. It gives a certain eerie 'what's going to happen here?' feel to it. Even in the opening titles with the bare tree branches rattling in the wind - you know you're in for a real treat with that spooky music.

At times Peck's character does come across a bit of wimp during his funny 'spells' where he flashes back to a time when he THINKS he may have committed a crime. You want him to pull himself together and snap out of it, yet it's part of the plot so all is forgiven.

When all the signs point to guilt Constance, in what we can only assume is her own delusion and blindness, refuses to believe that Anthony could ever do something so heinous. Her scepticism rings true towards the end when her psychiatric training comes in handy and we discover what really happened. She calls on the expertise of her former mentor, played by Michael Chekhov, who plays the part of the probing, and rather peculiar, psychoanalyst well.

Bergman and Peck make a terrific pairing. The love their characters have for each other is so convincing, you pray (and hope) that Anthony is innocent and it's all a misunderstanding. Bergman portrays Constance's desperation so well - she is desperate to prove Anthony is a good man despite his multiple admissions of guilt.

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

"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!