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Spellbound [VHS] [1945]
 
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Spellbound [VHS] [1945]

VHS ~ Ingrid Bergman
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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5 new from £5.99 8 used from £1.12 5 collectible from £2.35

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
Alfred Hitchcock takes on Sigmund Freud in this thriller in which psychologist Ingrid Bergman tries to solve a murder by unlocking the clues hidden in the mind of amnesiac suspect Gregory Peck. Among the highlights is a bizarre dream sequence seemingly designed by Salvador Dali--complete with huge eyeballs and pointy scissors. Although the film is in black and white, the original release contained one subliminal blood-red frame, appearing when a gun pointed directly at the camera goes off. Spellbound is one of Hitchcock's strangest and most atmospheric films, providing the director with plenty of opportunities to explore what he called "pure cinema"--i.e., the power of pure visual associations. Miklós Rózsa's haunting score (which features the creepy electronic instrument, the theremin) won an Oscar, and the movie was nominated for best picture, director, supporting actor (Michael Chekhov), cinematography and special visual effects. --Jim Emerson

Synopsis
Psychiatrist Doctor Constance Peterson psychoanalyses J.B. who harbours a severe guilt trauma, and tries to unravel the mystery inside the dark chambers of his mind.

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Spellbound [VHS] [1945]
41% buy the item featured on this page:
Spellbound [VHS] [1945] 4.0 out of 5 stars (8)
Spellbound [1945] [DVD]
33% buy
Spellbound [1945] [DVD]
£5.48
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12% buy
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£5.88
North By Northwest [1959] [DVD]
8% buy
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and evocative mid period Hitchcock, 22 Nov 2001
By A Reader (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This 1945 effort was later disparaged by Hitchcock himself, and by numerous critics. Pay no attention. The Dali-designed dream sequence is, of course, more effective than any of his paintings. The numerous cinematic flourishes (doors gliding open during a kiss, the milk-glass viewpoint) are mainly lovely, if sometimes the violins need turning down. Bergman is poignant as the inexperienced doctor, Peck is fine and, beneath the "pure cinema" this is still an old- fashioned suspense movie with plot twists that actually work.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling psychological drama, 29 Nov 2002
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Spellbound [1945] (Alfred Hitchcock) [DVD] (DVD)
This movie is a product of that golden age of incredible plots, talented actors, and visionary directing. A description of the plot may sound somewhat banal, and I doubt if the same movie could be made today and be taken seriously, but this classic is a masterful piece of cinema. When Dr. Edwards (Gregory Peck) arrives at Green Manors Mental Asylum to replace the head man, he quickly falls for the heretofore distant, hyperanalytical Dr. Constance Petersen (played by the incomparable Ingrid Bergman). Constance soon discovers that the man she is falling in love with is not Dr. Edwards at all but is instead an amnesiac who has taken the place of the real Dr. Edwards. Although the impostor is afraid he killed the real doctor, Constance is determined to help him regain his memory. The mystery of Dr. Edward's disappearance quickly leads to a police investigation, but Constance follows her "patient" to the city and eventually takes him to the home of her mentor, striving to prove that the man she loves is not a murderer. The ending, I must say, does not disappoint; it actually exceeded my own expectations.

Bergman is naturally wonderful in her role, and her accent adds a trace of mystery to an already suspenseful story. The portrayal of Dr. Murchison, the previous head of the asylum, is smooth, polished, and quite effective, and the actor portraying Constance's former mentor does a masterful job as a somewhat stereotypical pseudo-Freud blessed with a penchant for making remarks I found quite humorous. While Gregory Peck is also very good, he seems to go a little over the top at times when he is reacting to troubling stimuli. Hitchcock's direction is both innovative and masterful. There are several scenes involving unusual camera shots that add much to the atmosphere of mounting suspense, and a dream sequence supposedly designed by Salvador Dali is unique and oddly compelling.

Certainly, Freudian analysis was more in vogue when this movie was made in 1955 than it is now. It is Constance's belief that something from the impostor's childhood triggered his amnesia, and she seeks to help him by unlocking his buried memories. A crucial plot point centers around a surreal dream the impostor has and Constance's interpretation of its meaning. While some modern viewers may scoff at the notions espoused here, such feelings should take nothing away from the enjoyment of this classic, atmospheric, suspenseful drama.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars It Makes You Want To Write A Review!, 13 Jan 2006
This review is from: Spellbound [1945] (Alfred Hitchcock) [DVD] (DVD)
It has been said to be one of Hitchcock's more interesting "failures". I loved it and I think the reason that it has been deemed a failure is because it doesn't consentrate on suspense as much as his others around that time. Plus David O. Selznick was not the best partner for Hitch and interfeered a lot.
The story revolves on the axis of psychoanalysis and maybe consentrates on the theme a little too much as Hitch was interested in the criminal mind. But it is obviously a classic Hitchcock and, contrary to another reviwer, has stood the test of time.
As for suspense, there are a number of obviouse occasions where it is being put to great use- With the gun at the end and the ski slope to name but two. And all through the movie there is a lingering shadow, or rather layer of dread that they may be found out before Peck is cured.
There are also some ingenuitive and ingenious Hitchcock moments; the milk glass and the flash of colour (in a black and white movie) as the gun is fired- from a great angle... plus Dali's dream sequence which is entrawling! Just one of those examples will definetly whet your apetite.
Ingrid Bergman is absolutly fantastic in this film; better, even, than in Notorious, and is a delight to watch. It will strike you straight away and she keeps it up throughout the entire picture.
Gregory Peck is, as always, a treat and matches Cary Grant as one of Hitchcock's top leading men.
The twists at the end are captivating and will get your pulse racing.
Maybe Hitchcock's most unusual U.S film and a must have for collectors and fans. It pairs well with the different but brilliant Notorious!
Nuff' Said!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars I don't believe in dreams. That Freud stuff is a lot of hooey...
Featuring a script from one of Hitchcock's favourite writers, Ben Hecht, the acting talents of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman and dream sequences by Salvador Dali Spellbound should... Read more
Published 10 months ago by IWFIcon

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. H's best work
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by the ever popular David O. Selznick, with a cast that anyone would die for (and a few do), this is the formulae for the perfect movie... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Sarah H.

2.0 out of 5 stars far from spellbinding
As others have suggested, this movie is very hard to take seriously nowadays. Not just that Freud is more or less discredited, but the explanations of psychoanalysis are... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2007 by A Reader

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really stood the test of time
I am sure that when this film was released in 1945, it appeared dazzling and intriguing to its audience, dealing with presumably a novel subject to the cinematic medium at the... Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2005 by L. Davidson

5.0 out of 5 stars intriguing drama of love, fear and suspicion
Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck are perfect as a modern couple unsure whether to trust each other or love. Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2000

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