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
Product Description
Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman Spellbound was nominated for six Academy Awards and won The Oscar for its original score. Based on Francis Beedings' novel 'The House of Dr. Edwards', it is one of Hitchcock's finest films, full of classic plot twists and featuring a riveting dream sequence by Salvador Dali. Having retired from his position as head of the Green Manor Mental Asylum, Dr Murchison assigns famous psychiatrist Dr. Edwards (Gregory Peck) as his replacement. There Dr. Edwards becomes attached to the beautiful but cold Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) who soon realises that he is in fact a paranoid amnesiac impostor and sets about to cure him whilst solving the mystery of what happened to the real Dr. Edwards. Special Features Photo Gallery Star Biographies
See all Reviews