Mark Habeeb This has got to be one of Hitchcock's best films ever. And I would say top film from the 40's. The movie slowly develops into a very suspencful ride that really did catch me on the edge of my seat. The charectors are very well developed and you really get attached to them. The concept of this movie involves a woman psychiatrist who falls in love with a man who at first claims to be a psychiatrist as well. Soon we find out that he is an imposter, but he does not remember why. As he leaves for new york, the woman go's after him. The movie from there takes on an adventure. As the woman falls deeper in love with the man, but does not know if he is truly insane, possibly a murderer, or simply experienced a bad case of amnesia. As the mystery unravels, the movie will keep you guessing. Only Hitchcock can blend, Suspense, Romance, Psychological thriller, and Adventure all into one perfect harmony. Truly a Masterpiece.

JohnHowardReid In his excellent study of Ingrid Bergman for the Pyramid Illustrated History of the Movies series, Curtis F. Brown tells exactly what is wrong with Spellbound: "In addition to Gregory Peck's callow appearance and wooden acting, the film has other serious faults. One is its pretentious and simplistic 'dream sequence. Another is the dialogue." Most of the picture is thrown Bergman's way and she is such an accomplished actress and lights up the screen with such a charismatic inner radiance that it doesn't really matter what she says. The logical, pragmatic side of our brain is only half-listening. And as for Peck, for once his very shallowness and lack of presence is ideally suited for the part he is called upon to play. The support cast, led by Leo G. Carroll, is also sufficiently professional to either smooth out or neatly contrast the gauche acting of the amateurish Peck. Though why Michael Chekhov was honored with a Supporting Actor nomination is beyond me. Competent enough he certainly is, but he is among the least interesting of the supporting line-up. Other names that spring to mind well before Chekhov' are John Emery, Rhonda Fleming, Norman Lloyd and Wallace Ford. The Criterion DVD can be thoroughly recommended.

SnoopyStyle Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman) is a cold psychoanalyst at the mental hospital Green Manors. The director Dr. Murchison is being forced to retire after a mental breakdown. Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck) is his new replacement but he seems to be suffering from mental disturbances and younger than expected. Constance's icy exterior starts to melt for him but she uncovers that he's an impostor. He claims to have lost his memories.Psychiatrists are not my favorite character tropes. They usually sit and talk in very static scenes. I like the first act here and it sets up something interesting. Once he turns out to be amnesiac, the movie gets stuck and I'm simply sitting there waiting for him to remember. There is an interesting section with surrealistic dreams from artist Salvador Dalí at 90 minutes. However I don't like all the psychobabble. The hour in the middle could have been cut in half. I'm normally a happy Hitchcock fan but this hit me wrong in a couple of ways.

Marcin Kukuczka Along with its obvious echoes of the style the master of suspense was so renowned for, SPELLBOUND is a slightly different movie of his. Except for the Expressionistic character of Hitchcock's movies both in their visual schemes and thematic concerns, it is a "tale of psychiatry, love and murder" (Robert Snow). Bearing this in mind, we might quote Francois Truffaut who said about the director that he "gets the maximum effect from the minimum elements." This maximum effect in SPELLBOUND finds its fullest realization in its psychoanalysis, a true novelty for the 1940s.The psychoanalysis here, as dated as it may seem, occurs to symbolize a particularly modern approach not only to the screen adaptation of a literary piece (the film is based upon a 1927 novel THE HOUSE OF DR EDWARDES by Hilary Saint George Saunders and John Palmer) but primarily to addressing of the versatile needs and expectations of its viewers. Certain dated visuals do not, indeed, shadow the dynamic effect of appeal, understanding, interest that the movie still instills after all these decades. All its artistic equipment, including the terrific soundtrack by Miklos Rozsa (not Bergman) known for the instrument of theremin, brilliant details of images, namely the opening doors that appear to symbolize the opening of hidden worlds of characters in a totally new, yet undiscovered manner (Selznick's idea), the ultra-popular dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali (I will mention later) constitute the great merit of the film and its director who could "infuse the simple story with compelling camera work and great pacing that keeps us guessing until the final pieces drop into place" (Robert Snow). However, the major strength of SPELLBOUND lies elsewhere...Carter B Horsley in one of his reviews on Hitchcock's films stated memorably that the Master of Suspense could boast three major points: "immense influence, sardonic and mischievous with and the magnetism of his cast." The two first points would never exist without the last one, that is the leading and supporting cast who make SPELLBOUND a true feat of acing.As the story imprisons its characters within the spheres of psychoanalytical approach which reinforces the duality of human nature, the actors deserve full credit. Ingrid Bergman as Constance Petersen and Gregory Peck as John Ballatyne) make a brilliant couple of a doctor and her patient developing various emotions and feelings that come and go in their growing relationship. With certain liberties taken with its original literary source and highly adapted to the medium needs by Ben Hecht, the cast supply us with an authentic insight into situations and states of mind therein depicted. As the story develops 'emotional problems of the sane,' (which we read at the beginning), they handle the task to prompt the audience to psychoanalyze the characters. Of course, we, supplied already with incomparable experience within that field after years of its popularity, do that differently than viewers of the 1940s did that. Anyway, that inspiration still works. Roger Ebert rightly pointed out about Ingrid Bergman that she "subtly combined the noble and the carnal" Some of the very best moments of theirs include the railway station moment, the kiss, Peck's first entrance and the visit at Dr Alexander Brulov's played magnificently by Michael Checkov. With his weird English accent and his cutting remarks, he makes for supreme wit and thrill as well as adds clever intellectual resonance to the story.The minor point of criticism might refer to the skiing sequence which surely occurs dates and a bit laughable and the performance of Leo G. Caroll as Dr Murchison who, on the one hand, does not call our attention on the true villain (and rightly so) but, on the other hand, becomes a bit too suspicious with his forged respectability, calmness and conventionality.Something needs to be mentioned about Dali sequence. Initially planned as a 22 minute sequence and finally cut to 2 minutes, it is still the most intriguing, nightmarish, mysterious almost part of the movie that is impossible to be skipped. Robert Snow rightly calls it 'cool' stating further that "the backgrounds have that stark, painted quality of Dali's surrealist works." Much more could be said about this excellent movie but the word limit, unfortunately, does not allow that. Putting it in a nutshell, it is one of a little less famous Hitchcock but, surely, highly worth seeing as a tremendous depiction of any sane man put behind bars of guilt complex.