Spellbound

(1945)

Will he kiss me or kill me?

"Spellbound", starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G. Carroll, loosely based on the novel "The House of Dr. Edwards", was Alfred Hitchcock's somewhat surreal vision of a film about psychoanalysis. 

The story: Peck's character, claiming to be Dr. Anthony Edwardes, appears at the mental hospital where Dr. Constance Peterson (Bergman) works, to replace Dr. Murchison (Carroll) as head of the institution. The young pair immediately fall for each other, but Constance's professional abilities also bring her to face the reality that something is terribly wrong with "Dr. Edwardes".  She loves him and tries to help him, while at the same time fearing that he may be a murderer.

"Spellbound" is mostly remarkable for being a visual delight, not only of course due to its master director, but also because the film's famous surreal dream sequence Hitchcock created in collaboration with Salvador Dali.  This surreal tone is helped by the inclusion of other heavily symbolic scenes such as the line of seven doors opening when Bergman's frigid character becomes "thawed" by her first kiss with Peck.  The heavy-handedness of the sexual symbolism in the door scene (violins start up as the doors begin to open) is a little over-the-top but does fit in with the otherwordly feel of the film.

"Spellbound" will be showing in Raleigh at The North Carolina Museum  of Art, at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Friday, November 18th, at 8 pm.  The film is part of the Fall Film Series at the Museum focusing on surrealism.  Tickets are $3.50 for Museum members, students, Cinema Inc. and Galaxy Cinema members, and $5 for all others.  Tickets may be ordered by phone by calling 919-715-5923, and in person (East Building) during regular hours:  Tues.-Thur., Sat.-Sun. 10 am-5pm, Fri. 10 am-9 pm.

Photo credit: Selznick International Pictures