Spellbound (1945)

Hitchcock's Spellbound is an exploration of psychoanalysis and psychoanalysts. Even though the film was entertaining and some of Hitch's typical cinematic trick work out nicely (but did I like the Salvador Dali part? Not so much.), the film should not be watched by anyone wanting to learn something about psychoanalysis. Its teachings can be exemplified by this line, advocated by an elderly psychoanalyst (beard - check, European accent - check): "Female psychoanalysts are some of the best psychoanalysts. But that's only until they fall in love..." (or something like that) Spellbound is, of course, about a female psychoanalyst in love. Her new colleague at the hospital arrives and she instantaneously falls for him. But it seems like the guy is not what he appears to be. He breaks down, and confesses that he doesn't remember who he is. Maybe he killed the psychoanalyst whose name he has stolen? Hitch's film depicts psychoanalysis like crime solving - a puzzle is to be solved, codes are to be broken, the solution is to be reached. I doubt that this interpretation of psychoanalysis is more interesting for Hollywood that laborious years on the analytic couch where there is no clear lineage of where the process is heading and not in that sense any handy code-interpretation tools to be used by means of which a dream can be broken down in a matter of a few minutes. The film has its sexist aspect. The woman, who of course is represented as out of touch with her feelings, goes from fidgety rationalistic type to starry-eyed Madonna. This drags down almost the entire plot. Gregory Peck is a man's man and Ingrid Bergman, when she is together with him, is almost always reduced to the Female, even when she is analyzing the guy. But at least the point of the film is to prove the elderly analyst wrong: she is a good analyst, regardless of whether in love or not. But the whole thing is quite silly. // The interesting dimension of the film is of course how psychoanalysis was presented to a film audience of the 40's. The answer is that most of all, psychoanalysis is seen as a curing technique with its own hermetic rules and buzz words. --- The best thing about the movie is Michael Chekhov (relative to the author!) and his cute interpretation of the old psychoanalyst. Quite adorable I must say!