Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Viewed on July 7, 2020
Bergman and Peck have chemistry, but Spellbound is too dizzy as a whole
Hitchcock’s filmic universe operates on the idea of pure cinema: each facet of production, from the writing to the performances to the editing and distributing, contributes to the creation of a world that the viewer slips into without noticing the artificiality of the movie’s creation. When Hitch has got his mojo working, his films become a part of the viewer’s film consciousness, integral building blocks in learning the grammar of how movies work (watch his explanation of the Kuleshov effect for a good film grammar lesson).
What doesn’t work about Spellbound is that the plot is bogged down by the premise that the story is predicated on: psycho-analysis, or as Hitchcock referred to the field in his seminal interviews with Truffaut: “psycho-babble.” So many characters discuss the motivations and symbolisms of Gregory Peck’s character’s actions that it dilutes the mystery of his character. He becomes a subject to be analyzed rather than a force of action, a role many male Hitchcock protagonists fulfill. Also, I adore Peck, but he doesn’t quite fit the schema of the traditional stoic figure that is essential to Hitchcock’s work – Hitchcock actors make their work seem effortless while Peck seems to be trying to hard and becomes lost at times as a result. Meanwhile, Ingrid Bergman is perfect as usual, presenting a complex female psychologist who has always acted according to reason until she encounters the most unreasonable occurrences in human existence – love – and one could imagine that Michael Chekhov’s character is Hitchcock’s avatar, espousing then deriding analysis in equal measure
Dali’s dream sequence in the film is remarkable and I wish that it had lasted longer, but perhaps that would have been too much of a good thing. The film works best when it gives homage to the features of silent dramatic thrillers, where the characters are lit from below, their shadows making thing seem like enormous monsters. There is a good film in here, hiding beneath the over-explaining and psycho-drama, one involving a case of mistaken identity and the threat of learning that the one you love may just become your murder.