Spellbound (1945)
- kbroer
- Sep 8, 2023
- 2 min read
Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Available to stream on YouTube
Psychiatrist Ingrid Bergman helps amnesiac patient Gregory Peck discover the truth about his disturbed past, while eluding police who suspect him of murder.
Why we love it: A classic Alfred Hitchcock, full of suspense, romance, interesting camera work, and most of all an amazing cast. Ingrid Bergman and young Gregory Peck are fantastic together and very believable even if sometimes the story is not.
Fun Facts:
Surrealist painter Salvador Dali was hired to design the dream sequence in the film. According to Hitchcock, "Traditionally, up to that time, dream scenes in films were always done with swirling smoke, slightly out of focus. This was the convention, and I decided I wanted to go the other way to convey the dreams with great visual sharpness and clarity, sharper than the rest of the film itself." (TCM The Big Idea) The dream sequence, originally about 22 minutes long, was cut down to just 2 minutes in the final film.
Miklos Rozsa wrote the Academy Award winning score for the film. This score is one of the first uses of the theremin, an electronic instrument controlled by sensors rather than physical touch. Its sound is now associated with eerie, frightening situations. Here is an excerpt of the music from Spellbound played on the theremin used in the original recording:
The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Michael Chekhov), Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score. It won the Academy Award for the Best Score.
Leo G. Carroll (Dr. Murchison) appeared in more Hitchcock films than any other actor. His other Hitchcock films include Rebecca, Suspicion, The Paradine Case, Strangers on a Train, and North by Northwest.
Michael Chekhov, who plays Bergman's mentor Dr. Brulov, was the nephew of playwright Anton Chekhov.
The film ends with a famous gunshot scene - a rare moment of color in this black-and-white film. The frames were hand colored to achieve this effect.
For reviews and articles from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.
Featured Cocktail:
Brandy Alexander
Usually considered a dessert cocktail, the Brandy Alexander may be served straight up or on the rocks. A frozen version uses ice cream instead of cream.
2 oz (60 ml) brandy
1 oz (30 ml) dark crème de cacao
1 oz (30 ml) heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish
Shake brandy, crème de cacao, and cream with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
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