Spellbound

A psychiatrist (Ingrid Bergman) goes on the run with her amnesiac patient (Gregory Peck) after he’s accused of murder.

Spellbound is a good thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock.

Ingrid Bergman is convincing as a psychologist torn between her head and her heart. This is her film to carry and she does it well.

Opposite her, Gregory Peck does what he can with a somewhat limited role. As an amnesiac there isn’t much character to get to know, so Peck comes across as somewhat aloof. Compounding the problem, Ben Hecht’s script has him repeatedly going off the rails and snapping at folks only to pass out soon after.

This gets old quick, but we’re rewarded with a visually innovative dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali at the film’s halfway point. From here on the film picks up as it zigzags to its surprising finale.

The biggest problem with Spellbound though, is that it lacks the streak of black humor that runs through Hitchcock’s best films. This, combined with its dated view of psychiatry, reduces Spellbound to little more than a basic murder mystery, which, in turn, weakens it on repeat viewings.