Quote:
Originally Posted by Sculpt
Hey Tommy, ever do requests? After you asked about if Dial M was the best to that point, I made a list and have seen a few. Love to get your impressions on Spellbound (1945).
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Here's what I made of it:
Spellbound 1945 ★★★★
Certainly by 1945 standards, the premise is rather interesting. The new chairman arrives at a mental facility, only for them to find out that he is not the doctor, but rather a patient. He and one of the psychologists then try to find out what happened.
Is it a masterpiece? The jury is still out on the verdict. What I can say, is: it certainly plants the seeds for later greats. Like the shot with the eyes covered wallpaper getting cut up (Hitchcock and Salvador Dali, some pairing). Or the things coming back in later works: like the trial montage in Dial M or a bit of the score that later returned in either Vertigo or Psycho.
He certainly creates the tension that would come to full fruition in his later works. The scenes at the train station come to mind as well as the moment when doctor Peterson pieces things together or the moments where Peck struggles with his inner demons. He shows what made him such a great actor. Ingrid Bergman is very good as the feisty Dr. Peterson. I also like Michael Chekhov. He makes his Brulov just the right amount of eccentric.
Spellbound. It may not be a masterpiece, but at least it comes close. The type of flick that has you convinced that he has it in him.