Spellbound

"This is love! Complete...reckless...violent!"

1945 1h 51m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 1,016🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●78Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 55,841

DramaCrimeMysteryRomanceThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Dr. Anthony Edwardes arrives at a Vermont mental hospital to replace the outgoing hospital director, Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst, discovers Edwardes is actually an impostor. The man confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, but cannot recall anything. Dr. Peterson, however is convinced his impostor is innocent of the man's murder, and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis.

“This is love! Complete...reckless...violent!”

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Cast

Ingrid Bergman
Dr. Constance Petersen
Gregory Peck
John Ballantine
Michael Chekhov
Dr. Alexander Brulov
Leo G. Carroll
Dr. Murchison
Rhonda Fleming
Mary Carmichael
John Emery
Dr. Fleurot
Norman Lloyd
Mr. Garmes
Bill Goodwin
House Detective

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Ben Hecht, Angus MacPhail
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

81 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by George Barnes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hal C. Kern shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck and Michael Chekhov carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "This is love! Complete...reckless...violent!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. George Barnes behind the camera. Miklós Rózsa scores. Hal C. Kern cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.
381 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by George Barnes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Hal C. Kern shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck and Michael Chekhov carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "This is love! Complete...reckless...violent!".
9IMDB entry: tt0038109 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: George Barnes
Original score: Miklós Rózsa
Editing: Hal C. Kern
Costume design: Howard Greer
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,500,000
Box office: $7,000,000
Return: 467% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Spellbound (1945)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 78/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 55,841 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 8 wins & 7 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic or Comedy Score

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alfred Hitchcock

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

barrymost2019-09-08
★ 8/10
This intriguing little crime/thriller from the great Alfred Hitchcock isn't half bad. It's a more unusual Hitch effort, but the story has plenty of twists and turns to keep interest. Ingrid plays a kindhearted psychologist who falls in love with the new doctor at the asylum where she's working, but he may not be all that he seems. I'm sorry, Ms. Bergman; it looks like you've fallen in love with a psycho.
CinemaSerf2022-07-01
★ 7/10
When Leo G. Carroll ("Dr. Murchison") steps down as director of the "Green Manors" - a centre for psychoanalysis, he is replaced by Gregory Peck ("Dr. Edwardes") who immediately attracts the attention - romantic and professional - of Ingrid Bergman ("Dr. Petersen") who quickly discovers that he has quite a secret. Together they must work speedily to unravel a mystery of memory and murder before the authorities come to their own conclusions. This isn't my favourite Hitchcock thriller - Peck hasn't quite got the charisma or intensity the part required and though Bergman is beautiful; she is still just a little too stilted, unnatural even. The plot, however is complex and intriguing dealing with a traditional crime-noir subject in a far more cerebral manner. Miklós Rósza's Oscar winning score adds much of the menace to this and the pace smoulders nicely to a suitably thoughtful conclusion. I know Peck was David O. Selznick's golden boy at this point, but I cannot help but think he let's the thing down a bit; perhaps Hitch should have cast a more characterful lead? Great stuff, nonetheless though - certainly worth a watch.