Spellbound (1945)

NEUTRAL

Various

83%

1945, Mystery & thriller, 1h 51m

RT Critics’ Score: 85% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: NA

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Critics Consensus

Spellbound, a Hitchcockian masterpiece, is a delectable treat for the mind and senses. With its forward-thinking portrayal of a woman battling for authority in a man’s world, the film is a fascinating study of role reversal, with doctors and patients, men and women, mothers and sons inverting their assigned relationships with compelling, subversive results. While some may find it laughably dated, the sensationally convincing performances of Bergman and Peck as unlikely romancers in a feverish setting make it a must-watch for any cinephile. Even though it may not be first-rank Hitchcock, it’s still better than what most other directors produce.

Audience Consensus

Spellbound is a classic Hitchcock film that will leave you on the edge of your seat. While some critics may call it dated, I call it timeless. The romance between Bergman and Peck is electric, and the twisty plot will keep you guessing until the very end. Plus, who doesn’t love a good whodunit? Don’t listen to the naysayers, give Spellbound a chance and you won’t be disappointed.

Storyline

In Spellbound, a psychoanalyst becomes convinced that an amnesiac impostor is innocent of murder and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis, all while exploring the subconscious mind.

Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros., Legendary Entertainment, Syncopy

Distributor
Criterion Collection, United Artists

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)

MPAA / Certificate

Year of Release
1945

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

1.85 : 1
Runtime:

1h 51m
Language(s):
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 31, 1945 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 3, 2004

Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller

Keyword(s)

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA

US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA

Cast & Crew

Ingrid Bergman

Dr. Con

Ingrid Bergman – Dr. Con

Alfred Hitchcock

Frances Beeding

David O. Selznick

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Alfred Hitchcock

Writer(s)
Frances Beeding, Angus MacPhail, Ben Hecht

Producer(s)
David O. Selznick

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
NA

Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees

Top Reviews

Marjory Adams

Dave Kehr

Jake Wilson

Nick Schager

Bosley Crowther

Boston Globe

Chicago Reader

The Age (Australia)

Lessons of Darkness

New York Times

SPELLBOUND
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (34) | Rotten (6)
A fascinating, grim, exciting motion picture, based on the currently popular interest in psychiatry, and illustrating a new method of crime detection. It is a “whodunit” (the current name for mystery dramas) raised to a de luxe intellectual plane.

December 31, 2020

Marjory Adams
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
…beneath the facile trappings there is an intriguing Hitchcockian study of role reversal, with doctors and patients, men and women, mothers and sons inverting their assigned relationships with compelling, subversive results.

October 5, 2019

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Today this seems above all a forward-thinking portrait of a woman battling for authority in a man’s world.

September 27, 2018

Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
One of the director’s most laughably dated films.

May 4, 2005 | Rating: C

Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Not to be speechless about it, David O. Selznick has a rare film in Spellbound.

January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/5

Bosley Crowther
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Bergman and Peck are sensationally convincing as unlikely romancers in a feverish setting.

August 15, 2020 | Rating: 7/10

Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A twisty thriller in the best Hitchcockian tradition, even if it may be a minor work in comparison to some of his more popular successes.

August 6, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4

Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
…a rare misfire within Hitch’s otherwise solid body of work.

July 21, 2015 | Rating: 2/4

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
I don’t agree with her much, but Pauline Kael was right about this one.

February 28, 2012 | Rating: 1/4

Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
It may not be first-rank Hitchcock, but even second-tier Hitchcock is better than what most other directors produce.

February 16, 2012 | Rating: 6/10

John J. Puccio
Movie Metropolis
Made in an age when master shots often became a standard scene style, Hitchcock shows some real thought behind his composition.

February 6, 2012 | Rating: 4/5

Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
A commercial and critical hit in its day, this Best Picture Oscar nominee has seen its standing slip in the ensuing decades, as it’s never mentioned on any list of Alfred Hitchcock’s best works. That’s a shame.

January 25, 2012 | Rating: 4/4

Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing…

Plot
In Spellbound, a psychoanalyst becomes convinced that an amnesiac impostor is innocent of murder and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis, all while exploring the subconscious mind.

Trivia