“Spellbound” was first released in theaters in 1945 and it was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This past month, the movie was re-released on Blu-ray for the newer generations to enjoy. Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) is a dedicated psychiatrist that works in a mental hospital and falls in love with her new colleague, Dr. Anthony Edwards (Gregory Peck). The only problem is, Dr. Edwards might not exactly be who he says he is because Dr. Peterson starts to see him exhibiting the symptoms of a person with amnesia. Dr. Peterson investigates and discovers her new love might not only be an amnesiac, but possibly also a killer.  

I was impressed with how nice the picture quality was for a black and white movie that was originally filmed in 1945. Also, the background music and the overall sound were very clear. However, some of the songs did not match the mood or scene and caused some confusion. I also liked some of the camera shots, such as from the gun’s point of view, and thought Hitchcock was a director that was ahead of his time. They also included a good amount of extras to get more background about the movie. Lastly, Gregory Peck is a very talented actor and he did a great job playing Dr. Edwards.

A major issue I found with “Spellbound” was that it was supposed to be a suspenseful movie, but it lacked suspense, mystery, and conflict. The whole movie was very slow paced, drawn out, and it was very predictable. They attempted to present issues and conflict for Dr. Peterson and Dr. Edwards, but they all seemed insignificant. Also, the skiing scene was poorly done and very unrealistic. I usually like movies directed by Hitchcock, but this was not one of them. For those reasons, I am giving this movie a “D+.”