(Film only review) The mystery of the subconscious, the meaning of dreams, the power of regression, the potential of hypnosis these are all subjects which are still actively debated and are a rich source of material in fiction. The roots of many of these can be traced back to the turn of the twentieth century in the work and theories of Sigmund Freud. He played a big part in popularising and developing our knowledge in these areas and founded the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. He is still best remembered for his somewhat controversial theories dealing with the unconscious mind and the defence mechanism of repression. These theories take you into a dark ...  Read the complete review

Spellbound is another Alfred Hitchcock film that is superb, but wasn't enough to propell him into huge American films. But the script was good enough to attract stars Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman to act in it, and it was good enough to be produced by David O Selznick again. The result is another brooding psychological thriller form Hitchcock, that boasts some stunning dream sequences designed and directed by Salvador Dali and some first rate acting. Dr Peterson (Bergman) is a psychiatrist at the Green Manors Mental Hospital. She is dedicated to her work, and comes across as very detached and emotionless to other doctors (who are all male - Hitchcock making ...  Read the complete review

Allegedly the first serious attempt to make a movie about psychoanalysis, this is probably doomed to be shown at psychology conferences for a laugh. The vision of dream analysis and therapy on show here is certainly not be taken seriously. Moreover, this second-rank Hitchcock movie has some of his worst artificial excesses, with Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman doing a spot of back-projected skiing (if you don't laugh, you deserve a prize). But accept that you're not watching something as good as 'Vertigo' and 'Spellbound' is enormous fun. Peck plays a psychologist who arrives at a remote asylum to replace the retiring Leo G. Carroll, and ...  Read the complete review