Search - Spellbound [Criterion Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1945 DVD Release: 09/24/2002 Format: DVD - Black and White - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered,Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 51 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 36 Genres: Mystery, Medical Drama, Romantic Mystery, Psychological Thriller See Also: Spellbound, Spellbound

As Alfred Hitchcock's classic psychothriller opens, the staff of a posh mental asylum eagerly awaits the arrival of the new director. When the man in question shows up, it turns out to be handsome psychiatrist John Ballantine (Gregory Peck). But something's wrong, here: Ballantine seems much too young for so important a position; his answers to the staff's questions are vague and detached; and he seems unusually distressed by the parallel marks, left by a fork, on a white tablecloth. Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) comes to the conclusion that Ballantine is not the new director, but a profoundly disturbed amnesiac--and, possibly, the murderer of the real director. But is she correct in her inferences? Scriptwriters Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht soon add to this the complication that Constance begins to fall in love with John. Director Hitchcock tapped surrealist artist Salvador Dali to design the visually arresting dream sequences in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ingrid Bergman - Dr. Constance Peterson
Gregory Peck - Dr. Anthony Edwardes
Jean Acker - Matron
Rhonda Fleming - Mary Carmichael
Leo G. Carroll - Dr. Murchison
Donald Curtis - Harry
Norman Lloyd - Garmes
Regis Toomey - Sgt. Gillespie

Criterion once again shows why they are among the top names in DVD with this superb release of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Hitchcock expert Marion Keane, a complete 1948 radio play of the story starring Joseph Cotton, a National Public Radio piece on the theremin, a 1973 interview with the film's composer, still photos, a theatrical trailer, and a detailed explanation of the memorable dream sequence designed by Salvador Dali. This is an outstanding disc. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide