Simple, intentional images and unraveling mysteries make Hitchcock unique. This 1945 thriller is replete with examples.
“A psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory.” -IMDB
[imdb:cast] or Ingrid Bergman Dr. Constance Petersen
Gregory Peck John Ballantyne
Michael Chekhov Dr. Alexander Brulov
Leo G. Carroll Dr. MurchisonAlfred Hitchcock
Ben Hecht, Frances Beeding
Film-Noir, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Unrated
Fri 28 Dec 1945 UTC
111min
IMDB Rating: 7.6
John Ballantyne (Gregory Peck) is a renowned psychiatrist with a bestselling book under his belt. When he comes to a ward to work with patients, fellow psychiatrist Dr. Constance Petersen is smitten immediately. She is the school marm type but when John enters the ward, she starts to seek a relationship with him. There is a long set of situations and clues that takes place in this long 2 hour film. It’s nearly impossible to see the forest for the trees but no more difficult than any other mystery motion picture.
As it turns out, there is a murder and a lot of unanswered questions. Is it the new doctor or the old? Dr. Peterson risks a lot to attempt to assist John. It is a room full of mirrors and we are certainly led to many cliffs, hanging by a thread. The end is indeed well-played and fans of mysteries will certainly enjoy it. I would caution the viewer however that it is a 1945 production and I think audiences had far more patience than they do now … it drags a bit here and there. Having said that, it’s directed by Hitchcock, the creator of Psycho and in similar ways worth seeing.
Scoll down for the original trailer.
