Spellbound (1945)

Why did I watch an Alfred Hitchcock movie with all that suspense music and Gregory Peck's huge eyes at midnight? I should have known better. But it was well worth it.
Spellbound stars Ingrid Bergman as psychoanalyst Dr. Constance Petersen and Gregory Peck as "Dr. Edwardes"/ J.B., a man suffering from amnesia and a guilt complex. After introducing himself as the new head of Green Manors, a mental hospital, a few instances reveal to Dr. Petersen that Edwardes is not who he says he is. After developing an intimate relationship with one another, he confides to her that he has killed the real Dr. Edwardes and took his place.

Oh, I have so much to say about this movie and I have no idea where to start...


After the opening credits, we see this quote from Shakespeare:

This sets the baseline for the story: we cannot blame fate for what happens in our lives. We must be ready to face the consequences for any wrongdoings on our part and know that only we are to blame. I'll come back to this in the end to make some sort of conclusion as to why I think Hitchcock chose to include this in the very beginning of the film.

Being a Psychology major graduate, I was very excited when I learned that the film dealt with psychoanalysis. One major topic discussed is the guilt complex. Dr. Petersen (Bergman) simply explains to a patient that this complex usually goes back to a person's childhood. The child wishes something bad would happen to a person and if something does indeed happen, the child feels guilt and thinks that he/she is in some way the cause of the event. This belief haunts them throughout their lives and disconnects them from reality. When "Dr. Edwardes" (we eventually find out that his real initials are J.B.) claims to have killed the real Dr. Edwardes, Peterson is convinced that he is not capable of committing such a crime and insists that he is suffering from a guilt complex (this is, of course, due to the feelings she has developed for him). Throughout the movie she strives to help him overcome his amnesia to remember what events led up to the crime and to also understand what has caused his ongoing guilt.
We learn that his anxiety is triggered after seeing dark lines on a white background. We witness this after Dr. Petersen attempts to draw a figure with her fork on a linen tablecloth and J.B. becomes suddenly agitated. He exhibits the same reaction after seeing the dark lines on Petersen's robe, train tracks, and the dark lines on a bed sheet.

Gregory Peck delivers a perfect performance as an amnesiac who suspects himself of murder and at the same time has fallen in love with the only person who can save him. His expressions when he describes his dream and when he is able to recall haunting memories from his past are just plain scary; and since this movie is all about visuals, these expressions are essential. In a scene he may be perfectly fine, and then suddenly something triggers his guilt and he is reminded of the crime he believes he has committed, and his face shows it. These are some examples of his change of expression:

After seeing the figure Dr. Petersen has made on the tablecloth.

After listening to a patient with a guilt complex, thinking of his own experience.

Before kissing Ingrid...

...after the kiss and seeing the dark lines on her robe.

Recalling that he has killed Dr. Edwardes.

It's amazing how he's able to transit from one emotion to the next in only a few seconds.

In the movie amnesia is described as a mechanism one uses to stay sane: "You remain sane by forgetting something too horrible to remember." Since Petersen is a psychoanalyst, she also incorporates interpreting his dreams in order to unlock his memories. Petersen and J.B. take refuge in her old teacher's home, Dr. Alex Brulov (played by Michael Chekhov), to hide from the police and seek his psychiatric help as well. J.B.'s dream is filled with psychoanalytic symbols such as eyes, gambling, a man standing on a roof, a wheel, and wings. All the symbols are somehow linked to the traumatic event that caused his amnesia and stimulated his guilt complex.


Chekhov gives a wonderful and playful performance as psychoanalyst Dr. Brulov, turning almost every conversation into a psychological discussion:

• "Good night and sweet dreams...which we'll analyze at breakfast."
• "Women make the best psychoanalysts until they fall in love. After that they make the best patients."
• "This is the way science goes backward. Who told you what he is? Freud? Or a crystal ball?
• "We both know that the mind of a woman in love is operating on the lowest level of intellect."

Michael Chekhov as Dr. Alex Brulov, bearing a strong resemblance to Freud.

Now going back to the Shakespeare quote in the beginning: J.B. is suffering from a psychological disorder but he is not doomed to it, he can be cured. His situation can be helped. If we find ourselves incapable of something we mustn't blame our luck or fate, we should look at the different alternatives that are before us and choose the best option to solve our problems. This will result in our own personal growth as a human being. I think Hitchcock's intention of including the quote was somewhere along this line.

Didn't say much about Ingrid, did I? Hmm... While she played her part well as a love-stricken psychoanalyst, her insistence that J.B. did not commit a crime was a bit annoying. I think it would have been more realistic if she had also given a slight consideration that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't innocent. That would have been more believable for me. But then again, love is blind, right? (And hey, this is Gregory Peck we're talking about. I guess I would also try and prove that good-looking face never committed a crime either!)

But one more thing about Ingrid: isn't there a striking resemblance between her and Debra Messing??

Just saying...

In Search of A Pearl

L-R: Phil Silvers, Rita Hayworth, and Gene Kelly

Cover Girl (1944) is a musical starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers, and Eve Arden. The film tells the story of a chorus girl named Rusty Parker (Hayworth) who works at a nightclub run by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Kelly) and wins a contest to appear on the cover of a magazine. The publicity exposes her to the public eye and she is given the chance to become a star.


To be honest, this was my first Gene Kelly movie and was ironically his big breakthrough as well. In this movie Kelly establishes himself as an able actor, singer, and of course, dancer. The chemistry between him and Hayworth is absolutely believable and they are perfect for each other on-screen. In the "Put Me To The Test" number the two dance alone in an elegant and fun fashion, quite in sync with the upbeat tune. I was really amazed at how the two were able to make the best of a small stage and use it to their advantage; jumping the steps, falling into each others' arms, and running down a mini-slope. The cute lyrics of the song were also a big help.


Phil Silvers plays a character actor by the name of Genius and brings lovable comedy to the picture. Watching his act "Who's Complaining" actually made me wish I could have been able to experience a live vaudeville show of that time! He describes himself as being "a genius at everything, except minding his own business". Every Friday night Rusty, Danny, and Genius go to a restaurant and order oysters with the sole intention of finding a pearl in one of them. They believe finding a pearl is an omen and will cause their present situation to change for the better. This desire is an ongoing theme throughout the movie.

Besides Phil Silvers' act, the oyster scene along with the number following it, "Make Way For Tomorrow" is my favorite part of the movie. The clever conversation between the trio and the waiter is perfectly comical and lively, as is the dance number.


Kelly's famous "Alter-Ego Dance" is simply brilliant. From what I've read, this was Kelly's own idea to use trick photography in order to enable him to dance with his own reflection.

One thing I really didn't take to in the movie were the flashbacks. The owner of the fashion magazine that Rusty becomes the cover girl for, John Coudair (Otto Kruger), was in love with her grandmother who was also a dancer. I think there were about three flashbacks regarding the two (with Hayworth playing her grandmother) and all were so-so except the one including the "Poor John" number. That was painful to watch. Hayworth attempts some sort of Scottish-Irish-German accent and is not successful. I won't even bother to mention the choreography or the clothing.


John Coudair's assistant is played by Eve Arden. She is perfect for the role and brings just the right amount of street-smart comedy when needed (Arden is famously known for her role as the principal of Rydell High School in Grease).

After gaining publicity, Rusty is approached by Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) who owns a theater and asks her to be the star of his new show. This is where the confusion begins (sort of). Danny becomes suspicious and jealous while suspecting that Rusty will leave him and the nightclub, not knowing that Rusty is willing to stay loyal to him if he would only ask her to. Not wanting to stand in the way of her success, he starts an argument and she ends up (somewhat reluctantly) leaving for Broadway. This sort of miscommunication and misunderstanding in old movies (and new ones for that matter) always frustrates me. Why don't they just come out clean and tell each other their true motives and feelings and save us all the worry and anticipation? Oh, I know why. Because then we wouldn't have a movie. (Disclaimer: I still love old movies despite what I just said.)


Overall, it's a lively story about going after your dreams but also remembering where you came from and where you truly belong. I hope you'll take time to see it, even if it's just for the sake of a dancing Gene Kelly or the lovely outfits Rita and Eve wear!

I Love Your Funny Face

I thought my first post should be about one of my favorite musicals: Funny Face (1957), starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. The story revolves around Jo (Audrey), a young intellectual turned model by photographer Dick Avery (Fred) and Quality magazine editor, Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson). In the process, Hepburn ultimately falls in love with the much older Astaire.

Photographer Astaire is a perfectionist (not different from his real self) who is looking for a girl who can “think as well she looks”, “a girl with character, spirit, and intelligence” for the magazine. Dick and Maggie come across Jo, who is an empathicalist and against fashion due to her belief that it’s all about taking silly pictures of silly women.

One of the main aspects of any musical is that the plot isn’t forced to go along with the songs; on the contrary, each song completes the plot perfectly. This is one of those musicals, with the exception of one song, “How Long Has This Been Going On” sung by Jo. She sings this after she explains the concept of empathy to Dick and suddenly receives a kiss from him. I know the song is about the delight experienced in a first kiss, but I don’t understand whether she really wanted it or not. I also felt the song came in too early in the film; these two people don’t even know each other and suddenly she’s elated and singing a confused love song about him.

“Funny Face” is probably my favorite song sung by Fred Astaire. It’s actually a very simple number, yet his emphasis on every word is perfect and one can completely “empathize” with Jo and know what she’s feeling hearing this song. That’s just what I love about Astaire. Yes, he can dance (no doubt about that), but also proved himself to be a beautiful singer throughout his career. One can really feel the emotion in his voice because he just makes it sound so simple! Anyway, not enough can be said about him…

The photo shoots in Paris are so nicely done and the scenarios Dick gives in order to get Jo into character are so cute! My favorite is the opera scene: “…He didn’t show…Walk down with fire in your eyes and murder on your mind”; he just says it so matter-of-factly!

Oh! I must make a little comment about the first musical number: “Think Pink” is sung by Thompson and a bunch of chorus girls who sound like they came out of a Charlie Brown movie (don’t get me wrong, I thought the numberwas very appropriate). Okay, that’s all I wanted to say.

Audrey is also given a chance to show off her dancing skills in a memorable performance. This solo dance, not her dances with Astaire, is really the one that stands out.

I also enjoyed how Dick tries to give Jo some insight of the man psyche, as she is acting very naïve about the philosopher she meets’ real intentions. A man will be a man no matter how many books he’s read or schools he’s attended. The interesting part, which is also pointed out by Dick and Maggie, is how Jo preaches empathy but is unable to empathize with those around her to feel what they are feeling and understand how her behavior affects them. This issue is an ongoing problem that causes her to eventually push Dick away from her.

The overall message of the movie is a bit contradicting. Jo states in the beginning that does not want to be a hypocrite and go against her beliefs by becoming a model; she only agrees to do so in order to be able to go to Paris for the fashion event and meet the philosopher she adores. She is pretty consistent about this until the end when she is let down by her beloved professor and it seems as though her belief system is shattered. We don’t really get a conclusion in that area; intellect or beauty? Beauty or intellect? Maybe both?

But this is a love story that we expect will end happily ever after; all I will say is that we are ultimately satisfied.

Once Upon A Time

Hello, virtual world!

This marks my first ever post on my first ever blog. I am a bit inexperienced so you'll just have to bear with me....yeah, this is pretty big for me.

On Sideline Notes you will find reviews and commentary about my favorite movies both old and new. I have a crazy passion for black and white movies, screwball comedies, musicals, and pretty much anything from the 1930s-1950s (oh yes, and anything with Fred Astaire or Audrey Hepbrun). I'm no professional in writing movie critiques and I don't claim to be. I'm just someone who loves movies and wants to share her thoughts about them with others. I will also try to write about some of my favorite actors and actresses from Hollywood's Golden Age along with some of the great musicians of that era. This blog will also serve as an outlet to my random thoughts.

So this is a process in the making and I hope my blog will get better and better as time goes by. I also appreciate any feedback or suggestions you might have.

Let the fun begin!