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Spellbound
Critics have noted that Alfred Hitchcock always
had trouble with women. His films are known for having blond women portraying
troubled, morally challenged women. This holds true in Spellbound, with
Constance’s initial emotional frigidity, which later gives way to intellectual
stupidity. In Spellbound, Hitchcock’s treatment of women is at an all time low.
Constance is dismissed repeatedly throughout the film, as not being capable of
clear, intellectual thought because she is in love. Before she falls in love,
she is dismissed as a cold fish, incapable of feeling, and her femininity is
challenged. There is therefore no middle ground left.
Despite the
inherent sexism of the film, the story is captivating. We soon find out that
Edwardes is not who he claims to be. He is in fact an imposter, who has no idea
who he really is. Suffering from amnesia, he is impersonating the real Edwardes,
who is assumed to be dead. The intrigue is kept high, and we are never certain
whether the man, called J.B. after initials found on a cigarette case he found
on himself, is a killer or not. Constance, going against reason, decides to help
him. Despite evidence to the contrary she will not believe that a man she loves
is capable of murder. Spellbound is a good mystery, with entertaining
characters, which keeps you guessing until the end. What I found surprising in
this film is that everyone in it is so refreshingly smart. Unlike in other
mystery/suspenses, the audience never knows more than the characters, and we are
kept on a level playing field. While far from Hitchcock’s best, Spellbound is
much too overlooked. The film has a dazzling dream sequence crafter by
surrealist Salvador Dali, good story, but more importantly it shows greater
insight into the man behind the camera, Hitchcock himself.
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