Spellbound

TRANSFER: Criterion isn't exactly living up to its namesake. The previously issued DVD from Anchor Bay was a touch on the soft side. But that was a blessing when compared to Criterion's overly harsh, digitally grainy print that also suffers from some minor edge enhancement and shimmering of fine details. Like the previously issued Anchor Bay disc, Criterion's "Spellbound" gray scale has been impeccibly rendered. But overall this disc really isn't up to Criterion's usual standards - a real shame, since this version of "Spellbound" remains the only comprehensive compendium of information gathered.
EXTRAS: Like most Criterion editions, there's a lot of stuff that promises to be fun, but then falls short of expectations. The audio commentary is drab and drably told - exploring more psychoanalysis then how Hitchcock made the film. There are no personal accounts on what transpired during the making of this movie. Also, while the disc packaging advertises deleted scenes, what it really gives you is some script pages that show revisions made before the shooting began. Ho-hum! Although it's nice to have the overture and exit music included, an isolated soundtrack throughout would have been even better.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're looking for extras - then this is the obvious choice. If you're looking for a smoother copy of the actual film - one that is not hampered by aliasing or shimmering of fine details - you may want to give the Anchor Bay version reconsideration!

Although SPELLBOUND helped solidify Hitchcock's position in Hollywood, it isn't one of his best films. But Marian Keane's remarkable analytical audio commentary on the Criterion disc should heighten your appreciation of the film. Keane juxtaposes the themes in the film against the manner in which Hitchcock made his films and the manner in which we, the viewers, watch them, and suggests that they are somehow interrated. She points out that many Hitchcock films (including SPELLBOUND) are about people who take pleasure in watching and analyzing other people, which is also the very thing that we, the viewers, do when we watch such films. As in her commentary for the NOTORIOUS DVD, she injects an extra layer of significance within the film by refering to certain elements in the film as "surrogate authors," "scriptwriting sessions," and "director's assertion of his authorship." Keane single-mindedly concentrates on the interpretation, deconstruction, and theorization on the subject of Hitchcock, and the result is one of the most remarkable dissertations ever recorded on DVD. I give 4 stars to the film itself, but 5 to Keane.

I give 5 stars to the supplements on the Criterion disc as well, like I routinely do. There is a wonderful, rather detailed photo-essay segment on the making of the Dali sequence. Two film clips of the surrealist film UN CHIEN ANDALOU is included ! to show some earlier inspirations for the SPELLBOUND dream sequence. Memos from the filmmakers and production photos show how the dream sequence was re-shot several times due to logistic difficulties and artistic differences. There are also production photos of the deleted "ballroom" sub-sequence, in which Ingrid Bergman plays a statuesque figure bewildering Gregory Peck.

Other extras include about 150 production and publicity photos, a half-hour audio interview of the film's composer, a 7-minute radio program on the subject of theramin, a 1-hour radioplay version of SPELLBOUND, "story treatments" that show how the original novel was loosely adapted into a filmmable story, and other correspondences from psychoanalysts and Production Code officials who offered advices to the filmmakers. The booklet contains two very good essays; one is about the making of the film, while the other offers some artistic analyses (some of which echo Keane's comments).