Cinémoi, is a fantastic movie channel. The other night they showed the 1961 film, Goodbye Again starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Perkins. A year after his 1960 performance in Psycho, he played not a psychopathic killer, but it felt like a prequel of sorts. His role in this film was of an immature, possessive-boy who falls hopelessly in love with the 40-year-old Paula played by film legend, Ingrid Bergman. His performance earned him best actor award at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival. It’s a love story, showing love in all it’s complexities. Most of the filming takes place in Paris. The character Paula is a highly successful businesswoman who is madly in love with tall-dark-and-handsome-player, Roger. After five years of dating, their relationship is open as far as Roger is concerned. In walks the 24-year-old lawyer, Perkins, whose life mission is to persuade Paula their age difference doesn’t matter. The double standards, the games people play, the melodrama, the outcome–it’s a satisfying film to watch. One of the high points of the film is a cameo by Diahann Carroll whose sultry voice and advice to the young Phillip, “Love Is Just A Word” is a welcome respite from the plot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcFScNiJNWM
This video is gorgeous. Try it, you’ll like it.
Did you know that Salvador Dali did the set design (the dream sequences) in Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological mystery thriller, Spellbound (1945)? It’s not surprising considering the film’s premise is about psychoanalysis and Dali is a surrealist whose reoccurring theme are dreamscapes.
Sleep
In Spellbound, Dr. Constance Petersen is a psychoanalyst at a New England mental hospital. She is devoid of emotion according to her male peers. The director of the hospital, Dr. Murchison, is forced into retirement shortly after returning from an absence due to nervous exhaustion. His replacement is the handsome, young Dr. Anthony Edwardes played by Gregory Peck.
Dr. Petersen notices that there is something strange about Dr. Edwardes. He has a peculiar phobia about lines and the color white. They fall in love, and she is determined to cure his amnesia and prove his innocence. Please forgive the Vermont ski scene with special effects that are no match for today’s technology. Instead, focus on Dali’s very, very cool film set. Hitchcock’s camera angles are great. For example, notice the repeating doors opening signifying Dr. Edwardes mind is opening up to possibilities. Oh, and the gun at the climax. It’s love that saves the day. I don’t want to ruin the plot if you haven’t seen the film. This Hitchcock film is right up there with Notorious and North by Northwest and Rear Window.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzxlbgPkxHE
Watch the film scene designed by Dali. Very eerie and original for 1945.
What’s your favorite Hitchcock film? Psycho? Vertigo? The Birds?
Cindy Bruchman 
Wonderful post. My favorite Hitchcock film is still “Rear Window”. But he has so many other great movies that are close to it. I know Vertigo is often revered as his greatest film, but there are several that I like better than it. That just goes to show how many fantastic movies he gave us through the years.
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I couldn’t agree with you more! Thanks, Keith!
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Great post! We’ve recently been re-examining Edward Hopper’s work and how influential it was on cinematographers. This surrealist tie between Hitchcock and Dali is great!
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oohh, you are kind to comment! It was a fun post to write. I love Hopper as much as I love Dali. Connect him to Hitchcock and Ingrid B. –well, a Trifecta!
🙂
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What’s your take on Edward Hopper and cinematographers??? Sounds like a great post!
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It is in the works….we did a Hopper walk whilst on leave.
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I LOVE Spellbound as that’s when I fell for Gregory Peck. I like the Dali sequences, I don’t mind surreal cinema in certain dosage, ahah. Btw, if you want to have the Youtube clips to play, sometimes you have to put I’m guessing that’s what you wanted it to do 😀
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oohh, the youtube clips didn’t come in? I wonder what I’m doing wrong. I insert the link into the wordpress URL spot when writing a post, any advice? Dang. That Dianne Carroll clip was awesome.
Gregory Peck was sooooo handsome there, yes? I really liked Ingrid’s role, too, as the older woman. I REALLY was impressed with the film with Anthony Hopkins. A very good film. Thanks, Ruth.
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Interesting, my all time favourite film director happens to be Alfred Hitchcock; and my all time favourite artist happens to be Salvador Dalí, Bergman too is a favourite of mine from the 40’s & 50’s.
Yes, I was aware that Dalí worked with Hitchcock. I actually studied Hitchcock, and wrote a whole dissertation on his Hollywood ventures and did a thorough psychoanalysis of various characters dealing with marital issues in his films, aptly titled ‘Marriage in Hitchcock Films: From Rebecca to Marnie’. Added to which I’ve paid tribute to Hitchcock through a series on paintings as well. You can see some of them in the COFA Annual07 website (there’s a link on my Gravatar page).
My favourite Hitchcock venture happens to be ‘Rebecca’ (1940). To see ‘Why I love….’ ‘Rebecca’, see my list on ‘my Top 10 all time favourite movies’ on IMDB (again there’s a link on my Gravatar page)
I’ve not seen Goodbye Again, but it sounds really good. Nice review.
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Wow! Awesome to hear of your devotion to Hitch. I will definitely check out the links you mentioned. Rebecca is a great film for me, too. I loved the book and the film version was just as creepy. Your dissertation sounds interesting. I hope your vocation matches your avocation. Thanks, always, for your comments.
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Ha!! I wish I were that lucky.
Hopefully someday. Touch-wood.
Yes, Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, happens to be my first adult book, aged 12 and a half/13 (Adult book in the sense – more mature literature, which is difficult for children to comprehend; until then my favourite books were the Famous Five series, and condensed versions of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’,’Hamlet’ etc…).
What’s interesting is the fact, that when reading a book everything is left to the imagination, and the titular character in Rebecca is never shown. It’s more difficult to make movie without showing Rebecca. But Hitchcock manages to make us feel her existence, without showing a refection, a flicker, a flashback sequence…. nothing; yet we feel her presence throughout the film.
Hitchcock was truly a brilliant director.
At the same time ‘Rebecca’ is also known as a non-Hitchcock Hitchcock flick, mainly due due to the fact that producer David O Selznick, controlled the production.
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Very interesting post.
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Thank you, Vinnieh
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Three of my favorite celebrities – how did you know?
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Wow! It seems we have another thing in common 🙂
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Wonderful analysis. I haven’t seen this film in decades. Must change that. Those clips are great.
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Hi David, Thanks very much. I just love it when directors bring in artists to create their production sets. What a shame that’s all a thing of the past.
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True. THough many good film makers are visionary artists themselves, it’s good to have that special perspective.
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