The Ave Herald

Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, released in 1945, began the master director's exploration of psychological themes that characterized some later films such as Vertigo and Psycho.

The film tells the story of a psychiatrist, played by Ingrid Bergman, who unlocks memories of an amnesia victim (Gregory Peck) and uncovers a murder mystery in the process. The science of psychiatry was murky at best for many people when the film was made 65 years ago, as is evident from this review at the time from The New York Times.

Dr. Rosemary McCullough, an adjunct professor of psychology at Ave Maria University, will address many of the psychological elements of the film in her talk and discussion that will follow the 7:15 p.m. screening in the AMU lecture hall.

"The film was made right after the Second World War," Mrs. McCullough said, "and Gregory Peck's character suffers from a form of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome."

She said she will examine how the war, and the trauma of war, compose a background of the film as well as "visual advantages the institution of psychoanalysis" offered Hitchcock.

"Hitchcock was raised Catholic," she added. "What does the film say about sin and personal responsibility?"

Spellbound is the second of four Hitchcock films that will be shown and discussed as part of a classic film series at Ave Maria. The next film, Rear Window,will be screened Nov. 19 with the discussion led by AMU history professor Paul Baxa. For an overview on the Ave Maria Film Series, click here for a previous Ave Herald story.

There is no admission charge to attend the film showing at 7:15 p.m. or the discussion afterward at the Queen Mary Pub and Grille and all are welcome.

Dr. McCullough has been an adjunct professor with AMU since 2008. She formerly was a Professor of Psychology at the University of New England and the University of Maine and also taught tat the City University of New York and Columbia University, where she received her Ph.D in Psychology. She has served as an educational consultant for the writing and publication of psychology textbooks since 2005.