Spellbound

Spellbound (1945), a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock, tells the story of the new head of a mental asylum who turns out not to be what he claims to be.

The movie was adapted by Angus MacPhail and Ben Hecht from the novel The House Of Dr. Edwardes by Francis Beeding and stars Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Michael Chekhov and Leo G. Carroll.

It won the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Michael Chekhov), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Effects, Special Effects and Best Picture.

This movie was a major point of contention between Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick. Selznick had Hitchcock under contract, and directed him to make a movie based upon Selznick's experiences in psychoanalysis. Selznick even brought his therapist on board as the technical advisor. She and Hitchcock clashed frequently. Hitchcock also brought in artist Salvador Dali to conceive certain scenes of mental delusion, which Selznick hated.

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Spellbound is also the title of a 2002 documentary about the National Spelling Bee.