Bewitched (1945)

A young woman has two distinct personalities, one of whom is evil and constantly gets her in trouble.

Director:

Arch Oboler

Writers:

Arch Oboler (adaptation), Arch Oboler (story)

Stars:

Phyllis Thaxter, Edmund Gwenn, Henry H. Daniels Jr.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Joan Alris Ellis
Edmund Gwenn	...	Dr. Bergson
Henry H. Daniels Jr.	...	Bob Arnold
Addison Richards	...	John Ellis
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Ellis
Francis Pierlot	...	Dr. George Wilton
Sharon McManus	...	Small Girl
Gladys Blake	...	Glenda
Will Wright	...	Mr. Herkheimer
Stephen McNally	...	Eric Russell (as Horace McNally)
Oscar O'Shea	...	Capt. O'Malley
Minor Watson	...	Governor
Virginia Brissac	...	Martha--Governor's Wife

Storyline

At her engagement party, Joan Ellis, your typical girl next door, acknowledges that the strange voice that she's heard all her life is coming from within herself. Joan's alter ego, a conniving and murderous woman named Karen, is becoming stronger and stronger and is threatening to take over her life. Joan negotiates with Karen. Although they do come to an agreement, Karen reneges on that agreement when the situation suits her. Karen ultimately wants the men in Joan's life, first her fiancé, Bob Arnold, then Eric Russell, a lawyer Joan meets in New York City. Joan does whatever she needs to to get rid of Karen, even if it a threat to her own life. Without knowing for certain what is wrong with Joan, those close to her, including Eric and Dr. Bergson, do whatever they can to save her.

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Plot Keywords:

schizophrenia | crime wave

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Taglines:

SHE LIVED TWO AMAZING LIVES! Darling of Society... Cruel Love-Killer

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alter Ego

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Dr. Bergson: Once in many, many millions of births, a body can have two divergent personalities living in the same brain.

User Reviews

Bewitched (1945)

A psychological melodrama about a woman suffering from split personality. There's a hint of the noir style here, resulting in some of the film's few good moments, but overall it's just too silly to enjoy on any level besides camp. Any movie of this era that attempts to tackle psychiatry invariably simplifies it far too much, both the condition and the cure. A lot of the plot is just too convenient and/or unexplained (how the hell did Bob find her?) and there's not very much dramatic tension. Phyllis Thaxter does a fairly good job in the lead, no one is very satisfying, including Audrey Totter as the alter ego's voice-over. Movies like this are nice reminders that not all classic cinema is gold.