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IMDbPro

A Dangerous Method

  • 20112011
  • RR
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,932
475
Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley, and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
Into the already complex relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) arrives a young Russian woman diagnosed with hysteria (Keira Knightley).
Play trailer1:51
3 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaRomance
A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,932
475
    • David Cronenberg
    • Christopher Hampton(screenplay)
    • John Kerr(book "A Most Dangerous Method")
  • Stars
    • Michael Fassbender
    • Keira Knightley
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • David Cronenberg
    • Christopher Hampton(screenplay)
    • John Kerr(book "A Most Dangerous Method")
  • Stars
    • Michael Fassbender
    • Keira Knightley
    • Viggo Mortensen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 224User reviews
    • 351Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos3

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 1:51
    Watch U.S. Version
    International Version
    Trailer 1:48
    Watch International Version
    "13 Hours"
    Clip 0:36
    Watch "13 Hours"

    Photos151

    David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Sarah Gadon and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Sarah Gadon and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Viggo Mortensen in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Keira Knightley in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Keira Knightley in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    Keira Knightley in A Dangerous Method (2011)
    David Cronenberg in A Dangerous Method (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Fassbender
    Michael Fassbender
    • Carl Jung
    Keira Knightley
    Keira Knightley
    • Sabina Spielrein
    Viggo Mortensen
    Viggo Mortensen
    • Sigmund Freud
    Vincent Cassel
    Vincent Cassel
    • Otto Gross
    Sarah Gadon
    Sarah Gadon
    • Emma Jung
    André Hennicke
    André Hennicke
    • Prof. Eugen Bleuler
    • (as André M. Hennicke)
    Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey
    Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey
    • Sándor Ferenczi
    Mignon Remé
    • Jung's Secretary
    Mareike Carrière
    Mareike Carrière
    • Food Nurse
    Franziska Arndt
    • Bath Nurse
    Wladimir Matuchin
    • Nikolai Spielrein
    André Dietz
    André Dietz
    • Medical Policeman
    Anna Thalbach
    Anna Thalbach
    • Bathtub Patient
    Sarah Marecek
    • Orchard Nurse
    Bjorn Geske
    • Orderly
    • (as Björn Geske)
    Markus Haase
    • Orderly
    Christian Serritiello
    Christian Serritiello
    • Ship's Officer
    Clemens Giebel
    • Ship's Steward
      • David Cronenberg
      • Christopher Hampton(screenplay) (play "The Talking Cure")
      • John Kerr(book "A Most Dangerous Method")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The age difference between Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender is 19 years, just as it was between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.
    • Goofs
      Sabina Spielrein's closing history is incorrect. Her death, along with her 2 daughters, actually occurred in August 1942, not 1941. Their deaths were only 3 among 27,000 in the massacre that occurred in Zmievskaya Balka, Rostov-on-Don, Russia by German forces.
    • Quotes

      Carl Jung: [to Sabina] My love for you was the most important thing in my life. For better or worse, it made me understand who I am.

    • Crazy credits
      This film is based on true events, but certain scenes, especially those in the private sphere, are of a speculative nature.
    • Connections
      Edited into 365 Days, also Known as a Year (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Excerpts from Siegfried
      by Richard Wagner, original publication by Schott Music GmbH & Co KG, Mainz, Germany, 1876.

      Adapted by Howard Shore, published by South Fifth Avenue Publishing, 2010.

    User reviews224

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Method and Madness
    Given his entire filmography is concerned with themes linked to man's identity and the complexities of human sexuality, David Cronenberg is, on paper at least, the ideal director for A Dangerous Method, a movie dealing with the birth of psychoanalysis. Then again, the film is also a bit of an odd fit for him, since the script by Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) doesn't really lend itself to the outbursts of graphic violence that permeate the Canadian auteur's body of work. The result, first witnessed at the Venice Film Festival (after the film had allegedly been rejected by Cronenberg's fest of choice, Cannes), is an interesting but somewhat hollow entry in the director's admirable career.

    Ostensibly about the professional relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), A Dangerous Method is in reality more concerned with the bond between Jung and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), a young woman sent to his clinic in Zurich since her mental condition is an ideal subject for his research. Sabina, it turns out, is incredibly well-read, and soon progresses from patient to assistant, much to the amusement of Freud, who corresponds regularly with Jung about their mutual scientific interests and also meets the young woman on a few occasions. The relationship between the three evolves in even stranger ways as time passes, with Sabina taking an unexpected place in Jung's heart...

    With its combination of psychoanalysis and sex, the story - perhaps familiar to European film buffs thanks to Roberto Faenza's Italian-language take on the same subject - has all the right characteristics to be vintage Cronenberg (hints of which are offered in the opening and closing credits via Howard Shore's music). And yet there's something missing: whereas the reconstruction of Vienna in the early 20th century is impeccable, the director appears to be less interested in the actual development of story and character, with a rather detached approach that suggests he's almost working on autopilot. That having said, part of the blame can be laid on Hampton, whose screenplay only glosses over key details of the story, leaving us with a quite simplified, "safe" version of events (the sex is unusually tame and unchallenging for a Cronenberg film).

    The performances are a mixed bag as well: Knightley, stuck with the showy role, is unbearably OTT in the first 30 minutes, shouting and shaking endlessly before she eventually tones down the mania and focuses on finding the character, complete with a solid Russian accent. At the other end of the spectrum is Mortensen, pitch-perfect from the start but criminally underused, especially considering his past associations with Cronenberg. And then there's Fassbender, quietly intense and generally up to the task, were it not for his decision to speak RP English when he and Mortensen, who adopts a German accent, are supposed to be from the same country (this is even more perplexing if one thinks of Fassbender's flawless mastery of German).

    A Dangerous Method is thus a textbook case of a film that, while not disappointing in the strict sense of the word, comes off as a minor effort in a generally spotless filmography. But even on an off-day, Cronenberg deserves to be seen at least once. Just don't expect another History of Violence...

    6,5/10
    helpful•44
    20
    • MaxBorg89
    • Nov 27, 2011

    FAQ5

    • Is 'A Dangerous Method' based on a book?
    • What ended up happening to Otto Gross?
    • What ended up happening to Sigmund Freud?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 10, 2011 (Germany)
      • United Kingdom
      • Germany
      • Canada
      • United States
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Schloss Belvedere - Rennweg 6, Vienna, Austria
    • Production companies
      • Recorded Picture Company (RPC)
      • Lago Film
      • Prospero Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 39 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS

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