Freud (1962)

My Review

“Freud” is a biographical drama film about the life of Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and his theory that emotional problems are caused by sexual repression, not well-received at the time. Director John Huston (“The Maltese Falcon” 1941) created quite a serious drama, with material probably too “heavy” for the average viewer. The movie was quite “long-winded” in parts, even incredibly boring. It was a failure at the box office and did not even make enough money to cover production costs for Universal-International, as Universal Pictures was called in those days.

The performances were adequate enough, with Montgomery Clift in the title role, putting forth his patented delivery of lines. This was his second to last movie appearance before his passing in 1966. Co-stars who played include Freud’s patients include Susannah York as a woman haunted by recurring dreams and David McCallum as a man with “Oedipus complex.” Other cast members are Larry Parks, Susan Kohner, Eileen Herlie, Eric Portman, Fernand Ledoux, Alan Cuthbertson, and John Huston as the narrator. The screenplay was penned by Charles Kaufman and Wolfgang Reinhardt, also the producer of this super-serious biopic “Freud.”