Movie Reviews

‘Freud’ Blu-Ray Review – Montgomery Clift Brings Famed Psychoanalyst To Life In John Huston Drama

By Dillon Gonzales
November 11, 2021
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Exploring the life of Sigmund Freud, one of the most notable neurologists and psychoanalysts to ever live, is a proposition that few directors could pass up. When you get an undeniable filmmaker such as John Huston (Key Largo, Victory) attached, you know that the resulting product is not going to be something so cookie-cutter. The subject at hand looms large over the field of human introspection, but he is also not a man beyond criticism. While his efforts led to many brilliant breakthroughs and a broadening of beliefs in his field, those who take a closer look at his theories through a modern lens will find many ideas that are ghastly. Nevertheless, his stature is not in question and a film delving further into his life is an intriguing proposition. Well, we may think so, but audiences in 1962 did not quite flock to Freud (retitled Freud: The Secret Passion in hope of duping those looking for something a bit less clinical). The subject feels like it could be quite dry, but the approach taken by Huston leads down some surprising paths.

One of the best decisions this film makes is the casting of Montgomery Clift (A Place In The Sun) as the famous figure. The film begins in 1885 as the young Freud has completed his medical training in Vienna, and we see early on that Freud is not content to just agree with modern beliefs. His rebuttal of the head of the hospital regarding the validity of “hysteria” as a proper psychological disorder does not earn him any friends amongst his colleagues. He goes further afield with his study of hypnosis and how it can go about unlocking some of the hidden trauma deep within his patients. Together with Dr. Joseph Breuer (Larry Parks) he aims to prove that hypnosis can improve the conditions of patients with repressed memories. A prime example of this is Cecily Koertner (Susannah York, Images), a young woman who has a history of transference – sexual attraction to her doctors – due to unknown events of the past that slowly get unveiled. Through the course of helping his patient, Freud unlocks some of his own memories that have been waiting to bubble to the surface.

For a subject matter that could veer extremely stuffy, Freud surprises with its implementation of heightened realism. Dreams are used as an additional language within the film, revealing subtext and rich character details that keep you invested in Freud as a person as much as he is a doctor. Clift feeds off Susannah York in an almost breathless way, which is not even taking into account the relationship he has with Susan Kohner (Imitation Of Life), the woman who plays his extremely patient wife. The performances are beyond reproach, but the film itself cannot maintain the momentum throughout all 140 minute. It is not that the life of Freud is not worthy of such a running time, but the story this film is telling does justify such an epic length. For the reality that this film is trying to convey, the narrative has numerous moments of brilliance. If the quality of these moments had been maintained throughout, the reception of this film may have been quite a different story. The fingerprints of Huston are all over the finished product, as you could argue that all of the dramatic heft is by his design. Even if it is not one of his best, it is well worth a watch for all the individual elements that work so well.

Video Quality

Freud makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master from a new 2K scan. For a film of its vintage, this is a truly wonderful presentation. The gorgeous black-and-white photography shot by Douglas Slocombe shines in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a pleasing amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are very deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences a minor amount of flicker and specks of damage and scratches to the print. There are also a few stray, faint vertical lines that make a quick appearance without ruining the overall aesthetic of the film. It is also worth noting that the dream sequences have more of an intentionally blown out look that is in line with what Huston was wanting creatively. Kino Classics has done some strong work here.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio lossless soundtrack that sonically represents the film in a straightforward manner. The activity is primarily contained to the center channel with not much of an opening up with various elements. The Oscar-nominated score from Jerry Goldsmith that is key to certain moments comes alive quite nicely with pleasing fidelity. It never overpowers the dialogue or other important information in any significant way. The dialogue lacks a bit of crispness and the track can sound a little hollow at point, but it rarely showcases any age related wear and hiss. This track is a solid representation of this material from the folks at Kino Classics.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Tim Lucas delivers a fairly entertaining and deeply informative commentary track which details the history of this film including the development of the material, the casting of the film, the botched release pattern, the different cuts mandated by various factions, the personal influences of the creatives involved and much more that helps you put this work into context.

Trailers From Hell: A three-minute video with Howard Rodman which gives you a down and dirty overview of the story of the film and the talent involved along with bits and pieces of the troubled production.

Trailers: The three-and-a-half minute trailer is provided for Freud. There are also trailers provided for Judgement At Nuremberg, The Killing Of Sister George, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, Moby Dick and Phobia.

Final Thoughts

Freud defies being completely conventional thanks to some bold creative swings that honestly should have been more prevalent throughout the duration. John Huston brings a strong directorial eye which makes this feature aesthetically quite striking. The performances are one of the main reasons to seek this one out, especially the standout turn from Montgomery Clift. Despite all of these individual elements, the movie does not quite come together to something transcendent. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a couple of enjoyable special features. Even with its faults, this one is still worth seeking out for fans of the talent involved.

Freud will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 30, 2021.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.