d. John Huston (1962)
Freud: The Secret Passion is an important entry in the psychoanalysis sub-genre, not least because it is effectively a biopic of psychiatric practice. Directed by genius journeyman John Huston and starring poor old Montgomery Clift as an obsessive and controversial Sigmund Freud, the narrative alternates between intense hypnotic therapy sessions and gauzy interludes from Freud's own personal history which serve to help him iron out the wrinkles in his own crumpled psyche. Although the depiction of treatment is greatly simplified and the outcomes far more emphatic than in reality, the film does a good job in joining the dots, ably assisted by excellent performances, moody music and a feeling of eerie, scalp prickling mystery. In many ways, Freud is a horror film or, at least, a film about ghosts, where the haunted house is the human mind.
Clift burns at the centre of the film, his damaged face conveying the agony of the seeker as he obsessively pursues his goal, alienating his family and scandalising his peers as he relentlessly moves towards understanding. It's an outstanding performance, but Clift was apparently difficult on set, and this caused the film to go over budget, effectively ending his career.
Clift had always been demanding and, after his near fatal car crash in 1956 became increasingly erratic - but he still made money. In Hollywood, then as now, you can self-medicate and misbehave all you like, but as soon as you start cutting into the profits, you're finished.
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