As had so often been the case in the past the best thing about Alexander Singer's "Psyche '59" is Walter Lassally's luminous cinematography. This British drama revolves around Patricia Neal, blinded in an accident but aware that her blindness is psychosomatic and not physical. She's married to Curd Jurgens and has a flightly younger sister, (Samantha Eggar), who comes to stay. There's a fourth character played by Ian Bannen who wanders in and out of their lives.The movie wasn't a success despite its excellent cast and has virtually disappeared. Singer came to the film fresh from his cult classic "A Cold Wind in August" and perhaps more was expected of him than he delivered. It doesn't really work as a thriller; plot-wise it's something of a one-trick pony and outside of its cast of four there is no-one to latch on to and consequently few red herrings. It might have worked as a tale of sisterly rivalry if it wasn't so banal and what almost amounts to a subplot involving Bannen's character almost proves more interesting.It's not really a bad film, (though the ending is gob-smackingly awful), just a very strange one and it's easy to see why it flopped. It's the kind of film that might appeal to the so-called intelligensia looking for meanings that aren't really there. See it by all means; just don't expect too much.

I don't remember when I first saw this film – possibly around 1973 or 4 when probably shown late on a Friday night – I'm sure it was shown more than once – after that it disappeared from our screens and, to the best of my knowledge, has never been shown on UK television since – this rarity value ensured its legendary status, at least in my own mind if not the annals of film history. Patricia Neal plays Alison Crawford, a woman who has convinced herself she's blind – a blindness not only psychosomatic but also metaphorical as she no doubt wishes she was blind to her husband Eric's (Curt Jurgens) adulterous ambitions towards her younger sister Robin (Samantha Eggar) who is engaged to Paul (Ian Bannen). The story revolves around the psychological power play between Jurgens and Bannen and the relationships between these four main characters. Part of the drama is meant to occur in France – but when a taxi is summoned a Vauxhall Cresta PA in right hand drive on British number plates turns up. Better viewing then for car enthusiasts than seekers of realism. Of the actors and the acting, Patricia Neal never slipped below best form, and she makes a striking appearance here looking like a corpse in Ray-Bans. Samantha Eggar is nowhere near as good as she is in the following year's Return From The Ashes, but still not bad in an unsympathetic and shallow role. Ian Bannen is marvellous – witness him in The Hill (also 1964) and The Offence (1972) – you always know he's going to come off second best, but he does a grand job of getting there. Curt Jurgens is in pre comedy-high-ranking Nazi officer mode that he would perfect in time for Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) The background music can be intrusive at times: almost as if a small string section had been sat down in front of a tape recorder, had the film rolled for them and told to play whatever seemed appropriate. At one point they all stop playing, as though they realize something serious or dramatic is about to happen. It reminds me a bit of that silly plink plonk background music in Desperate Housewives that you only notice when it stops – the difference is DH is meant to be funny whereas '59 is meant to be serious – or is it? This film has now been released on region 1 disc in America, but if your DVD player won't play region 1 discs I can supply a superb quality region free disc – but without any artwork. Contact me by Email at [email protected] or text on 07949 792498.

***SPOILER*** Slow moving and at times boring psychological drama that has nothing at all to do with the movie "Psycho" which by its title-Psyche 59-it can easily be mistaking for.Alison Crawford, Patricia Neal, has been blind for five years since on that fatefully summer day in 1959-the year that the movie's title indicates-when she feel down a flight of stairs at Grandma's, Beatrix Lehmann, place in the country and ended up losing her sight. Told by her doctors that there's nothing wrong with her eyes in them being perfectly normal it's obviously that Alsion's loss of sight has to do with her mind not wanting to see whatever she sees! That has to do with what Alison saw just before she fell and lost her sight five years ago! What she saw was so shocking that she not only forget what she saw but never wants, psychologically, to see again! See!Married to successful businessman Eric Crawford, Curt Jurgens, Alison has settled into the life of a sightless person not really that interested in whats going on in the world until her kid sister-13 years her junior- Robin, Samanta Eggar, shows up at the Crawford's elegant flat in downtown London for a visit. Even though Alsion can't we could see that Robin and Eric have been lovers for some time in how they interact with each other during their time together at the Crawford flat. In fact Eric's good friend Paul, Ian Bannen, who's really got the hots for Robin and wants to marry her is rebuffed every time he tries to get It on with her in favor of Robin being "lovey Davy" with Eric!Eric for his part is very uncomfortable with Robin being around the house in the unwanted advances she make at him with his wife Alision, Robin's sister, totally unaware of what happening between the two. It's when Eric and Robin together with Paul and the Crawford kids Jean & Susan, Shelley Crowhurst & Sandra Leo, go visit Grandma's country home that the shocking truth in what caused Alisons blindness comes dramatically to the surface! In her almost ending up with a brain concussion when she was hit by a runaway horse, that Robin was riding, in the garden.***SPOILERS*** The big and shocking surprise ending in the film "Psyche 59" was so obvious that it shocked practically no one not even those in the films cast. The fact that anybody could see whats was going on between Eric & Robin with the exception of the blind Alison made the surprise ending a no brainier! By far the biggest and only surprise in the film was how Eric reacted, is wife's revelation about him and Robin, to it that totally psyched me out!

Made at a time when psychological dramas were enjoying popularity and at a stage when what could be depicted on screen was being tested with each new film, this movie showcases the talents of its star trio fairly well. Neal plays a blind woman, married to Jurgens, who is blind not because of any substantial injury or illness, per se, but because she has suffered some sufficient mental trauma to render her sightless – hysterical blindness. Her husband dotes on her while simultaneously seeming to resent her. Things get even stickier when Neal invites her baby sister Eggar back home to live with them. Eggar dates family friend Bannen, who already has a flirtatious rapport with Neal, while Jurgens struggles with an attraction to Eggar. Eggar, an unbelievably brazen and selfish person, leads him on deliberately, sometimes right under the nose of her sight-impaired sister. When Neal and Eggar head out to the country to visit grandmother March, with the gentlemen soon joining them, things take on a more upsetting tone, culminating in yet another traumatic series of events which call Neal's vision into question again. Neal, fresh off an Oscar win for "Hud," is captivating to watch here and retains most of the film's focus. Jurgens, although top-billed, is somewhat less central though he does an excellent job. His steely eyes are well-served by the stark black and white cinematography (which is wonderful throughout.) Eggar is impossibly young and delectable. She shows off an array of 60s fashions and hairstyles, but also gives a strong performance in a role that could have been played very one-dimensionally. Bannen is likable and solid in his less-than-magnetic character. He has the bad luck to be in love with a vixen. March portrays with some degree of restraint the highly atypical grandmother who seems almost devoid of affection and doesn't hand out praise easily. This type of film will not appeal to all viewers as it is at times heavy-handed and strains to be artsy. However, for those willing to take it in, it's a very interesting and engrossing piece. Certainly, the work of the three leads is very strong. In the second half, the focus gets blurry, the pace begins to drag and the motivations of the characters get a bit cloudy, but there are some great moments of tension and anxiety on display. A heavily dramatic score by Kenneth Jones punctuates the opening credits and the emotional scenes. Fans of the leads really can't afford to miss out on it.