Very disappointing...

Thanks for the memories!

One of my all time favorites.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

PSYCHE 59 is a film I really struggled with. It's posited as a blind-woman-in-peril thriller, and even B-movies in that particular genre are pretty good and enjoyable; it says something that they're still making them even now, long after they first gained popularity in the 1950s. Sadly, this movie goes for the pseudo highbrow, psychological, arty approach and as a result it's a vapid mess. It reminded me of some of those dull and dated Pinter adaptations that critics rave about and viewers snore over. This one's a four-hander in which Patricia Neal goes blind for no real reason while her shady husband Curt Jurgens looks after her. Samantha Eggar gets the most memorable role as a saucepot, regularly stripping to her underwear; her sexuality is the most important thing in the movie and the only memorable thing about it. Ian Bannon feels a bit extraneous although strives hard in his early role. The film is slow, talky, and lacking in any kind of suspense or atmosphere; a dud, in other words.

Patricia Neal is a blind married woman, who's a victim of hysterical blindness, a term for blindness that is caused by psychological reasons, instead of anything really wrong with the eyes. It seems she was traumatized by something and refused to see things the way they really were. By way of how she relates to sister Samantha Eggar and husband Curt Jurgens, we enter her world. I read one review of this movie that called it turgid. I was never sure what turgid meant. And. sometimes the dictionary only tells you a synonym type of definition, with not enough of an explanation. But if turgid means to tell a story with exaggeration instead of subtlety. Then, I would agree to an extent, but I think this type of film, the story itself, the mood and setting, and its way of telling the story all go well together, up to a point. Things certainly get worse, before they get better. But I liked Ms. Neal's performance (as usual) and I particularly liked the ending, instead of getting a startling and shocking climax which the film feels like it's heading for. It may not be much on the whole, but I would watch this over and the family dynamic and dysfunction only adds to its appeal as a curiosity piece for the Patricia Neal fans.

I am admittedly biased after seeing her in "The Subject Was Roses", an incredible achievement by Patricia Neal. That being said, this film "Psyche 59" deals with Neal and her seemingly caring husband Curd Jurgens (always believable as middle-aged man, malcontent).The story starts with Neal in her comfortable London town home, where she is blind due to a tragic accident five years earlier. Her sister Robin (Samantha Eggar) comes to stay with her, which for some reason annoys Jergens. We see the reason clearly as the film unwraps, Eggar's personality as she flirts with her sister's husband. It is rather hard to believe the storyline here that Robin (Eggar) is 17 in this film, as she looks to be about 30 in real life, and manner.If you can suspend the disbelief a bit (Eggar becomes shrill and annoying at the end, attempting to gain attention from Curt Jurgens).They stay at the grandmother's country estate for a beach vacation, and the grandmother is , as another reviewer mentioned, rather an extraneous character and its puzzling as to why she has been included in the film, even.Overall though while the story moves slowly at some points, keep watching for Patricia Neal. She saves the storyline and makes the film well worth your time. Recommended.

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.