Viggo Mortensen to Star as Sigmund Freud with All-Star Cast in “A Dangerous Method”

Renowned, awarded and highly acclaimed Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy fame, will return to the silver screen this November in what promises to be one of the most fascinating and complex films of the year. In Director David Croneberg’s A Dangerous Method (slated for U.S. theatrical release on November 23), Mortensen will play the role of the historically famous and controversial Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud (noted as the father of psychoanalysis). A Dangerous Method will examine “how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis,” according to an IMDB plot summary.

Jung will be played by the extremely talented German-Irish Michael Fassbender of recent X-Men: First Class fame (young Magneto). Fassbender is also known for his role in Director Zack Snyder’s 2006 Spartan-epic 300, where he played the role of Stelios, as well as Director Cary Fukunga’s 2011 retelling of Jane Eyre, in which he played the role of Rochester.

A Dangerous Method will not mark the first time Director Croneberg has worked with Mortensen. In 2005, Mortensen starred as Tom Stall in Croneberg’s A History of Violence and in 2007, the actor starred as Nikolai in Croneberg’s Eastern Promises. Given his impressive education (bachelor’s degree in Government and Spanish from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York), as well as his enthusiasm for historical and cultural immersion (he spent a while in Europe roaming through Spain, England and Denmark as a truck driver and flower vendor), Mortensen seems perfectly suited for the role of Freud.

Joining Mortensen and Fassbender will be Oscar and “Best Supporting Actress” nominee Keira Knightley of Pirates of the Caribbean (trilogy: 2003, 2006 and 2007) and Pride & Prejudice (2005) fame. Knightley will play Sabina Spielrein, one of history’s first notable female Russian psychoanalysts and a student of Carl Jung, with whom it was rumored she had a romantic relationship. In fact, the film centers on the tensions that arise between Jung and Freud as their student-mentor relationship deteriorates over mutual attraction toward this stunningly beautiful, yet sexually hysterical patient.

The film is based on The Talking Cure, a 2003 play by British playwright, screen writer and film director Christopher Hampton, who drew material from A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud and Sabina Spielrein, a well-received and highly esteemed 1994 book by John Kerr. The film will no doubt be steeped in historical context and should, hopefully, remain fairly accurate.

What remains to be seen is how well this highly intellectual, mentally-stimulating and culturally-enriching film will be received by critics and, more importantly, American moviegoers. Although the 2011 silver screen has been dominated by explosive action films as of late (Captain America: The First Avenger, Conan the Barbarian, Colombiana, Cowboys & Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and a slew of others), a “precise, lucid and thrillingly disciplined” film (McCarthy, Todd: “A Dangerous Method: Venice Film Review,” The Hollywood Reporter) may be a breath of fresh air for the nerdy, educated and intellectual movie-viewing demographic of the U.S.

In terms of prescreen reviews, A Dangerous Method has, not surprisingly, received mixed reviews from critics. While many, such as the previously-mentioned Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, praise the film, others such as Xan Brooks of The Guardian (theguardian.co.uk), note that “even the celebrated spanking scene fails to knock much life into David Croneberg’s lugubrious tale of the tussle between Freud and Jung.” Brooks did mention that the film’s “script is intelligent, the tone is tasteful,” but he also added, “All that’s missing, in fact, is a crucial whiff of danger.” Brooks’s view may very well indeed reflect the sentiment that many action-hungry moviegoers have these days.

The film has received an “R” rating for its sexually graphic depiction of Spielrein’s grotesque condition, a performance given by Knightly that will no doubt be a testament to her superb acting talents. David Gritten of The Telegraph (thetelegraph.co.uk) describes her performance as “so ferocious in these early scenes that it seems likely to become the film’s main talking point.” The MPAA rating also notes that the film contains brief language.

A Dangerous Method releases in the U.S. on November 23, 2011.


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