Biography

The life and work of the great and influential psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), is examined. The documentary begins with his confusing childhood. His mother was his much older father's third wife; and he had half-brothers old enough to be his father. Freud was the golden child of the family who knew he was destined for greatness. As a young Jewish man, his hopes of becoming a research scientist were thwarted by the day's antisemitism. Instead, he became a doctor, a specialist in hysteria. His early experiments with hypnosis and cocaine as treatments yielded to what was called "the talking cure", the basis for psychoanalysis. The documentary details the ups and downs of Freud's career. Ridicule and outrage initially greeted the Victorian-age Freud and his ideas regarding the sex life of children. Eventually, his fame and reputation grew to mythological proportions, leading the public to believe he was the leading expert on love and romance. The viewer witnesses the rise of Nazism, which posed a terrible threat to Freud in his final days. Archive footage of Freud and a unique sound recording of his voice are included.