Susan Kohner, born in 1936, is an American actress known for her compelling performances in the early 1960s. In Freud: The Secret Passion (1962), she delivers a nuanced portrayal that reflects the film's deep dive into the complexities of psychoanalysis. Kohner's career began with a notable breakthrough in the late 1950s, where she gained acclaim for her role in Imitation of Life. After marrying menswear designer John Weitz, she stepped away from acting in 1964, leaving behind a legacy that includes her work in cult cinema.
Freud: The Secret Passion
The story compresses the many years it took Sigmund Freud to evolve his psychoanalytic theories into what seems like a few months. Almost every neurotic symptom imaginable conveniently manifests itself in one (composite) patient, Cecily Koertner. She is sexually repressed, hysterical, and fixated on her father. And so Freud goes to work, developing one hypothesis after another. Also shown is Freud's home life with his wife Martha, whom he alternately discusses his theories with and patronizes when she reads one of his papers.
