Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Magnificent Obsession
- Commentary: When I looked for links about this movie to attach to the title of this post, I found two competing write-ups by two movie reviewers I respect and couldn't decide between them, so, I did a kind of blind movie case flip (front=Emanuel Levy's review; back=DVD Savant's Glenn Erickson's review). Now that I've thoroughly perused both reviews, I have to say, I'm glad Glenn Erickson's "won", because he writes, as well, about the history of the movie and Douglas Sirk's movie art, really fascinating stuff. Here is the Emanuel Levy review, which is little more than a perfunctory rundown of the story.
Okay. So, I just received this movie, as well as two Barbara Stanwyck Christmas movies in the post. I've seen none of them. That's what I'll be doing tonight and, probably tomorrow. Not sure which movie I'll watch first. I'll decide that while I'm waiting for the sun to go down.
Later, readers.
Update 5/15/2022: Unlike the two Christmas movies I received with this, I've seen this movie at least twice since I received it. I'm turning into a fan of 1950's lush melodramas [Should I be concerned?!?], particularly if they star Rock Hudson, it seems. I obtained three such movies at the same time and have to say, yikes! Apparently, they (primarily Douglas Sirk) knew what they were doing with melodrama in the 1950's. I was born at the beginning of that decade, so I was too young (and too isolated, frankly, living on an island where going to see a movie was a chore and television, well, forget ever seeing a film on the one local channel we received) to be exposed to any of these movies. When I became interested in movies it was the late 1960's and early 1970's and quite a different kind of movie was being produced, as well as since.
Anyway, what fun to discover these movies! They are all engaging as hell. They are so good at plucking the woman-strings, even now, they almost make me ashamed to have any lingerings of high-50's-female-sentiment. I really thought I'd missed out on all that! Anyway, this one is a stunner, featuring world travel, blindness, playboy-to-physician changes of character, you name the dramatic set-up, it's in this movie. And, much to my surprise, I love it! It's not, I might add, what I would ever have wanted for my life, but I can truly understand what was so beguiling about the life-style on which this movie is framed. And Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson! Plus a dash of pseudo-philosophical bullshit, I mean, how lucky could those 1950's women get?!? And then Agnes Moorehead shows up in two out of these three tear jerkers (although, I have to admit, it takes a lot more than any of these movies to make me cry; I may have been born in the 50's, but I'm not of the 50's)? And a playfully, preternaturally wise Girl Child! Wow! Bring it on, baby!
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jane Wyman Helen Phillips Rock Hudson Bob Merrick Barbara Rush Joyce Phillips Agnes Moorehead Nancy Ashford Otto Kruger Randolph Gregg Palmer Tom Masterson Paul Cavanagh Dr. Giraud Sara Shane Valerie Richard H. Cutting Dr. Dodge Judy Nugent Judy Helen Kleeb Mrs. Eden Rudolph Anders Dr. Fuss
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1954
Directed by Douglas Sirk.
Labels: Criterion3, douglas-sirk, dramaE, rock-hudson
