Magnificent obsession

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Movie
Original title Magnificent obsession
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1935
length 108 minutes
Rod
Director John M. Stahl
script Sarah Y. Mason ,
Victor Heerman
production Carl Laemmle for Universal Pictures
music Franz Waxman
camera John J. Mescall
cut Milton Carruth
occupation

Magnificent Obsession is a 1935 American melodrama starring Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor . The film is based on the novel of the same name by Lloyd C. Douglas .

action

Helen Hudson becomes a widow, completely unprepared. Her husband cannot be saved after a swimming accident, as the only ventilator is currently being used to reanimate the spoiled and selfish playboy Robert Merrick. After his death, it turns out that Dr. Hudson, himself a brilliant surgeon, donated a lot of money to charity and was able to help so many people. Driven by guilt, Robert Merrick tries to apologize to Helen Hudson, but she harshly rejects him and blames him for her husband's death. One day chance brings the two back together and Robert misunderstands the situation and becomes intrusive towards Helen. Horrified, she runs away and is run over by a car. The accident leaves Helen blind. Robert is deeply shocked. He resumes his aborted medical studies and within a short time he becomes a world-famous surgeon. Helen is now convinced that she is just a burden to the world and withdraws completely into solitude. In the meantime, Robert wins the Nobel Prize in Medicine and becomes the leading brain surgeon. He succeeds in healing Helen in a dramatic emergency operation.

background

The popularity of Irene Dunne with the predominantly female fans was based on a whole series of tearful melodramas in which the actress has to endure all sorts of hardships and problems before she finds true happiness in the end. After her exclusive contract with the RKO studio came to an end in 1934, Irene Dunne decided not to enter into any longer-term commitments in the future, but only to conclude non-exclusive contracts for a limited number of films with a say in directors and co-stars. This procedure, known as free-lancing, allowed Dunne to negotiate much higher fees than her RKO had paid. She ended up making $ 145,000 just for her involvement in Magnificent Obsession . Dunne initially signed for two films with Universal Pictures . The first engagement should be the film adaptation of the then popular novel Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas. The novel was published in 1929 and was seen as a commentary on the frivolities and ruthlessness of the so-called Roaring Twenties . Douglas introduced the responsible Dr. Hudson, silently helping other people and appealing to the wonderful power within each of them, to the irresponsible Robert Merrick. Merrick has a lot of talent and every opportunity to do good, but in the beginning he wastes his talent on alcohol and female acquaintances. Only under the impression of the teachings of Dr. Hudson also discovers Merrick's miraculous power and transforms himself into a benefactor of mankind to whom money and fame mean nothing.

First Frank Borzage was to take over the direction, before John M. Stahl was given the task. Stahl had already guided Irene Dunne through Back Street in 1932 . Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was initially discussed for the male lead , before the choice fell on Robert Taylor. The success of the film enabled Taylor to become a star. The studio turned Magnificent Obsession into a downright prestige production and invested nearly $ 1,000,000. The film turned out to be a financial success in the end. In 1954, Douglas Sirk made a remake with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in the lead roles.

Reviews

The New York Times didn't like the film and the mixture of quasi-religious undertones and love story. The reviewer called Magnificent Obsession

“Boring and over the top. [The film] describes the tortuous path in which Mr. Taylor becomes the modern Merlin of the medical world. "

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ tedious and overwrought. [The film] describes the somewhat intricate process by which Mr. Taylor became the modern Merlin of the medical world.