{"id":21311,"date":"2011-12-20T20:56:36","date_gmt":"2011-12-21T03:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21311"},"modified":"2022-02-11T22:47:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-12T05:47:28","slug":"magnificent-obsession-1954","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21311","title":{"rendered":"Magnificent Obsession (1954)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Once you find the way, you&#8217;ll be bound. It will obsess you, but believe me, it will be a magnificent obsession.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster-192x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-57623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster-192x300.png 192w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster-655x1024.png 655w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster-82x128.png 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster-173x270.png 173w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-1954-Poster.png 711w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA reckless playboy (Rock Hudson) involved in a boating accident pursues the widow (Jane Wyman) of a beloved doctor whose life was lost when Hudson was using the only resuscitation device available. When he accidentally causes Wyman to lose her sight, he seeks solace and guidance from a kind sculptor (Otto Kruger), who urges him to adapt the deceased doctor&#8217;s spiritual practice of secretive philanthropy. Soon Hudson is pursuing Wyman from a new perspective, under an assumed identity &#8212; much to the chagrin of her protective stepdaughter (Barbara Rush) and best friend (Agnes Moorehead).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Agnes Moorehead Films<\/li>\n<li>Barbara Rush Films<\/li>\n<li>Blindness<\/li>\n<li>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Doctors and Nurses<\/li>\n<li>Douglas Sirk Films<\/li>\n<li>Jane Wyman Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Rock Hudson Films<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<li>Widows and Widowers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that while it&#8217;s &#8220;not prime Sirk&#8221;, this &#8220;glossy, melodramatic remake of the <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21390\">1935 John Stahl classic<\/a>&#8221; is nonetheless &#8220;an enjoyable tearjerker&#8221; featuring &#8220;an earnest performance by Hudson&#8221; in his breakthrough role. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Romance-1.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary gives away a few too many spoilers in his review for me to quote it more extensively, but suffice it to say that he calls out the film&#8217;s Christian\/spiritual underpinnings, which were a prominent feature of the source novel by minister <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lloyd_C._Douglas\">Lloyd C. Douglas<\/a>. In his much-more-cynical review, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2805magn.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> refers to the screenplay as &#8220;a rickety stack of accidents and ironies&#8221;, the dialogue as &#8220;painfully trite and often unintentionally funny&#8221;, and the underlying moral thrust &#8212; which he believes is corrupt &#8212; as &#8220;Presbyterian Guilt, [or] an exaggerated sense of responsibility&#8221;; he&#8217;s clearly not a fan of the film (or the story). My position lies somewhere in between both perspectives. Unless you buy into Sirk&#8217;s unique sensibility, you&#8217;re likely to find the entire film just a skosh removed from high camp &#8212; which is not to say you won&#8217;t enjoy some of its more melodramatic moments. There&#8217;s something undeniably moving about seeing a playboy genuinely reformed &#8212; and I found Hudson&#8217;s attraction to Wyman much more believable here than in their follow-up film, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20690\"><em>All That Heaven Allows<\/em><\/a>. While this one is ultimately only must-see for Sirk completists, film fanatics will probably enjoy seeing it at least once. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Russell Metty&#8217;s rich Technicolor cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Technicolor.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Technicolor-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-21316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Technicolor-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Technicolor-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Technicolor-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Magnificent-Obsession-Technicolor.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though film fanatics will likely be curious to see the first of Sirk&#8217;s most iconic mid-century melodramas. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0047203\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1954\/08\/05\/archives\/remade-magnificent-obsession-opens.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2805magn.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/82395\/magnificent-obsession#articles-reviews?articleId=72536\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=2148\">Q Network Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/magnificent-obsession\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Once you find the way, you&#8217;ll be bound. It will obsess you, but believe me, it will be a magnificent obsession.&#8221; Synopsis: A reckless playboy (Rock Hudson) involved in a boating accident pursues the widow (Jane Wyman) of a beloved doctor whose life was lost when Hudson was using the only resuscitation device available. When he accidentally causes Wyman to lose her sight, he seeks solace and guidance from a kind sculptor (Otto Kruger), who urges him to adapt the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=21311\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21311"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81144,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21311\/revisions\/81144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}