Magnificent Obsession main backdrop
Magnificent Obsession main poster

Magnificent Obsession

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6.8/10 • 115

1954-08-071h 48m

DramaRomance

This was the moment unashamed... when this man and this woman felt the first ecstasy of their Magnificent Obsession

Reckless playboy Bob Merrick crashes his speedboat, requiring emergency attention from the town’s only resuscitator while a local hero, Dr. Phillips, dies waiting for the life-saving device. Merrick then tries to right his wrongs with the doctor’s widow, Helen, falling in love with her in the process.

Directors
Douglas Sirk
Editors
Milton Carruth

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Jane Wyman

    Jane Wyman

    Helen Phillips

  2. Rock Hudson

    Rock Hudson

    Bob Merrick

  3. Barbara Rush

    Barbara Rush

    Joyce Phillips

  4. Agnes Moorehead

    Agnes Moorehead

    Nancy Ashford

  5. Otto Kruger

    Otto Kruger

    Edward Randolph

  6. Gregg Palmer

    Gregg Palmer

    Tom Masterson

  7. Paul Cavanagh

    Paul Cavanagh

    Dr. Henry Giraud

  8. Sara Shane

    Sara Shane

    Valerie Daniels

  9. Richard H. Cutting

    Richard H. Cutting

    Dr. Derwin Dodge

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Nov 25, 2019

7/10

Doc Rock and the playboy redemption. Magnificent Obsession is adapted from a novel by Lloyd C Douglas, and it had been previously filmed back in 1935 with Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor in the leads. Here the piece is directed by melodrama maestro Douglas Sirk and features Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson as the emotionally charged leads. The story revolves around Bob Merrick (Hudson), a playboy who is inadvertently responsible for the death of Helen Phillips' (Wyman) husband. As he starts to find a soul in amongst his playboy image, he desperately wants to make peace with Helen, but during his efforts to apologise she is tragically blinded in an accident. As Helen recuperates, Bob worms his way into Helen's life by posing as someone else, they amazingly start to fall in love, but the truth will out and tragedy seems to permanently hover over this newly formed alliance. As with the best of Douglas Sirk, Magnificent Obsession is loaded with drama and unashamed assaults on the viewers emotional fortitude. It is quite simply a weeper, a stress relief server for those so inclined. No bad thing that, though, just as long as the viewer is fully aware of the type of film they are getting. To only market it as a romance piece is something of a disservice because at the core it's one of redemption, where even religion is neatly threaded into the deftly assembled script. Technically it has a lot going for it, Frank Skinner's score is smoothly gorgeous, with Chopin's Études perfectly accompanying the blossoming romance, while the colour photography from Russell Metty is sensibly unobtrusive. Rock Hudson would jump on to the map with his performance here (proving he could act if given the meat to chew on), and Wyman would get Oscar nomination for her emotionally driven turn. All in all it's a film that's well worth watching, on proviso if you choose to be in that weeper frame of mind! 7.5/10

Media

  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster
  • Magnificent Obsession poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
rich man