Magnificent Obsession

Bob Merrick (Rock Hudson) gets his commuppance and learns to be not such a reckless rich twat, with the help of a fairy godfather and falling in love with a woman he made go blind!

If you've never heard of Douglas Sirk, be prepared that this will be melodrama city. Production values are superb, though. Sirk was a very talented craftsman, as well as creating a beautiful aesthetic for these films.

Sirk made the hospital and the classic American home look as artificial and sanitised as he could: with lipstick so bright and full the lips jump off the faces, sculpted hair and good looks, everything in its right place and colours so stark it looks like a children's colour book. These locales are contrasted with a couple of other places, darkly beautiful: the scene where Rock is sitting at a bar, which starts with the rather loose and drunk looking woman leaning up against the wall, with curls of cigarette smoke and beautiful light in the background. The other is the night scene in Paris, with such exquisite light coming through the doors of the apartment.

Rock is actually pretty good in the film, and really perfect looking. I can see why Sirk picked him out - he's a Ken doll - playing the fantasy American: rich, beautiful and devil-may-care. And after this flick, he was also a star.

3/5. I liked La Habanera better, though.

Looking back on the abbreviated career of Douglas Sirk, "Magnificent Obsession" rises above being just another "woman's film" or "weepie". It actually serves as a notable turning point as it is the first in a string of Technicolor melodramas Sirk helmed at Universal-International, as well as one of his most popular. It also kick-started the malnourished career of Rock Hudson and sent his fame into another realm. Despite the film's lame-brained premise and endless implausibilities, Sirk takes the material and dishes out a sweet, moving drama that is a thinly disguised tale of Christianity.

Hudson stars as Bob Merrick, a millionaire playboy with no cares in the world. His lavish and self-serving lifestyle inadvertently leads to the death of a prominent local doctor, Wayne Phillips. Dr.Phillip's widow, Helen(Jane Wyman)tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, while at the same time resisting the advances of Bob Merrick. His persistence results in an accident in which Helen goes blind. In a convoluted and corny twist, Bob tries to redeem himself by giving selflessly to others and devoting his life to medicine to find a way to restore Helen's eyesight.

Every stereotype of every soap opera convention is used in overwhelming doses to tell the story of "Magnificent Obsession". The "alternative lifestyle" of Christianity that Bob learns is a mish-mash of psychobabble that even the most detail-oriented viewer would find boring and confusing. And the seriousness in which the actors take the material is eye-rollingly unbelievable. But this film is saved by the always-savvy direction of Douglas Sirk(who himself hated the plot)and an elegant, understated Jane Wyman who brought her own brand of sophistication to every role she played - and was Oscar-nominated for this role. Even Hudson is able to overcome his nerves in his first leading, A-list role to give a performance that is convincing. Sirk's use of reflective surfaces and a dominating color palette give this movie a look that is undeniably sheen. And Frank Skinner's classical score takes the ordinary material to an emotional level; although the choral "oohs and aahs" on the soundtrack are a bit pungent for such a quiet film. This is not Sirk's best work, but it is definitely solid enough to engage first time viewers and a must for fans of the German-bred director's work.

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

Is this film farfetched, is this film over the top? You betcha, but is this film entertaining and emotional tear jerker, you bet! Director Douglas Sirk and producer Ross Hunter display a real reverence for the material and have done their very best to update it for 50s audiences. Rock Hudson is perfectly cast and so is Jane Wyman, although she may be too old for this role. The entire cast does well, especially Agnes Morehead, in a thankless role as the devoted and sacrificing nurse and friend. I recommend highly, although the film may be a little bit longer than it should be. It should compare favorable to its earlier interpretation.

I am a Douglas Sirk devotee and regard him as one of the screen's more underrated directors. Having said that, I regard "Magnificent Obsession" as a bit much, even for Sirk. I like Sirk because, even though he is a master of soapers, he is more than that. His films contain social commentaries that are often biting, and they often contain good character studies. In this preachy film the social commentary is absent and the characters are one dimensional. But I can forgive all this because the acting is good--Wyman, Kruger, and Moorhead are excellent--and Sirk showed that Rock Hudson could act if properly directed. This was Hudson's breakthrough film. But the music is almost too much to bear! I have never heard such wretchedly maudlin, and loud, movie music in my life. The heavenly choruses in the background are shameless. In spite of all this, however, it is all quite entertaining. 7/10