DramaRomance

Magnificent Obsession

- 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.

Release Date : 1954-08-07

Language :GermanEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Universal Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Helen Phillips

Original Name : Jane Wyman

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bob Merrick

Original Name : Rock Hudson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joyce Phillips

Original Name : Barbara Rush

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nancy Ashford

Original Name : Agnes Moorehead

Gender : Female

Character Name : Edward Randolph

Original Name : Otto Kruger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom Masterson

Original Name : Gregg Palmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Henry Giraud

Original Name : Paul Cavanagh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Valerie Daniels

Original Name : Sara Shane

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Derwin Dodge

Original Name : Richard H. Cutting

Gender : Male

Character Name : Judy

Original Name : Judy Nugent

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Eden

Original Name : Helen Kleeb

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Albert Fuss

Original Name : Rudolph Anders

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Laradetti

Original Name : Fred Nurney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Hofer

Original Name : Jack Mylong-Münz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Allan

Original Name : Alexander Campbell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Miller

Original Name : Mae Clarke

Gender : Female

Character Name : Chris

Original Name : Harvey Grant

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dan

Original Name : Joseph Mell

Gender : Male

Character Name : State Police Sergeant Bill Ames (uncredited)

Original Name : Will J. White

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bar Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : William Leslie

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Greta Ullmann

Gender : Female

Character Name : Observer at Scene (uncredited)

Original Name : Herschel Graham

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

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