Possessed (1947)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Silvia Richards (screenplay) and
Ranald MacDougall (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 July 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Plot:

A dazed woman walks the streets of Los Angeles looking for a man named David. After collapsing in a diner...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Obsession | Psychiatric Ward | Los Angeles | Hospital

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Louise Howell
Van Heflin	...	David Sutton
Raymond Massey	...	Dean Graham
Geraldine Brooks	...	Carol Graham
Stanley Ridges	...	Dr. Willard
John Ridgely	...	Chief investigator of drowning
Moroni Olsen	...	Dr. Ames - Mrs. Smith's psychiatrist
Erskine Sanford	...	Dr. Sherman - Graham's physician at inquest
Peter Miles	...	Wynn Graham (as Gerald Perreau)
Jakob Gimpel	...	Walter Sveldon - pianist (as Jacob Gimpel)
Isabel Withers	...	Nurse Rosen
Lisa Golm	...	Elsie - Graham's maid in DC
Douglas Kennedy	...	District Attorney at inquest
Monte Blue	...	Norris - lake house caretaker
Don McGuire	...	Dr. Craig - Dr. Willard's asst.

Also Known As:

The Secret (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) (1947) | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11828, Adult Audience)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Bette Davis was originally offered the role of Louise, but turned it down to go on maternity leave.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the opening sequence, while Louise is wandering the streets of Los Angeles, her shoes change from pumps to sling-backs and back again.

Quotes:

Louise: I can be very objectionable.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Possessed: The Quintessential Film Noir (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Carnaval, Opus 9

A Dark Moonscape of the Soul

"Possessed" is one of the marvelous genre hybrids that appeared in the late 40s and early 50s. It is both Film Noir (admittedly, an "invented" genre) and woman's picture. Elements of the latter genre include a female main character and her obsession with a lover who has moved on. The Noir elements (flashback, dark, moody photography, and a sinister, fatalistic edge to the proceedings) raise this melodrama to nearly tragic heights. It should not be dismissed as a throwaway Crawford vehicle, or overgrown B picture.

Curtis Bernhardt directs the film with a compelling assurance. This movie knows where it's going and it takes you along for the ride. Many scenes have an enthralling dramatic appeal. Early in the film, for example, Louise is overwhelmed by the Van Heflin character playing a section from Schumann's "Carnaval" on the piano. There is a terrific admixture of closeups of Crawford's face with the music. This music will play a subtle leitmotivic role in the rest of the film. Worthy of note as well is Franz Waxman's intense, not too-romanticized score. And this film contains what must be an early use of electronic voice distortion to convey Louise's gradual descent toward a nervous breakdown.

All actors--Raymond Massey, Van Heflin, Geraldine Brooks--are good and bring more than a touch of conviction to their roles. But Joan Crawford is at the center of the picture, and she gives here what may be her very best screen performance. It is not surprising to learn that Crawford was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for this detailed, gradated portrayal of a woman travelling through a private hell. So convincing and inspired is this performance, that it is universal in its appeal.

"Possessed" could form a "trilogy" with "Born to Kill" (1947, with Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney) and "No Man of Her Own" (1950, with Barbara Stanwyck and Lyle Bettger): all immensely entertaining journeys through dark emotional landscapes of obsession, betrayal and desperation.