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.
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Character
Grave, classical in form, spare and overwhelming.
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- sparerichly built
- cooloverwhelming
- earnestironic
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“Is this Douglas Sirk's best work?”
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“Is Jane Wyman the best thing in Magnificent Obsession?”
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“Is Magnificent Obsession too earnest?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Mar 20267/10
I felt a bit sorry for poor old “Bob” (Rock Hudson) in this. Sure, he’s an obnoxious and selfish playboy but when he gets involved in an accident that requires the resuscitator he awakens to quite a lot of disdain from those in the hospital. Why? Well it seems that at the same time, a local surgeon got into difficulties of his own and as the machine was busy elsewhere, well he perished. “Bob” is fairly upset by this news, so offers the hospital $25,000 to pay his bill and get it another gadget. This only seems to make matters worse for the recently widowed “Helen” (Jane Wyman) who gives him short shrift. Then she, herself, gets into an accident that robs her of her memory and her sight. Determined more than ever to help, “Bob” resurrects his own former medical career; assumes a fake identity then also pays for the world’s top specialists to evaluate her - all while they fall in love. When the physicians reluctantly admit defeat, she absconds with instructions he leave her be and time marches on. What chance, though, that medical science might advance and maybe they could reconcile their love - a love based on one huge great lie? With quite an effective effort from Otto Kruger’s ins
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · Nov 20197/10
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 onl
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Cast
- Jane WymanHelen Phillips
- Rock HudsonBob Merrick
- Barbara RushJoyce Phillips
- Agnes MooreheadNancy Ashford
- Otto KrugerEdward Randolph
- Gregg PalmerTom Masterson
- Paul CavanaghDr. Henry Giraud
- Sara ShaneValerie Daniels
- Richard H. CuttingDr. Derwin Dodge
- Judy NugentJudy
Crew
- Douglas SirkDirector
- Robert BleesScreenplay
- Lloyd C. DouglasNovel
- Russell MettyDirector of Photography
- Frank SkinnerOriginal Music Composer
- Milton CarruthEditor
- Ross HunterProducer
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