Directed by Douglas Sirk
Universal struck gold in the 1950s with a string of melodramas directed by Douglas Sirk, whose Imitation of Life (1959) was the studio’s biggest hit until Airport (1970). Sirk was an émigré under contract who cut his teeth in German theater during the 1920s and ‘30s. Although he made eight films with Rock Hudson, their most successful were soap operas boasting a European formalism that framed American passions with searing clarity.
Magnificent Obsession made a star of Hudson, a studio hunk previously relegated to supporting roles, and reinforced Jane Wyman’s “weepie” credentials after her Oscar-winning role in Johnny Belinda (1948). It also helped define the tone for Sirk’s melodramas, mostly shot by ace cinematographer Russell Metty (Spartacus, Touch of Evil): heightened emotions conveyed through lush, expressionist visuals.
The film is a remake of director John M. Stahl’s 1935 adaptation of the "pay it forward" novel by author-minister Lloyd C. Douglas ("The Robe") that indicted the hedonism of the Roaring Twenties. Sirk transposes the story to the materialism of the 1950s: Bob Manning (Hudson) is a millionaire playboy whose reckless behavior contributes to the death of a revered doctor. Captivated by the doctor’s widow (Wyman), Manning takes a cue from an idealistic painter and devotes his life to charity.
Sirk utilizes the colorful peaks of Technicolor but grounds them, and his fanciful story, in a rigorous and carefully composed materialism of pristine decor: the latest fashions, houses, cars, vases; even a lamp provides a major metaphor. As the narrative progresses into greater realms of dramatic incredulity, the film’s sunny, vacation exteriors—an amalgamation of Lake Arrowhead and Lake Tahoe—give way to sober interiors and shadowy evenings. Like many melodramas, the film revolves around hospitals and medical professionals, and the spectre of death hangs around every perfectly lit corner. But its awareness of mortality strengthens its conviction that life in all its splendor must be lived while it can, a passionate exhortation of the ultimate magnificent obsession.
—Doug Cummings
Universal-International Pictures. Producer: Ross Hunter. Based on the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas. Screenwriter: Robert Blees. Cinematographer: Russell Metty. Editor: Milton Carruth. Cast: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Otto Kruger, Barbara Rush.
35mm, color, 107 min.
