Possessed (1947)

A dazed woman walks the streets of Los Angeles looking for a man named David. After collapsing in a diner, she's taken to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital. Flashbacks reveal her ... See full summary »

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Silvia Richards (screenplay), Ranald MacDougall (screenplay),

Stars:

Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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.

Storyline

A dazed woman walks the streets of Los Angeles looking for a man named David. After collapsing in a diner, she's taken to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital. Flashbacks reveal her obsession for David as a result of borderline personality disorder which ultimately leads to murder.

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | obsession | flashback | murder | psychiatric ward | 

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Secret

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,592,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second film with this title Crawford appeared in. The first was the 1931 film "Possessed" with a young Clark Gable. This makes Crawford the only star to appear in two completely different films with identical titles.

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Goofs

When Louise and Carol are at the piano recital, David and his friends can be seen in the distant background taking their seats. When it cuts to a medium shot of David, they are taking their seats for a second time.

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Quotes

Louise: "I love you" is such an inadequate way of saying I love you. It doesn't quite describe how much it hurts sometimes.

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Connections

Referenced in Night Life in Chicago (1948)

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Soundtracks

"Kaiserwalzer (Emperor Waltz), Op. 437"
Music by Johann Strauß
Played at the wedding reception

User Reviews

Joan Suffers Again

Just what does Van Heflin's David have the makes Joan Crawford's Louise go literally mad for him?

Doesn't appear to be that much in the looks department. Perhaps just that special touch that signals, "either you've got it or you haven't."

Whatever the case, Louise pleads, cajoles, rants and raves for David the entire film. What does our David do?--merely tell Louise the truth: that he's simply not in love with her.

Granted, David's rather flippant, self-absorbed and bored, but that's his prerogative. Instead of accepting this and moving on with her life, Louise insists on minding David's old business and clinging to bygone days.

All this "to-do," when a simple scan of a Dale Carnegie text might have solved the problem.

Louise does have her supporters: young stepdaughter Carol and aging hubbie Dean do what they can to bolster Louise's confidence. Since Geraldine Brooks and Raymond Massey portray these respective roles, there's sure to be strong convictions expressed.

Made just two years after her Oscar-winning turn in "Mildred Pierce," Crawford is in her mature mettle here. Although the same title was used for a Crawford film 16 years earlier, the similarity is in name only.

"Possessed" allows Joan to suffer royally and she does, pulling out all the schizophrenic stops to slam this one home. Since no one reels better than Crawford, it's an engaging performance in an engrossing film.