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IMDbPro

Possessed

  • 19311931
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 16m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
41,596
1,490
Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
DramaRomance
An ambitious factory girl meets a handsome, wealthy lawyer, but he's interested in her as a mistress, not a wife.An ambitious factory girl meets a handsome, wealthy lawyer, but he's interested in her as a mistress, not a wife.An ambitious factory girl meets a handsome, wealthy lawyer, but he's interested in her as a mistress, not a wife.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
41,596
1,490
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Clarence Brown(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Edgar Selwyn(play "The Mirage")
      • Lenore J. Coffee(adaptation)
    • Stars
      • Joan Crawford
      • Clark Gable
      • Wallace Ford
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Clarence Brown(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Edgar Selwyn(play "The Mirage")
      • Lenore J. Coffee(adaptation)
    • Stars
      • Joan Crawford
      • Clark Gable
      • Wallace Ford
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos31

    Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and Clarence Brown in Possessed (1931)
    Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Joan Crawford Film Set/MGM Possessed (1931) 0022276
    Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Joan Crawford and Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher in Possessed (1931)
    Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Joan Crawford and Wallace Ford in Possessed (1931)
    Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
    Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joan Crawford
    Joan Crawford
    • Marian Martin
    Clark Gable
    Clark Gable
    • Mark Whitney
    Wallace Ford
    Wallace Ford
    • Al Manning
    Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher
    Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher
    • Wally Stuart
    • (as Skeets Gallagher)
    Frank Conroy
    Frank Conroy
    • Horace Travers
    Marjorie White
    Marjorie White
    • Vernice LaVerne
    John Miljan
    John Miljan
    • John Driscoll
    Clara Blandick
    Clara Blandick
    • Mother Martin
    Norman Ainsley
    • Ambrose - Wally's Butler
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Baxley
    • 'League of Nations' Heckler
    • (uncredited)
    Wade Boteler
    Wade Boteler
    • 'Answer That One' Heckler
    • (uncredited)
    Clarence Brown
    Clarence Brown
    • Man on Merry-Go-Round
    • (uncredited)
    André Cheron
    • Monsieur Lavell - Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Gino Corrado
    Gino Corrado
    • Signor Martini - Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Phyllis Crane
    Phyllis Crane
    • Undetermined Secondary Role
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Del Val
    Jean Del Val
    • Waiter
    • (uncredited)
    Florence Enright
    • Undetermined Secondary Role
    • (uncredited)
    Bess Flowers
    Bess Flowers
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Clarence Brown(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Edgar Selwyn(play "The Mirage")
      • Lenore J. Coffee(adaptation)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first of two films with this title Joan Crawford appeared in. The second was the 1947 film Possessed (1947), for which she received an Oscar nomination. This makes Crawford the only star to appear in two completely different films with identical titles.
    • Quotes

      Marian Martin, aka Mrs. Moreland: You don't own me. Nobody does. My life belongs to me.

      Al Manning: You'll make one fine mess of it.

      Marian Martin, aka Mrs. Moreland: It'll still belong to me.

      Marian's mother: Don't, Marian, you frighten me when you talk like that.

      Marian Martin, aka Mrs. Moreland: If I were a man it wouldn't frighten you! You'd think it was right for me to go out and get anything I could out of life, and use anything I had to get it. Why should men be so different? All they've got are their brains and they're not afraid to use them. Well neither am I!

    • Connections
      Featured in MGM Greatest Moments: A Video Sampler (1987)
    • Soundtracks
      How Long Will It Last?
      (1931) (uncredited)

      Music by Joseph Meyer

      Lyrics by Max Lief

      Sung by Joan Crawford in French, German and English

      Played as part of the score throughout

    User reviews40

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Early Crawford and Gable in an intelligent film
    I am not a Joan Crawford fan, but I have come to appreciate her acting, especially in her early career. This film, released in 1931, shows her promise as an actress (not to mention Gable, who always displayed a magnetism that lit up the screen). Joan would star in another film titled "Possessed" in 1947, but they are two different stories. In this pre-Code story, adapted from a play, she is Marian Martin, a small-town girl who works in a box factory, but is determined to get ahead, though she sees no prospects locally.

    A train passing through town slows and stops in front of her. Through the windows, she sees highlights of the high life, the life of the big city, promising wealth and romance. It is a wonderful scene. As a result, she makes her way to New York City, where she meets Mark Whitney (Clark Gable), a wealthy, unmarried attorney who immediately likes her no-nonsense honesty. They become involved, but he has no plans to marry her.

    Crawford is vivacious and convincing in the role, showing a wide range of emotions. The film spotlights her beauty and her talent. In one scene, she sings in French, German and English. The song is "How Long Will it Last?"--an appropriate choice. The script is intelligent and the directing is clever and inventive.

    There is only one section of the film that did not ring true, but it sets up a scene that is the dramatic climax of the film. As a whole, this film is well worth seeing.
    helpful•12
    1
    • atlasmb
    • Sep 19, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 1931 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • German
    • Also known as
      • The Mirage
    • Filming locations
      • Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 16 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

    Related news

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    Clark Gable and Joan Crawford in Possessed (1931)
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