Magnificent Obsession [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Douglas Sirk

Overview

In this film version of Lloyd C. Douglas' spiritual novel, Rock Hudson plays a reckless playboy who is indirectly responsible for the death of a kindly doctor. The dead man's wife, Jane Wyman, refuses to accept Hudson's apologies. When Wyman is blinded, Hudson decides to "do right" by her anonymously.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/20/2019
UPC:	0715515233613
Original Release:	1954
Rating:	NR
Source:	THE CRITERION COLLECTION, INC
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:48:00
Sales rank:	327

Special Features

Audio commentary from 2008 featuring film scholar Thomas Doherty; Magnificent Obsession, John M. Stahl's 1935 adaptation of the same novel, newly restored; From UFA to Hollywood: Douglas Sirk Remembers (1991), a documentary by Eckhart Schmidt; Interview from 2009 with screenwriter Robert Blees; Interviews from 2008 with filmmakers Allison Anders and Kathryn Bigelow, in which they pay tirbute to director Douglas Sirk; Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Rock Hudson	Bob Merrick
Jane Wyman	Helen Phillips
Barbara Rush	Joyce Phillips
Agnes Moorehead	Nancy Ashford
Otto Kruger	Rudolph
Gregg Palmer	Tom Masterson
Sara Shane	Valerie
Paul Cavanagh	Dr. Giraud
Judy Nugent	Judy
George Lynn	Williams
Richard Cutting	Dr. Dodge,Dr. Derwin Dodge
Will J. White	Sgt. Ames
Helen Kleeb	Mrs. Eden
Rudolph Anders	Dr. Fuss
Fred Nurney	Dr. Laradetti
John Mylong	Dr. Hofer
Jack Kelly	First Mechanic
Lisa Gaye	Switchboard Girl
William Leslie	Customer
Lance Fuller	Customer
Brad Johnson	Customer
Myrna Hansen	Customer
Alexander Campbell	Dr. Allan
Joseph Mell	Dan
Harold Dyrenforth	Mr. Jouvet
Norbert Schiller	Mr. Long
Kathleen O'Malley	Switchboard Girl
Joy Hallward	Maid
Lee Roberts	Second Mechanic
Harvey Grant	Chris
Robert B. Williams	Sgt. Burnham
Gail Bonney	Phyllis
Lucille Lamar	Nurse
George Brand	Doctor
Jack Chefe	Waiter
Jack Gargan	Doctor
Herschel Graham	Bit Role
Bob Herron	Taxi Driver
Bradford Jackson	Bar Patron
English	Voices
Mae Clark	Mrs. Miller
Lucille LaMarr	Nurse
Frank Skinner	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Blees

Victor Heerman

Sarah Y. Mason

Wells Root

Robert Blees	Screenwriter
Ross Hunter	Producer
David S. Horsley	Special Effects
Victor Heerman	Screenwriter
Leslie I. Carey	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Sarah Y. Mason	Screenwriter
Wells Root	Screenwriter
Corson Jowett	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Magnificent Obsession is arguably director Douglas Sirk's masterpiece, even though there are many who find it campy or ridiculous. Indeed, the plot of Obsession is ridiculous (just as it was in its original version), something of which Sirk himself was aware. But the screenplay and direction make an asset of this fact, accepting it at face value and saying, "So it's ridiculous? It's unreal and artificial? So what? Why does a film have to be realistic rather than fantastic?" Sirk and his screenwriters create their own cinematic reality, and it at times is in stark contrast to our own, so much so that it inspires laughter. But it also inspires devotion; Sirk's dedication and commitment to creating this world are so total that one can't help but be drawn in. Even those who do manage to resist Obsession's pull are likely to be impressed by Sirk's visual skill. The film drips with rich Technicolor hues and revels in glorious straight-lined architecture broken up with surprising skewed interruptions. Russell Metty's camerawork is evocative, often amazing, utilizing Sirk's obsession with mirrors like never before. The cast is also a big plus, with Rock Hudson turning in a more than respectable performance, Jane Wyman turning in an exceptional one, and fine support from Agnes Moorehead, Barbara Rush, and in a role that is something of a Sirk stand-in, Otto Kruger. Taken on its own terms, the philosophy espoused in the screenplay is a bit over the top; however, read as a creed about the obsession that drives the artistic creative force (and has artists such as film directors playing a kind of god themselves), it becomes rather fascinating. Magnificent Obsession is that rare film that inspires a kind of obsession in many viewers itself.