A Disappointing Continuation

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

A Joan Crawford's star-vehicle directed by German émigré Curtis Bernhardt, in POSSESSED (not the namesake film Crawford made in 1931 with Clark Gable), Crawford plays Louise Howell, an erotomaniac possessed by her desire over David Sutton (Heflin), an engineer who cannot reciprocate her with the same obsession.The film opens with a frazzled Louise roaming in the streets of Los Angeles, unable to utter another word besides "David!", she succumbs to a stupor and is taken to the hospital, under the treatment of Dr. Willard (Ridges), she lets up her stories in flashback from the falling-out between her and David, he considers her as a mere intermezzo in his life, yet she contends to be his theme song (aka, Schumann's Carnaval, Op. 9 piano solo), the music cue plays a significant role in the later stage which compounds Louise's descent into psychosis. A trained nurse hired to minister to the invalid wife of the wealthy industrialist Dean Graham (Massey, a salt-of-the-earth ilk but also mulish enough to seek the impossible) and after a horrific event crops up near the family's lake house, leaving Dean a widower, Louise choose to stay on with the Graham family in Washington D.C. on the strength of seeing David again, since Dean is his boss. When David reappears in her life, Louise goes all out to reignite their romance, but the latter is completely out of love with her, humiliated and disillusioned, she accepts Dean's marriage proposal in spite of both twig that she isn't in love with him. Loveless-but-affluent marriage usually functions well for most people, but Louise receives a bolt from the blue when she finds out David and her step-daughter Carol (a debutante Brooks) have become an item, which is the tipping point driving her into further hallucination where reality and unreality has blurred their finitude. Two murderous occurrences are confected, only one transpires to be veridical (the other sending up its blasé staircase confrontation trope), but the ending, nevertheless, ladles out enough psychobabble to augur everything will be fine for the misfortune-ridden Lousie. Nabbing her second Oscar nomination, Ms. Crawford makes for a barnstorming presence, histrionic occasionally, but speaking of a tarnished soul desperately hanging on her tapering pride, she is magnificent to behold (decked by jewelry and finery if she sees fit), less savory if she has to play the smitten lover against a miscast Hefin, whose thuggish comportment is a far cry from a mathematic engineer, one basically feels apathetic to his character's comeuppance, and wonders what women see in him is so deadly irresistible? That said, POSSESSED shows up Bernhardt's expressionist flourish in his spooky orchestration that torments Louise's sanity and boosts a strong showcase for its middle-age conscious star, who refuses to be sidelined, neither by the man she yens for nor by the ageist and sexist system, into which she has been sinking her teeth for over two decades starting from its bottom rung.

Several doctors in this film speculate that Ms. Crawford's character might be suffering from mental illness. Are they right or wrong? This is a big question to be answered in "Possessed" because it seems that somebody here could be BERSERK and might even be a candidate for a STRAIGHTJACKET! I am a little disappointed that there isn't as much plot-based drama in this film as in MILDRED PIERCE. Mildred Pierce has drama consistently built into the plot whereas this film has a lot of Crawford engaging in dramatics and neuroses rather than more active drama. However this is a more psychologically oriented film (not a noir) and Crawford's acting is believable and solid. Raymond Massey does a good job in the Walter Pidgeon role (or is it Walter Pidgeon in the Raymond Massey role?) You also get a polished jewel of a performance by Stanley Ridges. Basically a soap opera with a well-done psychology theme, "Possessed" will probably hold your attention due to Crawford's excellent performance. This film is an impressive accomplishment for her.

Possessed (1947) stars Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, and Geraldine Brooks. Crawford also made a movie titled Possessed in 1931 while with MGM. Basically the movie is about a mentally unstable woman who is obsessed with her ex-lover. This 1947 Warner Bros. movie is very much on the dark side - film noir at its finest, something Warner Bros. excelled at in the 1940s. The opening shot of Crawford walking down the streets of the city in a daze is classic. This black and white movie has a lot of great camera angles to go along with shadowy and dim environments that make this a film noir classic. The acting is superb, with Crawford giving a career performance and Heflin giving a great performance himself. This is one of those movies that gets better and better as it goes along. Franz Waxman's musical score is great as well - dark and haunting at times.Crawford was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in this film, but didn't win (should have). This DVD has a great 10 minute feature about the movie and its status in the film noir category of movies. I also enjoy Dr. Drew Casper's enthusiastic audio commentary (as a special feature option).If you want to see a quality movie that's on the dark side, see Possessed. Highly recommended.

Psychologically disturbed, Joan Crawford (as Louise Howell) is found wandering the streets of Los Angeles. "David," she mutters, "I'm looking for David." Awakening in an asylum, Ms. Crawford unravels her story… In flashback, we meet Crawford as a relatively level-headed Washington nurse; in a rustic northwestern estate, she cares for the mentally unbalanced wife of wealthy Raymond Massey (as Dean Graham). Mr. Massey's wife thinks Crawford is having an affair with her husband, but Crawford is really seeing World War II veteran Van Heflin (as David Sutton). Crawford loves Heflin so bad it hurts, but he isn't interested in commitment. Heflin tells her, "I can't love you the way you love me." Crawford says she'll wait forever, but Heflin says never.Heflin's rejection distresses Crawford. Then, Massey's wife drowns. And, faced with losing both her lover and livelihood, Crawford accepts Massey's marriage proposal. But, Crawford is still "Possessed" by her love for Heflin. He returns to romance step-daughter Geraldine Brooks (as Carol), who thinks Crawford killed her mother to marry Massey… The melodramatic plot continues, and remains fascinating throughout. This is mid-period Crawford at her very best. Superb in a tailor-made production, Crawford stands head and shoulders above the rest of the 1947 "Academy Award" nominees for "Best Actress" of 1947. Director Curtis Bernhardt and photographer Joseph Valentine match Germanic-inspired "film noir" with their star in stylish black and white.********* Possessed (7/26/47) Curtis Bernhardt ~ Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks