Fascination

Possessed (1931)

A wonderful Joan Crawford film not to be confused with her second, completely unrelated, also wonderful movie of the same title (yes) from 1947. This one, to be sure, also stars Clark Gable, and it dates from the years when Gable and Crawford had an intermittent, steamy affair. The chemistry is good, the filming excellent (and sometimes breathtaking), and the overall story a lively pre-code, Depression-era tale of succeeding.

But success at what cost? That's the key. You love Crawford's rise, and her methods are sincere even if not as sweet and homespun as the first scene would imply. It's not that she's corrupted, but that she discovers the excitement of the big city, and the truth that there really is sincerity there as much as in the little town she came from.

Gable represents every girl's dream, of course. He's suave, warm, funny. And rich. Their interactions are natural throughout, and the pace lively (as most of the famous pre-Code films are).

The filming is excellent, including a somewhat famous long take of Crawford, near the beginning, watching a train slowly amble by as a parade of different scenes unfolds through each window. It's worth seeing just for that scene alone (if you like great cinematography, and the aura of old Hollywood).

Clarence Brown is the uncredited (!) director here, and he's terrific. See "A Free Soul" made at the same time for another (even better) film showing off his ability to make dialogs crisp and true. (He's more famous for his many movies with Garbo, but he did a slew with Crawford.)

If you think there is a predictability here, you're going to be partly wrong. See this one, not because it's a classic, but because it's very very good, and forgotten. You will have trouble finding a good version, however. The one I found was on iTunes and it was so terrible (harsh tones, highlights so washed out you couldn't see their faces in many scenes) I don't recommend it. (I wrote to complain and got a quick refund, an apology, and a promise to look into it. I don't know if that fixed the problem, however, in Spring 2014.) Anyway, find a good copy somehow. Do it.

I came by this movie when someone I know at work gave me a still-sealed copy from the Warner Archive Collection; they'd sent him two of the same title by mistake. Since it was Clark Gable and Joan Crawford I decided I'd give it a chance. Joan plays a factory worker who gets tired of the hum-drum life she leads and isn't interested in the man who's longed to marry her since they were kids (Wallace Ford) so she leaves it all and travels to New York City where she plays mistress to a wealthy lawyer (Gable) to get the kind of high living she wants. Three years later, Ford still wants to marry her, and Gable intends to run for Governor but his chances may be jeopardized by living with a woman. This pre-code film was nothing earth shattering, but had good performances from Crawford and Gable, and for me an added surprise bonus with a strong turn by Wallace Ford. I think through this movie it's easy to see Crawford's talents and how Gable was destined to become a big star. Director Clarence Brown has a nice touch, and some shots are very impressive. The one which stood out most for me is early on where Joan longingly observes well-to-do people interacting on a slow-moving train, as we see them through the windows of each passing car. When I see artistic flourishes like this in so many early '30s pictures (and many silents), my old defense of Tod Browning's Dracula for being dull due to it being an early talkie certainly falls flat. **1/2 out of ****

If you want a film to epitomise The Great Depression then this is for you. Although Warner Brothers are associated with pictures showing the plight of 'the little people' this superbly made, well acted MGM film focuses on just one young woman's struggle which because her character is so richly written and believable, it gives an authentic insight into the reality of the early thirties. Unlike a lot of films from 1931, this one takes you to what seems like a real place.

Joan Crawford may not be the world's most likeable actress but you'll not be able to tear your eyes from her in this. Her character is beautifully written with a naturalness that's fairly uncommon in 1931. She is unusually honest with an authenticity you'd associate with films made decades later but she is still most definitely a person who could only exist in the early thirties.

What also makes this so much better than some of its contemporaries is the high class direction. Although not one of Hollywood's best known directors these days, Clarence Brown was an astonishing filmmaker. A few months earlier he had made another of 1931's best films: A FREE SOUL. There's no stagey acting with a static cast awkwardly reading their lines in order. Brown makes everything flow just right. Watching this, something made so well, you'll wonder so many early talkies were so utterly terrible.

The story centres on Crawford's character Marian who decides to quit the humdrum of factory life in a nameless nowhere for the big city. She's not the usual sweet and innocent pure young thing about to get corrupted by a callous cynical millionaire: she knows exactly what she needs to do and she wants to do that. The only way for a girl like her to survive in the big city, she is told, is to hook a man, a rich man. This is exactly what she sets out to do and although it's not smooth sailing, she finds a good sugar daddy (and a young one) in the form of Clarke Gable, who himself is on top form. His character is not the lazy stereotype rich man so often seen in early talkies. He and also loveable anti-hero Wallace Ford are both as complex and layered as anyone in a modern film.

Overall, the naturalistic acting, imaginative direction and properly written characters make this picture entertaining, insightful and fun.

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.

In 1931, rising star Clark Gable & already established star Joan Crawford made three films together at MGM. This is probably the best of those three, and maybe the best of all eight they did over a nine-year period (STRANGE CARGO in 1940 follows second best). Crawford is a poor Pennsylvania factory worker, who decides to go to New York to find fortune and happiness, eventually with married lawyer Gable. The plot relies on the familiar "Crawford formula" of a rags-to-riches story. 3 out of 4 stars.