La possédée

My main reasons for watching 'Possessed' were Joan Crawford, a great actress (one of the best of her day) responsible for some fine performances regardless of her off-screen personality, and the very intense and brave subject matter (although going overboard on the melodrama was always going to be a danger). Van Heflin and particularly Raymond Massey have done good performances elsewhere, and Franz Waxman penned some fine music scores.

'Possessed', what an attention grabbing title too that doesn't mislead thankfully, did disappoint me just a little, as it had all the ingredients to be great and even a classic. Mostly though 'Possessed' was a solid, good even, film, with a lot of things done excellently and executes its heavy and not easy to pull off subject more than laudably and actually very well even. Not everything is great but a lot of elements are extremely well done.

Am going to start with what could have been done better. The acting was fine on the whole, but Heflin's character is very one-dimensional and very difficult to find any kind of appeal. It is not a typical role for Heflin and to me he struggled and didn't look comfortable, more intensity and charm was needed and there was nowhere near enough of either. Stanley Ridges is better but a bit too neurotic for a character that should be sympathetic.

Some of the film does get a little too melodramatic, particularly in the middle where some of the psychology waffles a little too self-indulgently and if Waxman's score was a little more subtle at times that would have helped.

Crawford however is superb in a role tailor-made for her, the more intense moments are incredibly bone-chilling without feeling too over-played. Geraldine Brooks, who really shines and this was just her film debut, is the other cast standout and Massey makes the most out of an underwritten role and is really quite good.

The photography is excellent throughout, especially clever and very atmospheric in the point of view shots. Waxman's score could have done with more subtlety, but it is sumptuously orchestrated and quite haunting. The direction is at ease with the subject and has the right amount of tension without on the most part over-heating it. The story is not always perfect but it is still gripping from beginning to end, the mental illness element is handled with tact but also in a way that is both quite frightening and moving and it's suspenseful. The first act in particular is terrific.

In conclusion, solid if falling slightly short of bigger potential. 7/10

Possessed (1947)

*** (out of 4)

Joan Crawford's incredible performance is the highlight of this thriller. In the film she plays Louise Howell, a woman who begins to suffer a mental breakdown after the man (Van Heflin) she loves walks away from her. Even though she marries another man (Raymond Massey) the stress of the other one leaving her just causes her mind to collapse. It's very important to point out the fact that this film was released thirteen years before Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO and I say that because of how much credit that film gets when it comes to looking at mental illness. Viewing POSSESSED today it's easy to see where the film is going as it is quite predictable and there's no question that some of the mental illness terms are out of date. With that said, for the most part this is a fairly good thriller that manages to keep your attention thanks in large part to the terrific cast. I'm not sure what else can be said about Crawford but there's no question that she was on quite a row at Warner. First with MILDRED PIERCE then HUMORESQUE and finally POSSESSED, the actress was really pushing herself and it made for three incredible performances. What's so amazing about her performance here is how many different personalities she manages to play. This character goes through all sorts of mental "issues" and I really loved the various ways Crawford brought them to the screen. It could be as simple as someone turning their back on her or someone telling her that they're not in love. There are several scenes where she's imagining things happening to her and Crawford is just flawless. It certainly doesn't help that Heflin is perfect as the snake and Massey is also extremely good as the supporting husband. Geraldine Brooks also deserves a lot of credit for her wonderful supporting performance as the step-daughter. Director Curtis Bernhardt brings a lot of style and atmosphere to the film and there's also some wonderful cinematography that helps. Again, the film is quite predictable but this doesn't take away the fun or the brilliant work by Crawford.

This movie takes the smoldering talents of Joan Crawford and lets them burn the screen down, right before your eyes...she's utterly convincing as a fairly demented "possessed" lover, torn to pieces by hideous dysfunction. The lowest of lows, and not many highs...

Mildred Pierce laid the template down; Possessed fills the template and makes it its own. What I personally love is the "Hollywood Gothic" aspect, the redolence of that: every frame is steeped in it, every moment is cradled in its embrace. One of those movies that you watch, mouth agape, and whisper to yourself, "Christ, the aesthetics...was the world ever really like that?" Apparently so.

Oh, and for the record - it was a better world.

Before "Play Misty For Me" (1971) and "Fatal Attraction" (1987), comes this story of a nurse (Joan Crawford) who's attached to a man (Van Heflin), who eventually finds her too possessive and breaks it off, but she can not let him go. When they meet again at her employer's (Raymond Massey) residence, she wants to resume the relationship, saying its awful for a woman to lie down at night and not be able to sleep, but he still won't take her back. She eventually accepts widower Massey's marriage proposal, explaining that it's terrible for a woman to be unwanted, although she's not in love with him. Eventually, Massey's daughter Geraldine Brooks starts to date Heflin, further complicating matters, and putting Crawford over the edge. Script, photography, direction, music are exemplary, the 4 leads are memorable, but Crawford is particularly riveting. Her first breakdown (at Massey's waterfront mansion) with Heflin might be considered over-the-top 40s style acting (pre-Method), but she delivers it beautifully, her face and expressions a towering display of emotion and angst. It's a performance that Crawford must have pulled from her own life experiences to achieve such rising momentum. No wonder actor Cliff Robertson (her co-star in "Autumn Leaves - 1956) once stated in a documentary that she's "a damned good actress."

Joan Crawford turns in one of her best performances as a mentally disturbed woman in love with Van Heflin but married to Raymond Massey. She's found wandering the streets at the start of the film. At the hospital, she tells the film's story to doctors through a series of flashbacks. After winning an Oscar for Mildred Pierce, it seems obvious Joan wanted badly to win another. So she followed a formula that is still being followed by actors today. If you want to be recognized by your peers, play someone with an alcohol or drug problem (Humoresque -- check!) or play someone who is mentally ill (Possessed -- check!). Joan did receive an Oscar nomination for this role but didn't win.

The rest of the cast is fine. Raymond Massey is solid as her husband but it isn't one of his better roles. Geraldine Brooks is lovely in her film debut. Van Heflin plays the object of Joan's obsession. He's a thoroughly unlikable character. Heflin does fine in the part but I couldn't help wondering if the movie expected me to feel sympathy for this guy or what because he was a jerk and a cradle robber. The film is a little overlong and drags a little in the middle when Joan is acting her most normal. This is not related to Joan's other movie titled Possessed from 1931. That film was a soaper with Clark Gable.