Obsession (1949 film)
| Obsession | |
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Theatrical release poster (USA)
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| Directed by | Edward Dmytryk |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | Alec Coppel |
| Based on | the novel A Man About A Dog by Alec Coppel |
| Starring | Robert Newton |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
| Cinematography | C.M. Pennington-Richards |
| Edited by | Lito Carruthers |
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Production
company |
Independent Sovereign Films
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| Distributed by | General Film Dist. |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Obsession, released in the US as The Hidden Room, is a 1949 British crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk, based on the book A Man About A Dog by Alec Coppel, who also wrote the screenplay for the film, and turned the story into a novel.Obsession was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival.
Dr Riordan's wife Storm is cheating on him with American Bill Kronin. He determines to get the perfect revenge.
Alec Coppel originally wrote the story as a play when living in Sydney during World War Two. He adapted the work into a novel while travelling to London. Both play and novel were called A Man About a Dog. (Although in the US the novel would be known as Over the Line.)
The play opened in London in April 1946.
The novel was published in 1948. Many critics commented that it felt similar to a play.
Film rights were bought by British producer Noel Madison. He also bought the rights to two other thrillers, Four Hours to Kill by Norman Krasna and The Last Mile by John Wexley.
The director was Edward Dmytryk, who had just left Hollywood following his appearance in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He went to England in mid 1948, where he was granted a work permit under the Ministry of Labour - he was permitted the work there under the foreign directors quota agreement between producers and the local unions. He signed a contract to direct the film with Nat Bronstein of Independent Sovereign Films on 1 October 1948.
Filming took place near the house of Alec Coppel, who wrote the script, near Grovesnor House. The Coppel's home was turned into a temporary dressing room.
The plot involved disposing a body by dissolving it in acid. This had similarities to the John George Haigh case. Accordingly the British Board of Film Censors refused to grant the film a certificate for a time and its release was held up.
Variety wrote that the film is slow paced at first but becomes suspenseful.The New York Times called it "a first-rate study in suspense and abnormal psychology". Kendal Patterson of the Los Angeles Times described it as an early predecessor of Fatal Attraction.
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