Possessed (1947 film)
| Possessed | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Curtis Bernhardt |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Screenplay by |
Silvia Richards Ranald MacDougall |
| Story by | Rita Weiman |
| Starring |
Joan Crawford Van Heflin Raymond Massey Geraldine Brooks |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Joseph Valentine |
| Edited by | Rudi Fehr |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,592,000 |
| Box office | $2.3 million (US rentals) |
Possessed is a 1947 American film noir psychological drama directed by Curtis Bernhardt, starring Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, and Raymond Massey in a tale about an unstable woman's obsession with her ex-lover. The screenplay by Ranald MacDougall and Silvia Richards was based upon a story by Rita Weiman.
A woman (Joan Crawford) is found wandering Los Angeles, unable to say anything other than "David". Admitted to a hospital, she is coaxed into recounting her life.
She reveals herself as Louise Howell, an emotionally unstable woman who had worked as a nurse to the invalid wife of Dean Graham (Raymond Massey) in the Graham home. Louise fell in love with neighbor David Sutton (Van Heflin), an engineer, who loathes her smothering obsession with him; he ends the relationship and leaves the area to Louise's great hurt. Shortly after, Graham's wife drowns. It is undetermined whether she committed suicide or not. Louise remains with the family as they move to Washington, D.C., to care for the two Graham children: young Wynn and college-age Carol (Geraldine Brooks).
Time passes and David re-enters the scene, having taken an engineering job with Graham. He is surprised to find Louise with the family. Louise — still obsessed with David — makes a pass and is rebuffed. Moments later, Graham proposes to Louise and she accepts to salvage her pride. She tells him outright that she is not in love with him, but Graham pledges to make it work in spite of that.
Carol takes a fancy to David, much to the consternation of Louise, who tries to dissuade Carol from establishing a relationship with him. Louise's mind begins to decline with her obsession over David; she hears voices, has hallucinations, and believes her husband's first wife is still alive.
...
Wikipedia