Review of Magnificent Obsession (1954) by Michael H — 01 Sep 2012

It might be seen as overtly sentimental to some, but this is a testament to Douglas Sirk's greatness and only serves as an example of the sort of film that wannabe writers and directors of romantic drama should look at in terms of how to do a great and engaging film of such a difficult genre to crack.

Here, Rock Hudson plays Bob Merrick, a spoiled millionaire whose attempts at impressing a woman result in his near-death in a motorboat accident, only for his life to be saved by a resuscitator. Unfortunately, in the most brutal of coincidences, the resuscitator is also needed for a popular doctor who dies as a result of the lack of medical equipment, prompting Merrick to try and make amends using the so-called magnificent obsession theory with the doctor's widow Helen Phillips (played convincingly by Jane Wyman who was Oscar-nominated for this role), only for his actions to result in a life-altering accident.

Horrified by making a situation worse than it can already get, Merrick attempts to make life for Helen better, regardless of the obstacles facing both characters. What we see for nearly two hours is a relationship of different characters bought together under the most unorthodox of circumstances, but these are characters who are given life and interest thanks to the engaging performances of Hudson and Wyman.

Additionally, the film contains a trademark well-organized direction by Sirk whose best talent was making films like this which could have gone either way and fallen into the back of the scrapheap, but were prevented thanks to his ways of making us feel for those involved, as well as the use of beautiful visualization and engaging story.

This is an example of that theory and is a film that deserves multiple viewings and ultimately ranks alongside Imitation of Life and All That Heaven Allows as the films that confirm, in the same way Hitchcock is to suspense, Sirk as the master of melodrama.