In Westchester, the reckless and arrogant playboy Robert Merrick (Robert Taylor) drinks too much and drowns in the sea. He is resuscitated with the lung equipment of the famous Dr. Wayne Hudson. Coincidently at the same time, Dr. Hudson needs the apparatus to breathe and dies in his Brightwood Hospital. Dr. Hudson's young wife, Helen (Irene Dunne), and his daughter Joyce (Betty Furness) blame Bob Merrick for his irresponsibility and hate him. They discover that Dr. Hudson had secretly helped many people that adore him. When Merrick sees Helen Hudson, he has a crush on her, but she refuses to even see him. One day, Merrick meets the artist Randolph (Ralph Morgan) by chance and he learns that Dr. Hudson followed the Christian philosophy, secretly helping people without expecting any return or acknowledgment. One day, Merrick gives a ride to Helen to force her to stay with him in his car. However Helen gets out of the car upset with Merrick's attitude, and another car runs over her and Helen becomes blind. Later Merrick meets Helen in the park and lures her, introducing himself as Dr. Robert. Meanwhile he financially helps Helen and hires five specialists to examine her in Paris. Helen is examined but the doctors find clots in her brain and advise her that they will not operate her. Meanwhile Merrick and Helen fall in love with each other; however when Merrick proposes Helen, he discloses his true identity to her. On the next morning, Helen vanishes without any trace from the hotel. Merrick studies medicine and becomes a brain surgeon and specialist in Europe expecting to help Helen someday. Six years later, he returns to Detroit and Randolph tells him that Helen is very sick in Virginia. He heads to Virginia with Joyce, her husband Tommy Masterson (Charles Butterworth) and the nurse Nancy Ashford (Sara Haden) and operates Helen."Magnificent Obsession" is a wonderful melodramatic story of hate, love and redemption. The introduction with Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture" causes a favorable impact with this feature from the very beginning. Irene Dunne is magnificent as usual and has a great chemistry with Robert Taylor. I bought the DVD released by the Brazilian Versátil Distributor with the 1954 version and for my surprise, the DVD was double with the 1935 version of "Magnificent Obsession" as a bonus. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Sublime Obsessão" ("Sublime Obsession")

I am a fan of Irene Dunne and was looking forward to seeing this movie. Unfortunately it felt a little out of touch with the events, especially in the first half of the movie. After the initial shock of learning that her husband had suddenly died, the wife displayed little grief. In fact she seemed somewhat interested in a young man (Robert Taylor) she met when her car broke down. Of course, she didn't know that he had indirectly contributed to her late husband's death but she seemed a little too carefree for the situation. This movie is of some interested because it is the original version of the story. I have not seen the updated version yet so am interested in comparing the two movies.

Magnificent Obsession concerns a reckless playboy named Merrick, who drowns and is resuscitated with equipment that might have saved the elderly doctor to whom it belonged. Falling in love with the doctor's beautiful young wife, who hates the very thought of him, he learns the reason for her love of the man who died...a philosophy of helping other people, without ever letting them know. When the women loses her sight in a car accident, Merrick takes advantage of her blindness by befriending her. Pretending to be a doctor, he determines to become a surgeon to restore her vision at the risk of losing her love.

The Sirk excellent remake has overshadowed Stahl's version nowadays.That's certainly unfair,because the latter was a pioneer of the melodrama who would peak with "leave her to heaven" ,ten years later.Stahl 's version,in stark black and white is certainly not as palatable as the 1953 movie and its gaudy technicolor.Randolph's character seems more important in Stahl's version.His theory is certainly moving:You've only got what you give and you should not expect any award.Merrick tries to apply this theory,first because he wants to seduce the wife of the philanthropist/doctor who indirectly died because of him,because he was an alcoholic playboy.He has not really understood what Randolph tried to explain to him.The scene with the hobo comes as a comic relief,which is terribly needed in such a dark yarn.When ,as leaving the poor man,Merrick thinks he's got some divine reward,he's completely mistaken.A Christian movie,"magnificent obsession" sure is,as Randolph,in his second scene ,mentions the Christ. After all,his theory is not that much far from that of James Stewart's guardian angel in "it's a wonderful life".Unlikelihoods are here there and everywhere,but it's the rules of melodrama.The story ,which includes death,blindness,moral and physical redemption,is not more far-fetched than westerns and thrillers plots.And life is so strange that it can turn sometimes into the most implausible melodrama;and like it or not,not necessarily with a happy end.