mmallon4 The poor, poverty-stricken girl goes to the city to meet a rich man. Once you've seen enough 1930's films which follow this formula you get sick of it but Possessed is one of the better films of this kind, partially from a degree of its self awareness, such as when businessman Wally Stuart (Richard "Skeets Gallagher") reacts to Marian Martin (Joan Crawford) showing up at his New York apartment ("Poor but beautiful factory maiden leaves squallier of small town for glitter of big city"). At the beginning of Possessed Marian works in the most comically mundane place imaginable, a box factory (thank you Principal Skinner). Marian holds the fear of getting older and passing her sell-by date; use your looks now while you still got them. When Marian goes to the city she must navigate her way through a man's world full of greed, ambition, politics and sex. It's there that she meets a certain Mark Whitney (Clark Gable).Crawford and Gable - the heat, the passion, the electricity. Could you ask for a stunning and sensational on-screen couple? Crawford has talked openly about her feelings for Gable and watching them on screen you can tell the two of them are really in love with each other. Possessed shows a couple living together (and presumably having sex) out of wedlock; means nothing today but was scandalous for the time. Mark refuses to marry Marian out of pain from his previous marriage ("Losing a sweetheart is a private misfortune, losing a wife is a public scandal") and we see the effect this has on their relationship. In one pivotal scene during a party at Mark's apartment an accomplice of his brings a floosy to the party and justifies this over the presence of Marian. Not married and living with a man? Then others will see you no better than some tramp off the street.Later in the film Mark makes the decision to run for governor and decides to marry Marian as she would otherwise be a liability to his campaign. The scene in which Marian can overhear Mark talking about his intention to marry her as heard from Marian's point of view is one of the many deeply emotional and naturalistic scenes with Possessed. Also at exactly 7 minutes and 7 seconds into Possessed there is an edit which does not match at all when Crawford opens a kitchen door and enters the room; I found myself watching it several times just to make sure I wasn't seeing things.Mark Whitney is a man of moral character compared to other Gable characters. This isn't the brutish Gable who throws women around. Just like the film itself there is a great sense of tenderness, warmth and maturity to his performance. When the two do break up we finally hear the brutish Gable and it's heartbreaking. The greatest emotional high however is saved for the film's climax as we are treated to Mark giving a campaign speech to a huge crowd in an auditorium; expertly shot and very rousing stuff (he gets my vote!) Likewise that Whitney for Governor poster is an obscure film prop that I want.

JohnHowardReid From its very opening shot in which the camera tracks rapidly with the workers leaving a box factory, we know that we are in for a stylistic treat. In fact the promise of this inventive opening is soon realized in a remarkable sequence in which our heroine is stopped by a slowly moving train at a level crossing. As various compartments glide past, we are flashed with images of the life styles enjoyed by the very rich. Thus, this truly riveting movie gets off to a solid start which engages our rapt attention from beginning to end. The pace is fast, production values are gratifyingly lavish, and the technical credits are all as smooth and polished as burnished gold. And even more importantly, the screenplay is not only polished and intelligent, but fashioned with delightful subtlety, wit, ingenuity and originality. And aside from one or two false moments (particularly the heroine's defense at the election rally), it is totally believable.Although she was handed what was virtually her stock role for this period, Joan Crawford imbues the determined heroine not only with sympathy but with feelings that always seem totally genuine. She transcends acting. Also perfectly at ease in his role, Gable turns in a vigorously realistic characterization. The support players are likewise fully in tune, with Skeets Gallagher as a reluctant mentor and Marjorie White as the hideous Vernice contributing stand-out performances.

atlasmb I am not a Joan Crawford fan, but I have come to appreciate her acting, especially in her early career. This film, released in 1931, shows her promise as an actress (not to mention Gable, who always displayed a magnetism that lit up the screen). Joan would star in another film titled "Possessed" in 1947, but they are two different stories. In this pre-Code story, adapted from a play, she is Marian Martin, a small-town girl who works in a box factory, but is determined to get ahead, though she sees no prospects locally.A train passing through town slows and stops in front of her. Through the windows, she sees highlights of the high life, the life of the big city, promising wealth and romance. It is a wonderful scene. As a result, she makes her way to New York City, where she meets Mark Whitney (Clark Gable), a wealthy, unmarried attorney who immediately likes her no-nonsense honesty. They become involved, but he has no plans to marry her.Crawford is vivacious and convincing in the role, showing a wide range of emotions. The film spotlights her beauty and her talent. In one scene, she sings in French, German and English. The song is "How Long Will it Last?"--an appropriate choice. The script is intelligent and the directing is clever and inventive. There is only one section of the film that did not ring true, but it sets up a scene that is the dramatic climax of the film. As a whole, this film is well worth seeing.

Michael_Elliott Possessed (1931) ** 1/2 (out of 4)A poor factory worker (Joan Crawford) turns her back on the man (Wallace Ford) who loves her and heads off to NYC where she becomes the mistress to a powerful attorney (Clark Gable). The first thirty-minutes of this film contain some very good drama and a couple great sequences but as the film moves on the screenplay becomes rather lazy and the movie falls apart. There are a number of great sequences early in the movie and that includes a terrific scene with Joan watching a train pass her by. Looking inside the train, this scene is meant to show her that there might be a better life outside her small town. Another great scene is when Crawford tells Ford that she plans to move to New York City. Ford never really gets credit for being a good actor but he handles the drama here very well. The second half of the film falls into pure melodrama, which leads to an incredibly stupid ending that ruins everything that came before. Ford's character pops back towards the end of the film and this throws a conflict in Crawford and Gable's relationship but this drama never works. Crawford is very good in her role but I think she was better at playing the poor girl in the start of the film. Gable turns in another very good performance and I'm really having fun watching these pre-fame Gable movies because it's easy to see why he became a legend.