Possessed (movie)
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Possessed is a 1947 film noir which tells the story of a woman who walks the streets of Los Angeles, calling for a man named "David". Taken to a mental hospital, the story of her obsession for the man named David is told in flashbacks. It stars Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey and Geraldine Brooks. Ms. Crawford later spoke of her performance:
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- "I think I worked harder on Possessed than on any other picture I ever made. Don't let anyone tell you it's easy to play a madwoman, particularly a psychotic. I used to think so, that you just pulled out all the stops and acted either manic or depressive and that was it. Both extremes have won, as you know, Oscars. But it's the wrong interpretation of psychosis, believe me, and I realized that just as we were ready to start production. So I pulled a few strings here and there so I could actually observe what went on in psycho wards up in Santa Barbara and at hospitals in Santa Monica and at UCLA. I talked to psychiatrists; one was even kind enough to read the script and tell me how accurately it depicted a psychotic woman (for the most part it was on the nose) and how he thought I should handle the different scenes. I think it came off well. It was a heavy, heavy picture, not very pleasant, and I was emotionally and physically exhausted when we finished shooting. I don't think I'd have the strength to accept anything like it again."
The movie was written by Ranald MacDougall, Lawrence Menkin, Silvia Richards, and Rita Weiman. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt.
It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress (Joan Crawford).
Possessed is also the name of a 2000 Showtime original movie starring Timothy Dalton that is based on actual events which inspired the novel The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. In the Showtime movie, Dalton plays Father William Bowdern, a Catholic priest who conducted an exorcism involving an adolescent boy.