There's a lot of spiritual chatter in the two versions of Lloyd C. Douglas's "Magnificent Obsession", and in the 1935 original, it is sadly overshadowed by a weak leading man and some unnecessary comic relief. What works is the leading lady-Irene Dunne-perfect in comedy, drama, musicals, epics, even westerns, and equally as tragic as her later, four-hankie weeper "Love Affair". Dunne is a gem that even with tragedy, you could see a sparkle in her eye that refused to dim. Loosing her older husband in a tragic accident then going blind because of the unfortunate circumstances concerning the man indirectly responsible for her husband's death, Dunne never looses her spirit, always gracious and lovely, yet even humanly annoyed when continually harassed by the well-meaning but ultimately intrusive man, played by Robert Taylor.

Taylor has the difficult task of trying to make his character even slightly believable, and is perhaps defeated by a role almost impossible to take seriously. He's one of those either truly selfish characters or all of a sudden too god to be true. At first, his attempts to live the "Pay It Forward" motto ring realistically false because he is trying way too hard. However, as his obsession becomes more "magnificent", his actions take on a seemingly high-brow quality that is lacking in sincerity. Taylor's niche was light comedy or action/adventure, and as handsome as he was, he seemed weak in romantic drama because he was always overshadowed by more magnetic leading ladies.

The other fly in the ointment here is droll Charles Butterworth as a suitor of Dunne's stepdaughter Betty Furness who ends up getting drunk with Taylor and provides unnecessary comedy that stops the plot cold. Stronger in the cast are Sara Haden as the loyal nurse who stands by Dunne and even comes to understand Taylor's desire to right a wrong and lead a more noble life, and Ralph Morgan as the Bohemian sculptor who expresses the film scene to Taylor when he drunkenly crashes outside Morgan's home.

Ironically, many of Dunne's films were re-made, including this one with Jane Wyman, and because of that, they were lost to film audiences for several decades. Most of the original versions of these films (which include "Back Street", "Roberta", "Love Affair", "Show Boat" and "My Favorite Wife") are overshadowed by the color remakes, but have shown themselves to be as fresh today, mainly because of their magnetic leading lady.

I have seen both this original version and the Douglas Sirk remake from the 1950s. The two are extremely similar...so similar you might want to only see one of them. While the remake is naturally lacking in originality, it is a bit glossier and prettier due to the Technicolor as well as Sirk's style...he had a real deft hand with romances.

The story begins with the death of a famous and beloved doctor. It seems when the doctor needed life-saving equipment, it was being used on a drunk playboy who has pretty much led a selfish and worthless life. He feels bad about this, at least as much as he can at this point. But later when his actions ALSO cause the widow to become blinded, he suffers a huge crisis and dedicates his life to helping her and others.

Robert Taylor and Irene Dunne are very good here. But I didn't rate fhe film higher simply because while enjoyable, the film certainly seemed far-fetched and a bit schmaltzy. Still, it is worth seeing.

This is one of Irene Dunne's better pictures. She once said she enjoyed the character she played, and it is apparent in this movie. In fact, this would be a good movie to watch if you wish to view Irene Dunne's native charm and mystery. She was a wonderful actress and this was a good example of her performance style in a serious role.