The Magnificent Obsession
The most obvious difference between the 1935 John Stahl version and the 1954 Douglas Sirk version of Magnificent Obsession was that the first was filmed in black and white, while the second was in color. The first noticeable difference came as soon as the clips started with the Universal Pictures sign. The 1935 displayed a globe with the words “A UNIVERSAL PICTURE” in very simple font, while the 1954 version showed the globe spinning and the words “Universal-International” circling around it with it’s shadow featured on the globe face.
The 1935 version with Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor is filmed in a classic ‘30s style with the camera set up as if the audience was watching a play. It typically stayed in one spot and featured a close up of the character(s) speaking. The only panning seen was in the hospital when Taylor was brought in on a stretcher. The camera panned his movement across the frame, which introduced his character into the plot in the process.
In the 1954 version with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson, the camera functions much differently. The clip begins with Rock Hudson’s character and the camera pans his boat ride on the lake. They utilize different camera shots to show a close up of the boat, a front close up shot of the boat and they also use a whip pan to show the boat and the speed it’s going on the lake to build suspense for this melodramatic version of the film.
