Magnificent Obsession (John M. Stahl, 1935)

Magnificent Obsession (John M. Stahl, 1935)Stahl’s adaptation of Lloyd C. Douglas’s New Age-y sermon-cum-three-hankie romantic novel is a bit stiff, which is a liability because the story is so ludicrous that it virtually demands a corresponding sense of aesthetic flamboyance. Nevertheless, there is something undeniably moving about the performances by Irene Dunn and Robert Taylor that very nearly makes it work.  (DVD)