The hardships faced by a widow and her eight-year-old son on a rugged Canadian ranch provide the basis of this gripping outdoor adventure. She lost her husband to a forest fire. To help her run the ranch, she hires a handy man. A handsome, but taciturn fellow who has known much tragedy, he works hard for her. The woman's son though resents him, and when he learns that his mother is planning to marry him to quell ugly rumors in town, the youth is most unhappy. After the wedding, the step-father treats the boy harshly, not out of cruelty, but because he wants to prepare the boy to survive the tough life ahead. This creates friction and frustration. Sometimes the handyman beats both the wife and the child. On the day the wife learns she is pregnant, the boy and his step-father get into a violent fight. Afterward the husband goes to the local saloon and ends up jailed for brawling. A month later he is released. When he gets home he finds his wife has moved his things to the barn. A natural disaster changes the family's lives and relationships and after much turmoil, honesty and pain gives them a chance to heal and start afresh. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Review
Woman Obsessed's reach ultimately exceeds its grasp. It aspires to be a detailed character study, a romance, an outdoor adventure and a searing drama, but by trying to hit all the bases, it manages to fall a little short on all counts. Still, it's professionally made, with lively direction from Henry Hathaway that helps to cover up, if not totally fill in, some of the dramatic holes. Undemanding viewers won't care too much about the film's flaws, since the rugged pacing, moments of excitement, beautiful photography, and more than capable cast do keep one's attention from wandering too much. If it does wander, though, a person might realize that there's an awful lot of action and events packed in, more than the film can really handle, with the result that it feels sketchy and unfinished; worse, the character motivations sometimes turn on a dime. Of course, with Susan Hayward in the title role, and with very able assistance from Stephen Boyd and, especially, Dennis Holmes, a viewer is likely to let flaws in character development slip by. Add in a very tasty supporting turn from Barbara Nichols, and there's enough here to keep viewers more than interested, if not obsessed. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
Ken Scott - Sgt. Le Moyne; James Philbrook - Henri; Florence MacMichael - Mrs. Gibbs; Jack Raine - Ian Campbell; Mary Carroll - Mrs. Campbell; Fred Graham - Officer Follette; Michael Lally - Ticket Taker; Jimmy Ames - Carnival Spielers; Tommy Farrell; Arthur Franz - Tom Sharron; Richard Monahan - Store Clerk; Harry Johnson - Juggler; Louis Manley - Fire Eater; Freeman Morse
Credit
Jack Martin Smith - Art Director, Lyle Wheeler - Art Director, Charles LeMaire - Costume Designer, David Hall - First Assistant Director, Henry Hathaway - Director, Robert L. Simpson - Editor, Hugo W. Friedhofer - Composer (Music Score), Lionel Newman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ben Nye, Sr. - Makeup, William C. Mellor - Cinematographer, Leon Shamroy - Cinematographer, Sydney Boehm - Producer, Stuart A. Reiss - Set Designer, Walter Scott - Set Designer, L.B. Abbott - Special Effects, W.D. Flick - Sound/Sound Designer, Harry M. Leonard - Sound/Sound Designer, Sydney Boehm - Screenwriter, John Mantley - Book Author
Mary Sharron (Susan Hayward) has lost her husband to a forest fire. To help her run the ranch, she hires Fred Carter (Stephen Boyd), a handy man. A handsome, but taciturn fellow who has known much tragedy, Fred works hard for her. Robbie Sharron (Dennis Holmes), the woman's son, resents him, and when he learns that his mother is planning to marry him to quell ugly rumors in town, the youth is most unhappy. After the wedding, the stepfather treats the boy harshly, not out of cruelty, but because he wants to prepare the boy to survive the tough life ahead. This creates friction and frustration. Sometimes Fred beats both Mary and Robbie. On the day the wife learns she is pregnant, Robbie and Fred get into a violent fight. Afterwards Fred goes to the local saloon and ends up jailed for brawling. A month later he is released. When he gets home he finds Mary has moved his things to the barn. A natural disaster changes the family's lives and relationships and after much turmoil, honesty and pain gives them a chance to heal and start afresh.[1]
Although Woman Obsessed is a non-musical film, in addition to Hugo Friedhofer, nine additional top-name musicians were involved in the creation of the score. They include Earle Hagen, orchestrator; Lionel Newman, conductor; David Buttolph, Leigh Harline and Alfred Newman, composers of additional music; and Alexander Courage, Gus Levene, Arthur Morton and Edward B. Powell, orchestrators.
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