Felicia is joined by Josh Cooley to discuss why it’s important to consider melodrama in a positive light through Douglas Sirk’s Magnificent Obsession (1954).
We chat about why Sirk was considered a ‘woman’s picture’ director, and why that work lead to some of the most beautiful imagery put on screen.
This is the first installment in the Sirk series and an important one to listen to as we give a lot of background into his life in Germany, and how he ended up in Hollywood.
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Listen to our previous episode:
Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg 1991)
Sources:
Sirk, D., & Halliday, J. (2018). Sirk on sirk: Conversations with Jon Halliday. Bloomsbury Publishing.
https://calgarycinema.org/blog/2021/8/magnificent-obsession-1954-douglas-sirk
https://inreviewonline.com/2024/08/19/magnificent-obsession/
https://scenebygreen.com/2022/04/20/magnificent-obsession-1954/
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1006-magnificent-obsessions
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6549-sirk-in-the-sun
https://criterionreflections.blogspot.com/2010/04/magnificent-obsession-1954-457.html
https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2014/feature-articles/obsessions-imitations-subversions-on-magnificent-obsession-part-one/
https://thatshelf.com/guy-maddin-talks-magnificent-obsession-at-tiff/
Outro Song:
Theme from Magnificent Obsession by Frank Skinner
Films Mentioned:
Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg 1991)
Written on the Wind (Douglas Sirk 1956)
Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk 1959)
All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk 1955)
The Tarnished Angels (Douglas Sirk 1957)
Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes 2002)
Magnificent Obsession (John M. Stahl 1935)
Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg 1988)
Her (Spike Jonze 2013)
The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming 1939)
Lola Montès (Max Ophüls 1955)
Meet Joe Black (Martin Brest 1998)
Taza, Son of Cochise (Douglas Sirk 1954)
Giant (George Stevens 1956)
Sign of the Pagan (Douglas Sirk 1954)
The Client (Joel Schumacher 1994)
Flatliners (Joel Schumacher 1990)
A Time to Kill (Joel Schumacher 1996)
Falling Down (Joel Schumacher 1993)
St. Elmo’s Fire (Joel Schumacher 1985)
The Incredible Shrinking Woman (Joel Schumacher 1981)
Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh 2001)
Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet 2001)
Pay It Forward (Mimi Leder 2000)
Pollyanna (David Swift 1960)
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles 1941)
Peter Ibbetson (Henry Hathaway 1935)
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick 1999)
Ireland