She loves him when he goes away for months. She loves him when he refuses to marry her. But when callow David Sutton chooses to marry someone else, Louise Howell’s love for him takes a darker turn. Give her a gun and she’ll love him to death.

Joan Crawford reteams with producer Jerry Wald of her Academy Award-winning Mildred Pierce and claims a 1947 Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of tempestuous, mentally unstable Louise. “I love you is such an inadequate way of saying I love you,” Louise says, “It doesn’t quite describe how much it hurts sometimes.” With Crawford at her film-noir-queen best, be assured it hurts so good.

For thoughts on Possessed, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/-SIE4ZmeBEA?si=1ow2OLc_jz3376J7&t=383]

Video Quality

Warner Archive brought Possessed to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer back in the early days of the label’s shift to Blu-Ray in 2014 sourced from a new master. This film noir classic has been taken care of over the years, and the team at the label made sure the transition to high definition was a fruitful one. The black-and-white feature maintains a formidable contrast while retaining its natural film grain. Thanks to this transfer you are treated to so much detail in the image including the production design and outfits. Print damage is not a major concern here thanks to the care put into the preservation. The presentation has a serious amount of depth to it including in the dark corners where there is no evidence of any black crush. This transfer is a wonderful effort for the time with very few obstacles encountered. Warner Archive delivered a formidable effort for the iconic Joan Crawford.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves the film well within its sonic ambitions. There does not appear to be any serious damage or age-related wear and tear to the track. The dialogue comes through nicely in all situations. None of the sound effects or the Franz Waxman score ever cover up exchanges on this release. This is a fine audio presentation that fans should appreciate. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc for those who need it.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historian Drew Casper provides a steady commentary track as he discusses the work of Joan Crawford, the place of this film in the pantheon of film noir, the technical elements of the feature, and more.

Possessed – The Quintessential Film Noir: A ten-minute archival featurette is provided here in which various film experts discuss the rise of film noir and how this feature, in particular, serves as a prime example of the genre.

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Possessed is a prime showcase for the legendary Joan Crawford, who quite literally peels back her armor and lets the world see a side of her that she rarely lets shine through. The performance is very emotionally raw and compelling throughout, even if this does lean more towards melodrama than film noir. Fans of the actress will agree she is in top form, and the narrative is strong enough to shoulder her talents. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and some good special features. Fans of old-school Hollywood should certainly pick this up. Recommended

Possessed can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.