When the film was released , the staff at '' Variety '' magazine praised the work of Crawford , yet questioned Bernhardt 's direction . They wrote , " Joan Crawford cops all thesping honors in this production with a virtuoso performance as a frustrated woman ridden into madness by a guilt-obsessed mind . Actress has a self-assurance that permits her to completely dominate the screen even vis-a-vis such accomplished players as Van Heflin and Raymond Massey ... Despite its overall superiority , Possessed is somewhat marred by an ambiguous approach in Curtis Bernhardt ’s direction . Film vacillates between being a cold clinical analysis of a mental crackup and a highly surcharged melodramatic vehicle for Crawford ’s histrionics . " James Agee in '' Time '' wrote , " Most of it is filmed with unusual imaginativeness and force . The film is uncommonly well acted . Miss Crawford is generally excellent " , while Howard Barnes in the '' New York Herald Tribune '' argued , " Crawford has obviously studied the aspects of insanity to recreate a rather terrifying portrait of a woman possessed by devils . " More recently , film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review , writing , " In German émigré director Curtis Bernhardt 's melodrama '' Possessed '' , Joan Crawford plays a mentally disturbed person who ca n't distinguish reality from her imagination . Through use of German expressionism techniques and many familiar film noir shadowy shots , the b/w film takes on a penetrating psychological tone and makes a case for a not guilty of murder plea due to insanity . Though Joan has a powerful presence in this movie , she played her mad role in a too cold and campy way to be thought of as a sympathetic figure . All the psychological treatment therapy sounded like psycho-babble and Joan 's acting was overstuffed , though some of her morbid imaginations were gripping and held my attention . Too heavy with German stimmung it still is fun to watch the melodramatics play out in this tale of overbearing love , painful rejection , paranoia and murder . " Film historian Bob Porfirio notes , " By developing the plot from the point-of-view of a neurotic and skillfully using flashback and fantasy scenes in a straightforward manner , the distinction between reality and Louise 's imagination is blurred . That makes '' Possessed '' a prime example of oneirism , the dreamlike tone that is a seminal characteristic of film noir . " At the 20th Academy Awards , Joan Crawford was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actress , losing to Loretta Young in '' The Farmer 's Daughter ''
20th Academy Awards
20th Academy Awards
Possessed (1947 film)