Possessed

Possessed is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is the story of Marian Martin, a factory worker who rises to the top as the mistress of a wealthy attorney. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee was adapted from the 1920 Broadway play The Mirage by Edgar Selwyn. Possessed was the third of eight film collaborations between Crawford and Gable. Plot Marian Martin is a factory girl living with her mother in the working-class section of Erie, Pennsylvania. Factory boy Al Manning hopes to marry her, but Marian is determined to find a better life. When a train makes a stop in town, Marian looks through the windows and sees the wealthy passengers. She then meets train passenger Wally Stuart, a New Yorker who gives her champagne and offers his address, inviting her to contact him if she should visit New York. On returning home, an inebriated Marian tells Al and her mother that she had been drinking by the railroad tracks. Al, who had been waiting for Marian and accuses her of being drunk, spots the piece of paper containing Wally's address in her hand, grabs it and tears it into pieces. He tells Marian that her actions are inappropriate and that she must stay with him. Marian angrily tells Al and her mother that no one owns her and that her life belongs to herself. She collects the torn paper shreds from the floor and pastes them together before leaving for New York City. When she arrives, she visits Wally, who offers her advice on meeting and keeping wealthy men. Marian uses the advice to begin a relationship with Wally's friend Mark Whitney, a wealthy divorced attorney. Marian becomes Mark's mistress and he provides her with a complete makeover, educating her in the arts and culture of his social set. Three years pass and the two are happily in love. To cover the fact that Marian is his kept woman, Mark presents Marian as Mrs. Moreland, a wealthy divorcée living comfortably on her alimony.