Alicia I love this movie so much

Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

JoeKarlosi I came by this movie when someone I know at work gave me a still-sealed copy from the Warner Archive Collection; they'd sent him two of the same title by mistake. Since it was Clark Gable and Joan Crawford I decided I'd give it a chance. Joan plays a factory worker who gets tired of the hum-drum life she leads and isn't interested in the man who's longed to marry her since they were kids (Wallace Ford) so she leaves it all and travels to New York City where she plays mistress to a wealthy lawyer (Gable) to get the kind of high living she wants. Three years later, Ford still wants to marry her, and Gable intends to run for Governor but his chances may be jeopardized by living with a woman. This pre-code film was nothing earth shattering, but had good performances from Crawford and Gable, and for me an added surprise bonus with a strong turn by Wallace Ford. I think through this movie it's easy to see Crawford's talents and how Gable was destined to become a big star. Director Clarence Brown has a nice touch, and some shots are very impressive. The one which stood out most for me is early on where Joan longingly observes well-to-do people interacting on a slow-moving train, as we see them through the windows of each passing car. When I see artistic flourishes like this in so many early '30s pictures (and many silents), my old defense of Tod Browning's Dracula for being dull due to it being an early talkie certainly falls flat. **1/2 out of ****

rensamuels I love this film and watch it a lot. The ending is a bit sappy, and generally I turn it off after Joan tells Clark that she's not really in love with him. It's funny how many writers say they like it because of the "feminist" issues. Isn't it enough that the acting is good, the comedy is sophisticated and Joan sings a wonderful song in German, French and English? (The writer who said Bing Crosby did it better is just silly; how can one compare the two singers?) Are movies more valuable because they're about "important" themes? Is all the literature we've treasured over the centuries great because of anything other than it reflects the realities of love and life and death?

Piltdown_Man This is a very solid bit of movie-making. Well directed and edited. Little fluff. A script that is generally crisp and moves the plot forward.Crawford is strong and likable as she moves from factory girl to "kept woman," apparently without missing a beat.It's in these early Crawford films that you really see what the shouting was all about. She is beautiful, vulnerable, strong, sweet and, most importantly, a powerful screen presence. And she can show you all those sides of herself in the same scene.Gable too, while playing a somewhat subservient role, gets to strut his stuff. He is at once, a "man's man" and "ladies man." Neat trick. Try it sometime.One aspect of this film that you'll appreciate is its lack of moralizing. The story is out there for all to see, but we don't get it rubbed in our faces. Also, along the lines of Philip Barry ("The Philadelphia Story") we are allowed to see that money and power does not necessarily make a man bad, while struggle and poverty doesn't make him good, either.As with all movies of this era, you have to allow for the changing morals and attitudes that have interceded in the following 70 years, but it's a testament to the writer and director that this still holds up.

bkoganbing Joan Crawford is a girl who longs for a better and faster life than she has in Podunkville, USA with factory worker Wallace Ford eager for her hand in marriage. She journeys to NYC where she charms Clark Gable, a lawyer with political ambitions, into a relationship. Not marriage, mind you, though to keep the relationship secret she now goes by the name of a widow.I was reminded of that line from Goodfellas where the wise guys bring girl friends to the Copacabana on Thursday night and wives on Friday night. I guess Gable doesn't qualify to go on Friday nights. Today the whole premise of the film is ridiculous because these two are both unmarried adults. Class distinctions just ain't what they used to be.Women have certainly come a long way from 1931 where apparently the only career choices open to them were wife and mom or the kept Possessed woman. That's why the film is so dated. But Gable and Crawford make it interesting to watch, but it's in neither of their top 10 lists.In Possessed there is a really nice torch ballad entitled How Long Will It Last which Crawford sings. But a better version of it was done by Bing Crosby in one of his early Brunswick recordings.