Obsessive Love (film)

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Obsessive Love
Genre Drama film
Written by
Directed by Steven Hilliard Stern
Starring
Music byTerri Fricon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Frank von Zerneck
Cinematography Fred Koenekamp
Editors
Running time96 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseOctober 2, 1984 (1984-10-02)


Obsessive Love is a 1984 made-for-TV movie starring Yvette Mimieux, who co-wrote the story and produced the film as well. [1]

Contents

Plot

A reserved woman goes to Hollywood meets and entices a soap opera star into an unhealthily idealistic relationship.

Cast

Production

"There are few enough films going these days," she said, "and there are three or four women who are offered all the good parts. Of course I could play a lot of awful parts that are too depressing to contemplate.... [Television is] not the love affair I have with film, but television can be a playground for interesting ideas. I love wild, baroque, slightly excessive theatrical ideas, and because television needs so much material, there's a chance to get some of those odd ideas done." [2]

The film was Mimieux's idea. She based it on John Hinckley and thought it would be interesting if the sexes were reversed. [2]

Mimieux said the network "felt people wouldn't believe me as this woman. They said to me, 'She's a loner, and she shouldn't be attractive.' I asked them, 'Are you saying that only unattractive people can be crazy or lonely or have unfulfilled lives?'" She also pushed against over explaining her character's condition. "I prefer simply looking at the character, following her, seeing her intensity, her passion, her single-mindedness and her intelligence. To do a thumbnail psychological sketch was not what I wanted. That's the kind of thing they love to do on television so everybody understands everything, but in life we don't always understand everything. Even an analyst may not understand the person after years of analysis." [2]

Critical response

John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote: "As noted, Miss Mimieux is not limiting her talents on this project to acting. She worked closely with the script writers Petru Popescu and Iris Friedman and, with Robert M. Sertner, was the co-producer. The burden of responsibility is unmistakable." [2]

References

  1. Farber, Stephen (October 2, 1984). "Yvette Hill Mimieux. Wrote, Produced Tonight's Movie, 'Obsessive Love'". The Vindicator . Ogden Newspapers Inc. The New York Times. p. 23. ISSN   0890-9857. OCLC   12961328 . Retrieved February 3, 2026 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 O'Connor, John (October 2, 1984). "'Obsessive Love,' Movie With Yvette Mimieux". The New York Times . The New York Times Company. p. C18. ISSN   0362-4331. OCLC   1645522 . Retrieved April 13, 2019.