before play misty for me ( 1971 ) and fatal attraction ( 1987 ) and come this story of a nurse ( joan crawford ) who attach to a man ( van heflin ) and who eventually find her too possessive and break it off and but she can not let him go . when they meet again at her employer ( raymond massey ) residence and she want to resume the relationship and say it awful for a woman to lie down at night and not be able to sleep and but he still would not take her back . she eventually accept widower massey marriage proposal and explain that it terrible for a woman to be unwanted and although she not in love with him . eventually and massey daughter geraldine brook start to date heflin and further complicating matter and and put crawford over the edge . script and photography and direction and music be exemplary and the 4 lead be memorable and but crawford be particularly riveting . her first breakdown ( at massey waterfront mansion ) with heflin might be consider over the top 40 style acting ( pre method ) and but she deliver it beautifully and her face and expression a tower display of emotion and angst . it a performance that crawford must have pull from her own life experience to achieve such rise momentum . no wonder actor cliff robertson ( her co star in autumn leaf 1956 ) once state in a documentary that she a damned good actress .