Obsession (1976)

OBSESSION is a Guilty Pleasure for me.  It has its flaws … indeed, lots of them.  Yet, elements of this film have played through my mind ever since I first saw it, feeling less like a remembered Movie and more like a remembered Experience.
   
I saw OBSESSION in the theater on its opening day … and I was not impressed.  Oh, there was a lot to love, particularly the startling dual performance from Geneviève Bujold, Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond adopting Director Brian De Palma’s “camera in motion” technique (and diffused images that add a dreamlike quality to everything), an overall Gothic sensibility that would have been at home in JANE EYRE, and an absolutely haunting musical score from Composer Bernard Herrmann.  (It sometimes felt vaguely reminiscent of 1973’s DON’T LOOK NOW, too.)
   
But, it also had a story that strained logic almost to the breaking point, and was filled with over-the-top occurrences.  There are also time jumps that are beautifully executed, but that do require the Viewer to be paying attention.  And there are morally creepy themes, from constant stalking to a very strong suggestion of incest.  Cliff Robertson’s performance also felt remote and detached, although it came to fit his character.
   
Still, I could never “dismiss” OBSESSION.  It kept returning to my thoughts.  And probably because I started feeling the desire to see it again … it virtually seemed to disappear!  It wasn’t a show that came back for retrospectives (and I don’t believe it even had a second run in my town).  I bought the soundtrack on an LP album, yet it didn’t seem to have the releases to collectors that I would have expected.  
   
Many people have drawn parallels between OBSESSION and VERTIGO.  At the time, I hadn’t seen VERTIGO.  In fact, I didn’t see it until years later when it was reissued as part of four Hitchcock films that had been “in the Vault.”  I saw three of them: REAR WINDOW, ROPE and VERTIGO.  And finally seeing VERTIGO made me want to see OBSESSION again even more.  (At that same time, I was reminded that the Screenwriter for OBSESSION had been Paul Schrader, fresh off his screenwriting success with TAXI DRIVER.  Now, I was having my own Obsession!)
  I finally saw the OBSESSION Blu-Ray release.  My most incredible experience was that the flaws that are in the show melted away for me.  I suppose they were softened by the diffused lighting.  The running time of only 98-minutes just flew by, and I was completely transported.  (I also got to enjoy John Lithgow’s performance, a definite highlight!)
   
Now that I own the film, it is one that I want to show to others.  I think that I’ll only do that with folks that I know have seen VERTIGO and will be able to pick up on the “emotional fantasia” that runs rampant throughout.  Otherwise, they may think that my enthusiasm is an indication that I’ve lost my ability to discern worthwhile filmmaking.

An enjoyably melodramatic mystery thriller that plays like a cross between Don't Look Now and Vertigo, Brian De Palma's 1976 hit has aged remarkably well - perhaps because of its classical quality that some would have found quaint even back then. Clearly but not unfavorably modelled on Hitchcock (Vertigo, specifically), the film starts as a kidnap thriller but soon settles into a languorous romantic groove that constantly plays with the audience's expectations. Aided by richly layered performances from his leads, a screenplay by Paul Schrader (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver), De Palma wrings real emotion and drama from what could have been a deeply silly caper.Michael Courtland is a successful New Orleans businessman who seems to have it made - the palatial Southern mansion, the beautiful young wife and a daughter they both dote upon. His life is thrown into turmoil when his loved ones are snatched in the night, leading to a ransom situation that goes disastrously awry.Sixteen years later, Michael is still haunted by these events, disconnected from his career and psychologically adrift. A business trip to Florence reunites him with a vision of his wife in the church where they met, leading to a romance that seems too good to be true for both of the players. As the new couple return to America, they both become consumed by their obsession with the past, as Michael's chance at redemption turns into a dangerous reprise of the previous tragedy.Cliff Robertson (a few reviews said he is miscast; not so - De Palma wanted a middle-aged, somewhat acronistic "leading man" Gregory Peck/ Cary Grant type (a WASP, basically) - not many actors fit the bill in 1974/75.) brings his usual gravitas to the central character, etching Michael's guilt and compulsion with care and passion. Geneviève Bujold excels in a demanding dual ( three, actually. Look closely) role that is fully appreciated at the film's close, beginning as alluring to the audience as she is to Michael and becoming a heart-breaking victim as events spiral out of control. John Lithgow, in an early leading role, gives a sinister supporting performance, his reptilian charm and sleazy appeal making his part in the plot obvious from the start but no less pleasurable for that.Locations play an important part in Obsession, and De Palma makes good use of them all, from New Orleans to sunset Florence. (The LA locations unrecognizable.) His roving camera may not seem that innovative now but it still has an elegant pull, sweeping the viewer along on the characters' emotional journey. His framing gives even static dialogue scenes an almost pop/comic-book quality that is entirely appropriate for such heady, heightened material. He also gets maximum mileage out of Bernard (Psycho, Taxi Driver) Hermann's Oscar-nominated Gothic score, reinforcing the film's dreamy ambience and adding a sense of both the spiritual and spirituality to the layers of intrigue.As usual, De Palma takes twisted relish in toying with the audience, throwing in subtle and blatant nods to his craft and our experience throughout. The prelude sees one of the hoods teasing a distressed performance out of Michael's daughter to aid their demands, his appreciation of her convincing efforts - "That's good, that's real good!" - mirroring a director's manipulation of his actors. Later, a kid delivering the ransom message is told to ask for a deliciously inappropriate tip, making this harrowing moment subversively amusing.The camerawork is fluid and sensual throughout, with an early pan-around of Michael's graveyard visit smartly bringing us up to date with the narrative, while the spinning shots the director loves so much (they're repeated in everything from Carrie to Scarface, and beyond -Raising Cain, The Untouchables) are deployed for moments of deepened melodrama. His trademark slo-mo is also very effective in heightening the drama in a few scenes.Elsewhere, such familiar devices as shimmering dream sequences and cliched gap-filling flashbacks are employed to more provocative effect than usual thanks to the director's fearless approach with the material. Cunningly, Bujold's love interest is introduced via her lecturing Robertson on Renaissance art restoration, providing an unmistakable metaphor for De Palma's technique; immaculately composed surfaces with cruder concerns glaring out from underneath.Obsession might not go down well with modern thriller audiences weaned on the likes of M Night Shyamalan (and God only knows why it has been released with a hugely misleading 18 ("R") rating on the box), but it's a satisfyingly murky slice of pulp that resonates more than it probably should due to the fierce commitment of the actors and the bravura style of the director. It makes a good introduction to De Palma's body of work, with many recognizable themes and visual motifs that recur in his more widely recognized classics. It might not be up there with the Hitchcock films that inspired it, but it's still a simultaneously classy and trashy potboiler that has stood the test of time well.Arrow Video's presentation of Obsession is outstanding. There may be some grousing among videophiles about the image quality, but I get the impression from my viewing the bonus "making of" documentary, that the film is presented exactly as it was intended. The softness of the image was absolutely intended by De Palma - and the late cinematagrapher, Vilos Zsigmond (Deliverence, Close Encounters) and the image is swimming in pleasing, organic looking grain. No digital trickery here, just a faithful presentation of a highly stylized film. The DTS-HD 5.1 mix is okay, but the Mono track sounds lovely. The above-mentioned soundtrack sounds amazing, and truly evokes the dreamy melodramatic feeling for which it was intended. Absolutely fantastic work on this one.The extras on this set may be few in number, but they more than make up for it in quality. First, and mote obvious when you pick up the package, is the "booklet". I put that in quotes because in fact, Arrow Video have provided a complete copy of the first draft of Paul Schrader's script for the film, originally titled Deja Vu. This draft includes a lot that never made it into the shooting script, and makes for a great read on it's own. Also in the book is a five page essay on the film, which elaborates on much of what I've written about regarding the genesis for the film. Arrow Video have also ported over the Obsession Revisited featurette from the original DVD release, which is very informative and runs a healthy 38-minutes. In addition, as has become de riguer with De Palma Blu-rays, Arrow Video have also included two of his early short films, Woton's Wake from 1962, and The Responsive Eye from 1966. Finally, they've included the original theatrical trailer. All of this, the film and the extras, is presented in 1080p HD with no region lock, so anyone with a Blu-ray player anywhere in the world can play everything on the disc.

Brian De Palma went through a phase of making Hitchcock tribute movies in the 1970s , this was one and so was "Dressed To Kill" This is a mystery yarn with similar theme to "Vertigo". Cliff Robertson on a business trip to Florence in Italy, encounters the double of his deceased wife who died in a botched kidnap attempt 15 years earlier. Its a great movie , great location filming in Italy, good quality blu ray transfer, De Palma uses a diffuse almost soft focus effect which seemed to be popular in the 70s, but the film is visually very interesting and the narrative is briskly driven along by the drama unfolding, well worth watching, and interesting to see De Palma's early work, later he would direct movies like the Untouchables, Scarface, Carlitos Way.

Ive seen Obsession many times and it’s an excellent and sometimes haunting film especially with its Bernard Hermann music which is absolutely perfect for such a film - De Palma obviously was inspired by Vertigo but it’s an excellent film on its own merit helped of course by De Palmas direction

A man loses his wife to kidnappers or does he ?If you are going to make a homage to Hitchcock, do it well which is precisely what director Brian De Palma does in this entertaining suspense drama. Apparently,Hitchcock saw it as a remake of "Vertigo" but I'll leave you to judge that.I found Cliff Robertson a bit one-dimensional in most of his film roles but he hits the mark with this performance of a man torn by guilt. Bernard Hermann provides a brilliant score and the story holds well right up to the end except that Geneviève Bujold's character, without giving too much away, requires a considerable suspension of disbelief to accept his role in the film. But then again, Hitchcock always said it was the style that mattered and not the content. Look out for the attractive cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond .

What's NOT to admire about this film!! Director? Brian de Palma. Music? Bernard Herrman. Photography? Vilmos Zsigmond. Screenplay? Paul Schrader. (and a tip of one's hat to Hitchcock). Four all-time greats who went on to do first class work in later films; as a bonus, anyone who has fallen in love with Florence will relive those emotions all over again - the cityscape and its art and architecture are co-stars. Cliff Robertson was already an established star but a young John Lithgow showed just how brilliant he was to become playing smooth and untrustworthy villains! I'm just so pleased that it's now available (after such a long time) and I can now add it to my Library.

Obsession is worth being seen though Brian de Palma just does another version of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo..My advice is do not see "Vertigo" before "obsession" because you'll mind the resemblance.If I Had watched Vertigo before I would say the HItchcock screenplay is better and the casting starring James Stewart and Kim Novak is perfect.What I would mind the most in the De Palma's version is the credibility of the character play by Genevieve Bujold -hard to believe !!!!.At last I would say I like it despite all the things I said before because those two pictures tell us the story of "a dream" or a nightmare.!Brian De Palma did better with "Carlito's way' starring Al Pacino