The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writers:

James M. Cain (novel), David Mamet (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	Frank Chambers
Jessica Lange	...	Cora Papadakis
John Colicos	...	Nick Papadakis
Michael Lerner	...	Mr. Katz
John P. Ryan	...	Kennedy
Anjelica Huston	...	Madge
William Traylor	...	Sackett
Thomas Hill	...	Barlow (as Tom Hill)
Jon Van Ness	...	Motorcycle Cop
Brian Farrell	...	Mortenson
Raleigh Bond	...	Insurance Salesman
William Newman	...	Man from Home Town
Albert Henderson	...	Art Beeman
Ken Magee	...	Scoutmaster
Eugene Peterson	...	Doctor

Storyline

This remake of the 1946 movie of the same name accounts an affair between a seedy drifter and a seductive wife of a roadside cafe owner. This begins a chain of events that culminates in murder. Based on a novel by James M. Cain.

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Plot Keywords:

drifter | murder | remake | cafe | lunch wagon | 

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Taglines:

If there was an Eleventh Commandment, they would have broken that too.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA West Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

El cartero siempre llama dos veces

Filming Locations:

Santa Barbara, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 3,841,156 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CIP Filmproduktion GmbH, Lorimar Film Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the fourth version of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" novel. The first was French, Le dernier tournant, the second was Italian, Ossessione, and the third in English and American was The Postman Always Rings Twice. As such, this 1981 film was the second English language version but was the first version in colour as all three earlier versions were in black-and-white.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 35 mins) When Cora walks to the door of the café after coming back from her mother's, her zipper and zipper pull show. What we see is an "invisible" zipper which were not invented until the early 1960's.

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Quotes

Sackett: Spit on the sidewalk and you'll die in jail!

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Connections

Version of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

User Reviews

an original remake

A remake of the 1946 film, this version features Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, with a momentous white hot chemistry that can't possibly sustain itself but affords a memorable scene in the restaurant kitchen about ten minutes into the film which leads to the eventual plot to do in her older Greek husband. A story wherein neither would have the nerve to do such a thing alone, but together they make a job of it on one of the darkest nights and darkest rural roads ever. The trial for the murder features another couple of great performances by Michael Lerner as the resourceful to a fault defense attorney (if you were on trial for your life, you'd want this guy for a lawyer), and his investigator who becomes a menacing presence later in the film, played by John P Ryan. Very nicely photographed in color, it's set in the coastal hills and valleys north of LA, dotted with live oaks and capturing the rich earthy tones of the late afternoon golden hued hillsides that nicely contrast with the desperate story of the two lovers.