Obsession (1976)

A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his wife.

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Brian De Palma (story by), Paul Schrader (story by)

Stars:

Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Bujold, John Lithgow

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cliff Robertson	...	Michael Courtland
Geneviève Bujold	...	Elizabeth Courtland / Sandra Portinari
John Lithgow	...	Robert Lasalle
Sylvia Kuumba Williams	...	Maid (as Sylvia 'Kuumba' Williams)
Wanda Blackman	...	Amy Courtland
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Third Kidnapper (as Patrick McNamara)
Stanley J. Reyes	...	Insp. Brie
Nick Krieger	...	Farber
Stocker Fontelieu	...	Dr. Ellman
Don Hood	...	Ferguson
Andrea Esterhazy	...	D'Annunzio
Thomas Carr	...	Paper Boy
Tom Felleghy	...	Italian Businessman
Nella Simoncini Barbieri	...	Mrs. Portinari
John Creamer	...	Justice of the Peace

Storyline

New Orleans businessman Michael Courtland's life is shattered when his wife and daughter are tragically killed in a botched kidnap rescue attempt. Many years later whilst visiting Italy he meets and falls in love with Sandra Portinari, who bears a striking resemblance to his wife.

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Plot Keywords:

doppelganger | year 1975 | florence italy | hitchcockian | year 1959 | 

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Taglines:

The love story that will scare the life out of you

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

September 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Deja Vu

Filming Locations:

Collegiate Church, San Gimignano, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$1,400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Yellowbird Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The church seen at the beginning of the film, Church of San Miniato, is different from the one that Michael actually goes into when he sees Sandra. The reason for this is because the priests of the Church of San Miniato would not allow De Palma and his crew to film inside of the church, because of a previous film crew that turned out to be making a porno film, and had told them otherwise. This can be seen clearly when Michael goes into the church, which only has one door to enter into, and then in the next shot, where Michael's back is towards the door, and there are now two, and a windows on the doors that don't match the one that we saw on the outside shot. The collegiate church in the town of San Gimignano was used for the interior shots.

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Goofs

With exception of old cars, nothing in flashbacks to 1959 (hair, clothes, etc.) to remotely indicate that scenes weren't set in mid Seventies.

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Quotes

Robert Lasalle: [Michael has pointed out Sandra to him] Oh my God...

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Crazy Credits

The film has no end credits, other than the words "The End" in the final frame.

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Connections

References Marnie (1964)

User Reviews

ONE OF BRIAN DEPALMA'S MOST UNDERRATED FILMS

"Obsession" is one of Brian DePalma's most underrated films. It is a thriller of tremendous power and grace. It is also the recipient of some of the most negative reviews in DePalma's very checkered history.

I personally think that Brian DePalma is one of our very best directors. I would even classify him as a great director. His best films are his thrillers, which are inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's work. Most critics think DePalma is nothing more than someone who rips off Hitchcock. But in his defense, he does not rip off Hitch. He is his own artist. He has his own agenda in each and every film he has made.

"Obsession" is often touted as a "rehash of Vertigo". But DePalma takes the basic premise and turns it upside down, creating twists and revelations that Hitchcock only dreamed of. The film stars Cliff Robertson, in his usual fine performance as a man whose wife and daughter are kidnapped and killed in a setup gone bad. The film opens in 1959 and then skips ahead to 1975 with Robertson standing at the graves (really nice camerawork in this sequence as time fades away) Robertson is in Italy for business when he sees a young woman who strongly resembles his late wife (since both are played by Genevieve Bujold, this is no coincidence)You can pretty much guess the rest.

Or can you? What makes "Obsession" really stand out is the final 25 minutes in which DePalma and cowriter Paul Schrader (himself a fine director; his credits include "Hardcore", "Blue Collar", "American Gigolo" and "Mishima")put in so many twists and turns that a second viewing may be necessary to sort out all the details. While most people may dismiss this as a ripoff of "Vertigo", remember that at this time "Vertigo" was currently unavailable period. No TV viewings, no tapes, no theatrical runs, nothing. DePalma may have been trying to make a film to fill the void left behind by that disappearance. But he makes a film that is more satisfying than the Hitchcock film. "Vertigo", brilliant as it was, was a real downer. "Obsession" is shorter at 98 minutes, but it has a delibirate pace that makes it feel longer. In a lesser work, it would be intolerable, but here it is appropriate.

The technical credits are solid as a rock. The Panavision photography by Vilmos Zsigmond is outstanding as is the Bernard Herrmann score (his next to last). Robertson and Bujold give strong performances, but it is DePalma regular John Lithgow who is the most memorable.

See "Obsession" two or three times to get the full effect. It takes some effort to get used to, but it's worth it.

**** out of 4 stars