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 café owner. This begins a chain of events that culminates in murder.

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Plot Keywords:

adultery | great depression | neo noir | lifting up dress | hand up dress | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA West Germany

Language:

English Greek

Release Date:

20 March 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

El cartero llama dos veces

Filming Locations:

Barnsdall Rio Grande Service Station, Goleta, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$12,376,625

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,376,625

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

When plotting the characterization for the role of Cora, Jessica Lange decided the young woman had first tried to make it as a movie actress in Hollywood, struck out, and eventually married. When Jack Nicholson learned this, he gave her the autobiography of trashy, blonde, B-movie actress Barbara Payton ("I Am Not Ashamed", published in 1963.) Lange based her character's history partly on Payton, who, like her, was born in Cloquet, Minnesota.

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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

Frank Chambers: What are you, uh, Greek or something?
Cora: What... do I look Greek?

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 30 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Greatest Sexy Moments (2003)

User Reviews

You're scum, Frank! I knew that when I met you... You'll never change.

Frank (Jack Nicholson) is a Depression-era (regular gas was 16 cents a gallon; ethyl 18 cents) drifter, a thief, and a con man. Cora (Jessica Lange) is the bored and sensuous cook in a tavern run by her older Greek husband, Nick (John Colicos).

The first time Nick goes to town, Frank & Cora end up on the kitchen table in mad, savage, animalistic lovemaking. They try to run away together, but come back to kill her husband.

When they failed the first time, they staged a wreck. Cora got so excited she spread her legs right there on the ground near her supposedly dead husband.

The film is full of passion and excitement. Things change rapidly, and you are always guessing. Anjelica Huston even pops in as a weekend fling for Frank.

The ending was a surprise, but it fit perfectly.