Obsession dvd movie.|
Obsession buy bestselling dvd movies, videos find reviews, ratings, prices |
 |
List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $22.99 You Save: $1.96 Features • Closed-captioned • Color • Subtitled • Widescreen • NTSC In Theaters : 1976 DVD Release : 26 June, 2001 |
| [ + Zoom ] [ Buy Now ] | DVD : Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
Obsession description Though he had made comedies with Robert De Niro (Hi Mom, Greetings!), a horror movie (Sisters), and a rock musical (Phantom of the Paradise), it wasn't until this 1976 film that Brian De Palma truly announced himself as the heir to Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Paul Schrader, this film is an homage to Vertigo, with its own stylish twists and turns. Cliff Robertson plays a businessman who, while traveling in Italy, meets a young woman (Genevieve Bujold) who is a dead ringer for his late wife, who had been killed in a kidnapping years earlier. As he woos and wins her, the vibes get creepier and creepier because, well, something's not right about this woman. Interestingly, this film came out the same year as De Palma's Carrie, a much more successful movie at the box office. But it was this movie that, for all its flaws, proclaimed De Palma as a stylist with a sure-handed command of visual storytelling. --Marshall Fine |
|
|
| ♥♥♥♥♥ | Timeless classic mystery, suspense, noir! |
| A lot of people dislike DePalma because once they've seen his films, then go back for a second viewing, they realize just how well he fooled them, the whole time displaying any clues possible right before their very eyes; hence, making them feel stupid. That is one of the qualities I love about his films. For once you've seen it, then go back and view it again with the knowledge you have of the overall film, letting all of the hints and OBVIOUS clues that are placed right before your very eyes the entire time; yet, when the movie was over, you felt like a rug just got pulled right out from beneath you.
And a LOT of people point out the "Hitchcock" touch his films seem to have, which they do...to a degree. What a lot of people don't seem to realize is that DePalma was also a student of the French Cineme Nuavue, artists like Godard, Bergman, Fellini, Antonioni, and Lelouch. Yes, this film is admittedly (by DePalma - he said that he and friend, writer Paul Schrader had just seen "Vertigo" and loved the idea so much that it inspired this screenplay) inspired by Hitchcock's "Vertigo", if anyone out there has ever seen Claude Lelouch's French 1966 masterpiece "A Man And A Woman" they will know what I'm talking about in reference to all of the OTHER great artists of film that inspired DePalma's style, decision, precision, and delivery. Not to give any kind of spoiler, but the climatic ending that swirls into a freeze frame is straight from the ending of Lelouch's brilliant film "A Man And A Woman", and SO appropriately so, seeing that this film has such a romantic tone throughout it, even during the most suspenseful of scenes, the style of filming it is so romantic (I don't mean a love story, but in tone). Opening the film in 1959 New Orleans, so beautifully recreated even though the budget wasn't too great for this film at that time; but, you couldn't tell that by looking at it. It is such a timeless masterpiece of cinema that definetly stands the test of time, looking even better now than ever. Cliff Robertson is awesome in his role as Michael Courtland. His facial expressions are dynamic in revealing his emotions during some breathtaking long scenes of virtual story telling, without dialogue. And John Lithgow is great as Court's business partner/friend, "Uncle Bob" (homage to Uncle Charlie in Hitchcock's "Shadow Of A Doubt"?). But my hat's off to Genevieve Bujold for her brilliant performance, not just as one, not two, but three different characters (something common in DePalma's films, having one actor playing multiple roles or personalites or characters) in what I concider to be a tour-de-force for her. (She later did great work in Micheal Chricton's "Coma" and David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers".) The fact that this was overshadowed by "Carrie" (another great DePalma classic that got released just a few months later the same year) is saddening. This film deserved to have a few nominations its way as well, especially for best actress. Again, not to be a "spoiler", but notice the range of expressions in her face during the climatic (or any) scene in the movie. Awesome. The way the film is structured, it does homage a lot of Hitchcock, as well as some French directors, but this is the film that set DePalma on the map as for being concidered the new Master Of Suspense (this was an excellent follow up to "Sisters"). Or, better yet, for another, more updated version of "Vertigo", check out DePalma's 1984 classic "Body Double". "Obsession" is a much more "cleaner", more "pure" film than "Body Double"; as a matter of fact, this is one the whole family can enjoy. Even with the revelation at the end, thank God that DePalma changed a crucial scene into a wonderful, hypnotic dream sequence because it would have being so tasteless once the mystery is solved, but sense the change was made, it cleans up the film in several ways. In the screenplay, the scene would have had two characters making love in a "reality" scene, and trust me, it's great the change was made. And, thank God that DePalma listened to composer Bernard Hermann about ending the film where he did! For those that don't know, the original screenplay was going to go even further into the future and the story. But, that was scrapped, and we now have (since 1976) a timeless masterpiece of cinema. A tale of love, obsession (before the word had a negative connotation to it), kidnapping, betrayal, murder, double identity, mistaken identity, character resemblance, double crossing, deja-vu, and mystery. In DePalma's world, everything is possible when sometimes nothing is impossible. Seeing is believing, but always look beneath the surfaces. Never take anything at face value, without knowing what's behind everyone's agenda. And, if you want a great noirish story about any of the above done in a very stylish vision, then see "Obsession". If you don't trust my review, read all the other 4 or 5 star reviews on here, starting with Amazon's reviewer. They said a LOT of things that I would have said had it not being said already. They've all done a great job praising this film in their own words, and I highly recommend all of their reviews, for they are very insightful & intelligent reviews of a timeless cinematic masterpiece of supenese, romance, intrigue, and mystery. Thank you. |
|
|