Obsession (1976)

One of Brian De Palma's most underrated films ever made!!

     

They sure don't make thrillers like "Obesssion" anymore. This movie has it all: an excellent plot, gripping suspense, and a top-notch cast!! "Obsession" is one of Brian DePalma's ("Dressed to Kill", "The Untouchables") earliest, and most underrated films ever made. It is a thriller of tremendous power and grace.

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 (1968 Best Actor Academy Award winner for "Charly"), in his usual fine performance as New Orleans real estate developer Michael Courtland, a man whose wife and daughter are kidnapped and killed in a setup gone bad, and blames himself for the next 15 years, from 1959 (where the film opens) to 1975, with Courtland standing at the graves of his wife and daughter. Courtland goes to Italy for business when he sees a young woman who strongly resembles his late wife (and since both are played by the lovely Geneviève Bujold, this is no coincidence). You can pretty much guess the rest...or can you??

Another thing that makes "Obsession" such a great movie is the last 20-25 minutes of the film, with a shocking twist you'll never see coming!! Cliff Robertson and Geneviève Bujold give incredible performances, and John Lithgow (in an early performance) is great as Robertson's business partner. "Obsession" is basically disregarded due to comparisons with Hitchcock's "Vertigo", but De Palma makes a film that is more satisfying than "Vertigo" (still a brilliant film to this very day). "Obsession" is shorter at 98 minutes (1 hour and 38 minutes), but it has a deliberate pace that makes it feel longer. In a lesser work, it would be intolerable, but here it is appropriate. Technically, this is among De Palma's best works, with the beautiful camerawork complimenting a haunting, disturbing story. The story takes it's time, and while the slow pace may bother some viewers, patient viewers will realize that it works to draw them in. By the time it is over, it feels like you have just come out of a dreamlike, or nightmarish, trance.

There is definitely a very high possibility that I will be getting "Obsession" on iTunes ASAP!! If you're a fan of Brian De Palma, Cliff Robertson, or Geneviève Bujold, then trust me, you will not be disappointed whatsoever with "Obsession"!!