Alec B
Extremely silly, even by De Palma standards but the real issue is that the movie lacks the kind of tension fueled set pieces that elevate his other work.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/10/24
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Steve D
Too much like a million others despite the talent involved.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
08/10/23
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Shioka O
Undoubtedly it's not his best, but still a decent thriller. I think the plot is kinda cliche, it is said a homage to "Vertigo" by Hitchcock, though. Good photography especially some scenes in Italy. John Lithgow stands out.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
12/03/22
Full Review
isla s
This is quite a suspenseful film - a real chilly thriller of sorts. It features a heavy use of stringed instruments to really bring home the Hitchcockian tension. Its, needless to say, quite claustrophobic and I noticed towards the end there appeared to be a mistiness around the bottom of the screen, which gives it a bit of a dream like sense. I felt John Lithgow gave a particularly good performance in this film and its somewhat memorable - certainly not a bad film, I'd recommend it.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Lequisha S
[3/1/21]: I knew what the twist would be but it's also kinda dumb that she acted like she didn't know the bedroom, and she was 9 shouldn't she have known. Had they thrown in that she was brainwashed earlier then we'd be in suspense about their relationship [wouldn't want consummation, would want his obsession to stop], and then the reveal of her being in on it would be even crazier.
The shimmering in the wedding night scene was good. Airplane scene against sunset skyline. 360 camera move mirrors vertigo, and the haze around the lights was like West Wing. The specific type of film does that?
Very visual storyteller, combined with a prominent score.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
07/03/22
Full Review
ronald h
A flagrant homage to Hitchcock, Brian De Palma's "Obsession" is a grandiose, 1976 romantic thriller that has stood the test of time nearly as well as the movie it's clearly derivative of: "Vertigo."
In spite of a rather laconic Cliff Robertson in the lead role of New Orleans businessman Michael Courtland, the story immediately grabs you and keeps you hanging on. It begins in the late 1950's. Courtland and his wife Elizabeth (Genevieve Bujold) are celebrating their tenth anniversary at a party in their opulent home. People are drinking and dancing. Courtland's business partner, Robert (John Lithgow) raises a heartfelt toast to the couple, and to the real estate development he and Courtland are about to build. Then, we see a shot of a waiter with a gun in his waistband.
After the guests have left, Elizabeth and the couple's young daughter Amy are kidnapped from the home, and a ransom note demands $500,000 for their return.
The detective in charge of the case is a French man named Brie (!), played by Stanley J. Reyes. He insists on leaving fake ransom money at the drop off point, with a radio transmitter in the briefcase so the cops can track the kidnappers and recover the wife and kid. Things go awry as the kidnappers escape with Elizabeth and Amy and their car (inexplicably) explodes and goes off a bridge into the Mississippi. Everyone in the car is assumed dead. Except that's not exactly what happened. I missed it the first time I saw this film, even though it was right there in front of me.
Courtland erects a monument to his late wife and child on the property that was intended for the development, but he and Robert remain partners. Sixteen years later, the two are a business trip to Florence, Italy. Sightseeing one day, they go to an ancient church, and there, working on a restoration of some art work on the walls, is Elizabeth! (or her exact double, since she has not aged). Her name is Sandra (Genevieve Bujold).
The parallels to "Vertigo" are obvious, right down to the obsessive scenes of our hero stalking the woman and the florid musical score (by Bernard Hermann! De Palma wasn't kidding when he said he loved Hitchcock).
But "Obsession" is not a replication of "Vertigo's" plot; rather, Paul Schrader's screenplay is a re-exploration of its themes. As Courtland and Sandra start dating, she expresses concern about being a double for a woman he loved, the same concern Kim Novak had in "Vertigo." Robertson stares at her over dinner exactly as Jimmy Stewart stared at Judy, his imagined Madeleine.
Of course, just as in "Vertigo," there is something underhanded going on. I won't spoil it here. Suffice it to say that Lithgow is Chekov's gun.
The twist in the final act is very different from that of "Vertigo." Still, Hitchcock fanatics will chuckle at the little "Vertigo" references: the bouquet and the necklace at the wedding, the note of confession that is written then crumpled up, the 360 degree camera revolution in the finale, and several more.
More than a few critics have dissed De Palma for being a Hitchcock imitator. But De Palma has never denied that he worships The Master. He uses the same techniques, with long scenes; memorable, sweeping visuals; and swelling, emotional music. If you can get past that and accept this film on its own merits, you'll be rewarded.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
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