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Obsession (1976)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
6/17
6/17:
Obsession is a technically well-made picture that left me suffocated.
Brian De Palma must have had a checklist with him to make sure he got every kind of shots as possible. At the same time, he
leaves emotions at the door. As a result, Obsession is a hard picture to get into.
Where Brian De Palma lost me is the believability factor. I mean, it's the same actress playing both Elizabeth Courtland and
Sandra Portinari, making it a repeat of Vertigo. Maybe that's the basis of the title because
Brian De Palma was truly obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock's movies. The worst of them all is the ten-minute ending. It makes no
sense, throwing everything into disarray. The following is how it went down.
Just out of the blue, John Lithgow's character confesses to his partner of what he did. Why? Why will he do this? What
the fuck is he doing? He does this after sixteen years of playing it cool? Then, a scuffle ensues before one of them is
dead. Afterwards, Cliff Robertson's character goes straight to the airport to catch up with his second wife. Then, he begins
this long, supposedly iconic scene to settle the matter once and for all, only it comes out hammy, ridiculous, and
unnecessary.
I guess either the filmmakers ran of money or the rule had to be: the bad guy couldn't win at the end, hence the forced scene.
The other explanation is Brian De Palma cut out the rest of Paul Schrader's screenplay. More illogical is when Sandra Portinari,
on her walk to the plane, figured out the truth about what happened in 1959. I have to call BS on that because she
should remember. Once the twist is revealed, there goes the movie out of the window.
Cliff Robertson is the only actor who can make or break Obsession. It's hard to say whether or not he's right for the
role. He's flat and emotionless who's constantly in a reverie. It's like Charly all over again.
As good of an actor as John Lithgow is, he's miscast despite being an all-time baddie.
All in all, Obsession is a good start for Brian De Palma, who evidently has talent for filmmaking, and it begins
his long collaboration with the Hungarian cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond.