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- 1976
- PG
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
- 1976
- PG
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
Summary A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his wife.
Directed By: Brian De Palma
Written By: Paul Schrader, Brian De Palma
- 1976
- PG
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
- 1976
- PG
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 38 m
Obsession
59
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his wife.
Directed By: Brian De Palma
Written By: Paul Schrader, Brian De Palma
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
59
50% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
50% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
59
50% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
50% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Bujold’s enthusiasm as a performer redeems the entire picture, especially when she’s asked to perform flashback scenes that shouldn’t work, but, thanks to her, represent another of De Palma’s fearlessly experimental whims.
Sometimes overwrought excess can be its own reward. If Obsession had been even a little more subtle, had made even a little more sense on some boring logical plane, it wouldn't have worked at all.
Robertson’s low-key performance is as crucial to the manifold surprise impact as Bujold’s versatile, sensual and effervescent charisma.
The Schrader screenplay, based on an original story by Mr. Schrader and Mr. De Palma, is most effective when it's most romantic, and transparent when it attempts to be mysterious.
For a De Palma film, Obsession has much more suspense than violence, even if much of the premise and motivations are shamelessly culled from Hitchcock's Vertigo, as is composer Bernard Herrmann. The lack of originality, however, doesn't make Obsession any less effective, and the film has been generally overlooked in the spotty De Palma canon.
Whatever shred of credibility the movie retains is dispersed by the final, dead serious directorial hocus‐pocus.
The only obsession on display here is De Palma's - with Hitchcock. It's an unhealthy one too which results in an out of focus rip-off.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 User Ratings
5.9
45% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
45% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
9% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 11 User Ratings
5.9
45% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
45% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
9% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Yellowbird Productions,
George Litto Productions
Release Date Aug 1, 1976
Duration 1 h 38 m
Rating PG
Tagline The love story that will scare the life out of you
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
International Film Music Critics Award (IFMCA)
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
National Board of Review, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
