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Obsession (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]
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Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
Blu-ray
January 15, 2019 "Please retry" | Collector's Edition | 1 |
—
| $26.64 | $26.59 |
Blu-ray
December 2, 2013 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
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| $12.21 | $12.99 |
Blu-ray
July 12, 2011 "Please retry" | — | 1 |
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| $22.95 | $19.99 |
Watch Instantly with | Rent | Buy |
Obsession | — | — |
Purchase options and add-ons
Genre | Mystery & Suspense |
Format | Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen |
Contributor | Stanley Reyes, Clyde Ventura, Genevi ve Bujold, Sylvia "Kuumba" Williams, Stanley J. Reyes, Don Hood, Cliff Robertson, John Lithgow, Stocker Fontelieu, George Litto, Patrick McNamara, Geneviève Bujold, Wanda Blackman, Thomas Carr, Andre Eszterhazy, Sylvia Kuumba Williams, Andrea Esterhazy, Brian De Palma, Harry N. Blum, Tom Felleghy, Nick Kreiger, Genevieve Bujold, J. Patrick McNamara See more |
Language | English |
Runtime | 1 hour and 38 minutes |
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From the manufacturer
About Us
For almost 20 years, Shout! Factory has redefined what it means to be an entertainment company for fans, by fans. Through its beginnings lovingly releasing and reviving beloved cult films and classic TV series, Shout! cultivated an uncanny ability to rediscover great content and applied these skills to producing and distributing fan-driven new releases that set the bar for independent entertainment. Shout! Factory's extensive experience in a diverse array of genres has led to the launch of several well-respected properties, including Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Shout Kids, Shout Select and the streaming service Shout! Factory TV. Capitalizing on both traditional and emerging digital platforms, Shout! Factory is a media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture.
Product Description
In 1959, affluent businessman Michael Courtland (Cliff Roberston) and his wife (Genevieve Bujold) are celebrating their tenth anniversary when his daughter and wife are kidnapped and held for ransom. The effort to rescue the girl and her mother ends tragically, and Courtland merely exists, his days consumed with guilt. Many years later, still grieving over his loss, he returns to Florence -the city where he first met his wife -where he meets a young woman who bears a remarkable resemblance to her. Stars: Cliff Roberston, Genevieve Bujold, John Lithgow
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.86 ounces
- Item model number : BRSF19282
- Director : Brian De Palma
- Media Format : Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 38 minutes
- Release date : January 15, 2019
- Actors : Stanley Reyes, Genevi ve Bujold, Sylvia "Kuumba" Williams, Genevieve Bujold, Cliff Robertson
- Subtitles: : English
- Producers : Harry N. Blum, George Litto
- Studio : SHOUT! FACTORY
- ASIN : B07J33Q4VH
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #64,027 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #4,943 in Drama Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
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Michael Courtland is a successful New Orleans businessman who seems to have it made - the palatial Southern mansion, the beautiful young wife and a daughter they both dote upon. His life is thrown into turmoil when his loved ones are snatched in the night, leading to a ransom situation that goes disastrously awry.
Sixteen years later, Michael is still haunted by these events, disconnected from his career and psychologically adrift. A business trip to Florence reunites him with a vision of his wife in the church where they met, leading to a romance that seems too good to be true for both of the players. As the new couple return to America, they both become consumed by their obsession with the past, as Michael's chance at redemption turns into a dangerous reprise of the previous tragedy.
Cliff Robertson (a few reviews said he is miscast; not so - De Palma wanted a middle-aged, somewhat acronistic "leading man" Gregory Peck/ Cary Grant type (a WASP, basically) - not many actors fit the bill in 1974/75.) brings his usual gravitas to the central character, etching Michael's guilt and compulsion with care and passion. Geneviève Bujold excels in a demanding dual ( three, actually. Look closely) role that is fully appreciated at the film's close, beginning as alluring to the audience as she is to Michael and becoming a heart-breaking victim as events spiral out of control. John Lithgow, in an early leading role, gives a sinister supporting performance, his reptilian charm and sleazy appeal making his part in the plot obvious from the start but no less pleasurable for that.
Locations play an important part in Obsession, and De Palma makes good use of them all, from New Orleans to sunset Florence. (The LA locations unrecognizable.) His roving camera may not seem that innovative now but it still has an elegant pull, sweeping the viewer along on the characters' emotional journey. His framing gives even static dialogue scenes an almost pop/comic-book quality that is entirely appropriate for such heady, heightened material. He also gets maximum mileage out of Bernard (Psycho, Taxi Driver) Hermann's Oscar-nominated Gothic score, reinforcing the film's dreamy ambience and adding a sense of both the spiritual and spirituality to the layers of intrigue.
As usual, De Palma takes twisted relish in toying with the audience, throwing in subtle and blatant nods to his craft and our experience throughout. The prelude sees one of the hoods teasing a distressed performance out of Michael's daughter to aid their demands, his appreciation of her convincing efforts - "That's good, that's real good!" - mirroring a director's manipulation of his actors. Later, a kid delivering the ransom message is told to ask for a deliciously inappropriate tip, making this harrowing moment subversively amusing.
The camerawork is fluid and sensual throughout, with an early pan-around of Michael's graveyard visit smartly bringing us up to date with the narrative, while the spinning shots the director loves so much (they're repeated in everything from Carrie to Scarface, and beyond -Raising Cain, The Untouchables) are deployed for moments of deepened melodrama. His trademark slo-mo is also very effective in heightening the drama in a few scenes.
Elsewhere, such familiar devices as shimmering dream sequences and cliched gap-filling flashbacks are employed to more provocative effect than usual thanks to the director's fearless approach with the material. Cunningly, Bujold's love interest is introduced via her lecturing Robertson on Renaissance art restoration, providing an unmistakable metaphor for De Palma's technique; immaculately composed surfaces with cruder concerns glaring out from underneath.
Obsession might not go down well with modern thriller audiences weaned on the likes of M Night Shyamalan (and God only knows why it has been released with a hugely misleading 18 ("R") rating on the box), but it's a satisfyingly murky slice of pulp that resonates more than it probably should due to the fierce commitment of the actors and the bravura style of the director. It makes a good introduction to De Palma's body of work, with many recognizable themes and visual motifs that recur in his more widely recognized classics. It might not be up there with the Hitchcock films that inspired it, but it's still a simultaneously classy and trashy potboiler that has stood the test of time well.
Arrow Video's presentation of Obsession is outstanding. There may be some grousing among videophiles about the image quality, but I get the impression from my viewing the bonus "making of" documentary, that the film is presented exactly as it was intended. The softness of the image was absolutely intended by De Palma - and the late cinematagrapher, Vilos Zsigmond (Deliverence, Close Encounters) and the image is swimming in pleasing, organic looking grain. No digital trickery here, just a faithful presentation of a highly stylized film. The DTS-HD 5.1 mix is okay, but the Mono track sounds lovely. The above-mentioned soundtrack sounds amazing, and truly evokes the dreamy melodramatic feeling for which it was intended. Absolutely fantastic work on this one.
The extras on this set may be few in number, but they more than make up for it in quality. First, and mote obvious when you pick up the package, is the "booklet". I put that in quotes because in fact, Arrow Video have provided a complete copy of the first draft of Paul Schrader's script for the film, originally titled Deja Vu. This draft includes a lot that never made it into the shooting script, and makes for a great read on it's own. Also in the book is a five page essay on the film, which elaborates on much of what I've written about regarding the genesis for the film. Arrow Video have also ported over the Obsession Revisited featurette from the original DVD release, which is very informative and runs a healthy 38-minutes. In addition, as has become de riguer with De Palma Blu-rays, Arrow Video have also included two of his early short films, Woton's Wake from 1962, and The Responsive Eye from 1966. Finally, they've included the original theatrical trailer. All of this, the film and the extras, is presented in 1080p HD with no region lock, so anyone with a Blu-ray player anywhere in the world can play everything on the disc.
Cliff Robertson plays a New Orleans businessman in love who is about to marry (Genevieve Bujold). But, soon after, there is a tragic kidnapping - the new wife along with her young daughter. There is a ransom note. There are specific instructions on where, when and how the million-dollar ransom is to be delivered. Also the chilling warning not to contact the authorities. But, desperate, he makes contact with the FBI anyway. They manage to trace the kidnappers to their hideout, but things go wrong and there is a shootout - the kidnappers escape with his wife and his little girl...they are never seen or heard from again.
Fastforward a couple of decades later. He has remained a man with one foot in the present and the other in the past. His business in the intervening years has continued to prosper. He takes a trip to Europe, ostensibly to get his mind off his work...but can't help remembering his wife. He is drawn to the church in Italy where they had been married and while inside, sees a young woman who appears to be the spitting image of his dead wife. He makes conversation. They eventually begin to date...eventually there is an affair. There is another wedding. And...another kidnapping. And another ransom note. This time with the identical demand of the one years before...
Oddly enough, all this is Not a spoiler alert. It simply sets the stage ultimately for the mindbending resolution.
"Vertigo" is a terrific and layered film in any context, but "Obsession" may even be better. A truly haunting score (well worth seeking out) is turned in by none other than Bernard Herrmann, the very same composer who so famously scored the majority of Hitchcock's films, including "Vertigo".
It will make no difference to your enjoyment of "Obsession" if you've never even seen "Vertigo" at all. Both are great and each will fully stand on its own. Waaayy recommended!!
Although I can't really have a full discourse on the ending **without** calling for a spoiler alert, I will say that I believe this film is indeed NOT flawed as so many may seem to think. Although there is an obvious factual conclusion to be made during the final scene, and although it may well be possible to "see" this conclusion coming before this scene has played out, this conclusion is NOT the point of the ending and therefore is not the point of the film. The point of it is not in the conclusion of facts. The meaning is centered around the two characters involved who are only able to overcome the extreme bias of the outrageous factual circumstances between them because, deep down, they know they so deeply **want to **...and in fact, they realize they **must** overcome if they are to reclaim their lives. It ultimately is a matter of love, acceptance and forgiveness. The powerful, emotional ending is a triumph for the characters, despite all odds. For those who've seen both films, compare that ending to the one for "Vertigo"...a far different take on the same material...and That is DePalma's triumph. But, DePalma couldn't have 'spoiled his own surprise' so to speak by tipping his hand earlier in the film, and needed to let the last scene play out as it did - but the factual conclusion itself is rendered, on an emotional level, veritably inconsequential to the characters themselves...and to us. It is perhaps one thing to say that DePalma was necessarily taking a risk (of losing the audience's focus in the last scene), but I think that it's quite another to say that, because of it, the film itself was flawed...the way I see it, our expectations were being challenged, that's about all, really.
But, speaking for myself, the full measure of the meaning of the last scene has seemed to become clearer to me and has deepened over the years with repeated viewings. It seems to me this is the way in which DePalma envisioned the film - to be seen multiple times...not really because there are so many details to piece together...there aren't...but, rather to better allow ourselves the **time** (and this movie is indeed about taking the time...even more than in "Vertigo") to **fully connect with** (and even revisit) the depth to which these emotions and motivations could truly run...to empathize. A reflective state and something that DePalma knew could not be rushed and that it all perhaps might not be so evident to us on the the first go-round...as if he were ultimately counting on our ability to emotionally 'Gestalt' to both fill in, and flesh out, what is necessary to give the film its true weight. Rush the process, resist sinking into your feelings...and you may miss it. A subtle thing, yet it may make all the difference. But, once accomplished, our movie-going experience just may then become, just as with "Vertigo", our 'obsession' (no pun intended) with the film itself. I think this film ultimately succeeds on that level very well...once successfully given the **time** it is asking for...not so much the length of that time, as the full depth of it. Just my two cents.
Cheers!
Top reviews from other countries
The key of OBSESSION lies in the scene of the first encounter between Courtland and Sandra, in the medieval church in which the hero married his first wife. Sandra is trying to restore old paintings that happen to have been themselves painted over older paintings. Asked by Courtland if the new paintings will be erased, Sandra answers that it's not useful to destroy them in order to bring into light the original ones.
So OBSESSION is clearly an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO but is also a movie of its own who deserves credit. I remember that the sumptuous travellings of De Palma's camera were, in the seventies, rather unusual in the american production and generated numerous critics. One can only observe, 25 years later, that De Palma new aesthetics has inspired a whole generation of american filmmakers, like Steven Spielberg for instance, who has understood that a camera movement could produce emotions in the viewer's heart.
A DVD zone your library.