In my past review of Body Double, I had mentioned that it was a homage to both Hitchcock movies,Rear Window and Vertigo. Obsession, a Movie he made earlier in 1976 is another tribute to Vertigo, and closer in plot to the Alfred Hitchock classic

The movie opens with a loud, almost jarring background score, as the titles flow by. The music is gone, replaced by sounds of the night, and the locale is New Orleans in 1959.

In an exquisite mansion, a celebration is in progress. Businessman Robert Lasalle(John Lithgow) is toasting the 10th nuptial anniversary of Michael(Cliff Robertson) and Elizabeth Courtland (Geneviève Bujold) Michael is Robert’s business partner and close friend. Soft music plays in the background.

The couple, clearly in love, waltz to the music. The couples’ young daughter Amy appears and shares a dance with her beloved father. As the celebration continues the camera reveals a concealed firearm, tucked in the pants of one of the waiters, to set the scene for what is to come next.

After the celebration and the guests leave, as Amy’s loud scream pierces the moment. A frantic Michael charges into her room and there is no sign of Amy, but a ransom note demanding a sum of $50,0000 not just for recovering Amy but also for recovering Elizabeth who has also been abducted.

With both Elizabeth and Amy kidnapped, Micheal receives a note from the kidnappers, delivered by a young boy, with instructions on how Michael can trade the money for his wife and daughter.

Despite the kidnappers warning against the idea, Michael asks the police for assistance. The police chief talks Michael into a plan where Michael is to give the kidnappers, a suitcase with blank papers, and a radio signal tracker instead of the ransom they demanded.

The plan falls apart, when the kidnappers see that they have been tricked and try to flee the scene with the hostages. The situation turns tragic when the kidnappers are pursued, as their car crashes and bursts into flames with everyone in it dead.

Sixteen years pass and Michael is now by himself, and still in love and obsessed with his dead wife. In memory of his beloved wife, Michael has built a replica of the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte church in Florence, the place where he first met her

A business trip brings him and his partner Lasalle to Florence. Michael pays a visit to the church by himself to relive his past memories. To his astonishment, he sees a woman who is a splitting image, of Elizabeth working to restore some of the paintings that were damaged by a flood from years before.

There is, of course, the ‘signature’ De Palma ‘dialog-free scene, as Michael stalks Elizabeth’s replica across the sites of France and in and out of lavishly furnished buildings.

Michael then accosts the woman, gets to know her and even begins to court her. The woman, Sandra warns Michael, that she is a strict Catholic and will not indulge in impropriety before marriage. Micheal complies, as he is now in love with her.

Michael tries to recreate Elizabeth in Sandra and surprisingly sees little objection. Hitchcock fans will immediately see De Palma’s tribute to Hitchcock’s Vertigo, here.

The two are engaged and Michael brings her back to his mansion in New Orleans. Then, when the wedding day arrives, fate repeats itself and Sandra is abducted and Micheal finds a random note, almost identical to the one he received when Amy and Elizabeth were kidnapped.

Michael is now on the verge of a mental breakdown and hustles to arrange for the ransom and pay the kidnappers. In the process, uncovers a devilish conspiracy behind all the kidnapping and other revelations.

This movie, like most De Palma movies, is a visual treat spread across beautiful sites in Florence and New Orleans. The plot that has facets of stalking and obsession, both trite, in Hitchcock and De Palma movies.

As is well known, De Palma like to keep things edgy and push the envelope in his movies. While the movie by itself has no explicit scenes, it’s theme comes dangerously close to creepiness, but stops inches away.

While many critics have criticized the plot as being far from reality, I agree with Ebert, in that it is this aspect of the movie that makes it exciting. Again, like many of De Palma’s plots, it has loopholes. De Palma seems to focus on the movie’s overall style than the plot’s substance and surprisingly that works.

Lithgow puts in a strong performance, as one would expect from him. The best performance, however comes from Geneviève Bujold briefly as passionate Elizabeth and then as the young and vibrant Sandra. Geneviève has little problems portraying Sandra with her Italian accent.

However, the weekest link in the movie is the protagonist, Cliff Robertson. With limited acting skills and few expression, he is unable to exhibit enough pathos to make a convincing, grieving Michael. However, the plot the music and other actors do compensate for him. Even De Palma later admitted that casting Robertson in the movie was a bad choice.

Obsession’s plot shares commonalities with that Vertigo such as the presumed dead female lead, mysteriously resurfacing, the male lead’s obsession with her and a sinister conspiracy behind it all. A church is an important locale in both movies.

However, unlike in Vertigo, Obsession’s climax does not unfold at the church. The ending in Obsession is in fact well done and quite unique. In both movies, the lady who bears a resemblance to the dead woman have little objection when the protagonist asks her to behave like the deceased woman. Funnily enough, on hindsight, the lookalike has more motivation to comply in Obsession.

‘Obsession’ is a slow burner but is saved its haunting and sometime jarring music, visuals, an edgy plot line. Though this is not De Palma’s best work to date, is worth watching.’Obsession is a slow burner but is saved its haunting and sometime jarring music, visuals, an edgy plot line. Though this is not De Palma’s best work to date, is worth watching.

References

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/obsession-1976

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsession_(1976_film)