I say TO-MAE-TOE , You say TO-MAH-TOE. I say Vertigo, You say Obsession.
This early work of Brian de Palma freely takes plot material from Hitchcock's masterpiece. Indeed, Obsession strikes me as a more blatant Hitchcock steal, than the latter de Palma films also accused of being rip-offs (Dressed to Kill, Body Double, Raising Cane) The best and safest way to approach Obsession is to treat it not so much as a rip-off, but rather as a retelling. I suppose that would be the best way to treat all de Palma thrillers, come to think of it.
Brian De Palma, and co-writer Paul Shrader have chosen to take this story away from San Franscisco (Vertigo) and into Venice where de Palma can integrate long sweeping takes of renaissance churches with religious art, and work his camera through a labyrinth of four hundred year old, narrow streets/alleys.
Despite being derivative, Obsession entertains....for a while. Three errors come to mind, which hurt the movie. a) Cliff Robertson is no James Stewart, His performance as a distraught millionaire following a Venetian girl who resembles his dead wife, is stiff and unconvincing. b) the film is surrounded by a score that is over composed, too assertive and draws more attention to itself than it should. c) the climactic finale is chaotic and dumb. Despite a few good de Palma shots, Obsession comes with a disappointing pay off.
I'm not sure who best to recommend Obsession to. I would certainly not suggest it for those who worship Hitchcock. It's watchable, but De Palma has done better, as has the thriller genre.
This early work of Brian de Palma freely takes plot material from Hitchcock's masterpiece. Indeed, Obsession strikes me as a more blatant Hitchcock steal, than the latter de Palma films also accused of being rip-offs (Dressed to Kill, Body Double, Raising Cane) The best and safest way to approach Obsession is to treat it not so much as a rip-off, but rather as a retelling. I suppose that would be the best way to treat all de Palma thrillers, come to think of it.
Brian De Palma, and co-writer Paul Shrader have chosen to take this story away from San Franscisco (Vertigo) and into Venice where de Palma can integrate long sweeping takes of renaissance churches with religious art, and work his camera through a labyrinth of four hundred year old, narrow streets/alleys.
Despite being derivative, Obsession entertains....for a while. Three errors come to mind, which hurt the movie. a) Cliff Robertson is no James Stewart, His performance as a distraught millionaire following a Venetian girl who resembles his dead wife, is stiff and unconvincing. b) the film is surrounded by a score that is over composed, too assertive and draws more attention to itself than it should. c) the climactic finale is chaotic and dumb. Despite a few good de Palma shots, Obsession comes with a disappointing pay off.
I'm not sure who best to recommend Obsession to. I would certainly not suggest it for those who worship Hitchcock. It's watchable, but De Palma has done better, as has the thriller genre.