Search - Ossessione on DVD

Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1943 DVD Release: 07/16/2002 Format: DVD - Black and White Audio Tracks: Italian Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Studio: Image Entertainment Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Drama, Crime Drama

Often considered one of the first examples of Italian neorealism, Luchino Visconti's first film was this adaptation of James M. Cain's steamy novel -The Postman Always Rings Twice, which would also be made twice in the U.S., first in 1946 with Lana Turner and John Garfield and then in 1981 with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. Massimo Girotti stars as a drifter named Gino, who gets a job at a provincial inn. The handsome wanderer attempts to resist the advances of Giovanna (Clara Calamai), the estranged wife of nasty innkeeper Bragana (Juan de Landa), but he eventually gives in. Gino then allows her to talk him into killing Bragana to get the insurance money, with predictable results. Although the melodramatic story is a far cry from the post-war social statements of such later neorealist classics as Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1945) and Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948), the movie began to feature some of neorealism's defining characteristics: above all, an emphasis on outdoor shooting and natural light and a relentless focus on the lives of the poor. Ossessione caused a sensation not just because of its lurid subject matter but also because Visconti's realist style makes you practically feel the heat and dirt and sweat of the film's environment. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Clara Calamai - Giovanna Bragana
Massimo Girotti - Gino
Juan de Landa - Bragana
Dhia Cristani - Anita
Elia Marcuzzo - Lo Spagnuolo
Vittorio Duse - The Detective

Image Entertainment presents director Luchino Visconti's 1943 film Obsession. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in a full frame version that is often marred by defects and inconstancies. The black and white colors are sometimes sharp though often display a worn quality due to the film's age. Dirt and scratches abound, making this is a somewhat disappointing DVD transfer of the film. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono in Italian and is about as limited in quality as the video transfer. The mix is peppered with distortion and hiss and often sounds "canned" and jagged. While this may be the best the soundtrack will ever sound, it's still not very good. Also included on this disc are English subtitles. Sadly, fans of this early effort will be disappointed to find not a single extra feature included on this disc. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide