Obsession (1976)
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A haunted businessman becomes obsessed with a woman who looks exactly like his late wife.
The story
In 1959, New Orleans real estate developer Michael Courtland's life is shattered when his wife and daughter are abducted during a kidnapping-rescue attempt gone wrong. Years later, while haunted by guilt and the memory of his family, he travels to Florence, Italy. There, he encounters Sandra Portinari, a young woman who is the exact look-alike of his late wife. Courtland becomes obsessed with her, attempting to mold her into a duplicate of the woman he lost. The film explores his deteriorating mental state as he tries to reclaim his past through this mysterious woman.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1959, Michael Courtland's wife and daughter are killed in a botched kidnapping rescue. Sixteen years later, while in Florence, he meets Sandra Portinari, who looks identical to his late wife. He brings her to New Orleans, and on their wedding night, she is kidnapped. Courtland pays a massive ransom to her abductors, only to discover that his business partner, Robert LaSalle, orchestrated the original kidnapping and the current one to seize Courtland's fortune. It is revealed that Sandra is actually Courtland's daughter, Amy, who was hidden away by LaSalle for years. In a final confrontation at an airport, Courtland realizes the truth as Sandra, who attempted suicide after being lied to about her father's love, cries out 'Daddy!' as he finally recognizes her.
- First release year
- 1976
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brian De Palma
- Writers
- Paul Schrader · screenplay; Brian De Palma · story; Paul Schrader · story
- Cast and characters
- Cliff Robertson · Michael Courtland; Geneviève Bujold · Sandra Portinari; John Lithgow · Robert LaSalle
- Genres
- psychological thriller; mystery
- Themes
- obsession; guilt; identity; paternal love
- Tone and mood
- melodramatic; suspenseful; romantic
- Setting
- New Orleans, Louisiana and Florence, Italy; 1959 and 1975.
- Premise and plot tags
- psychological thriller; mystery; doppelgänger; kidnapping
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay titled Déjà Vu
- Content notes
- incest
- Reception
- The film was a financial success but received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its melodrama and score while others criticized it as a mere homage to Vertigo.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · scale: percentage · review count: 30
- Production trivia
- The score was composed by Bernard Herrmann before his death in 1975.; The film was heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo.; The original script by Paul Schrader was much longer and included a future segment.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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