Obsession (1976)

Directed by Brian De Palma. Starring Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Bujold, John Lithgow, Stocker Fontelieu, Wanda Blackman, J. Patrick McNamara. [R]

The world of New Orleans property developer Robertson is shattered when his wife and daughter are killed during a kidnapping-gone-wrong, but many years later, he catches a glimpse of a young woman who’s the spitting image of his late beloved (both roles are played by Bujold). Perhaps De Palma’s most overt style-over-substance Hitchcock pastiche—Vertigo is not only echoed repeatedly, it’s blatantly quoted at a few junctures—and as one would expect, it holds up to no earthly measure of logic, but the showy camerawork, tormented emotions, and mournfully romantic music (Bernard Herrmann’s penultimate film score) all mix together for a salacious, high-style melodrama. The middle act suffers from sluggish pacing and Robertson’s bloodless work, however, and the big “twist” fails to shock because it goes, well in advance, beyond the obvious into the inevitable. With her luminous brand of charisma, Bujold is a casting coup as the target of the titular compulsion. Screenplay credited to Paul Schrader, although De Palma allegedly re-wrote a good portion of it.

74/100