1943·140 min·Released

Obsession

Crime
Drama
Romance

Gino, a drifter, begins an affair with inn-owner Giovanna as they plan to get rid of her older husband.

7.5(271 votes)

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82%

Why we recommend it

✓Worth watching — solid reviews and rating
✓TMDB rating 7.5/10 from 271 votes
✗Dialogue-driven scenes do not justify premium pricing.
✗Premium formats add little value for this title.
ℹStrong audience ratings support a theatrical watch.
·Limited technical metadata reduces recommendation confidence.

Cast & Crew

Clara Calamai

Giovanna Bragana

Massimo Girotti

Gino Costa

Dhia Cristiani

Anita

Elio Marcuzzo

The Spaniard

Vittorio Duse

Police Officer

Michele Riccardini

Don Remigio

Juan de Landa

Giuseppe Bragana

Michele Sakara

Il Bambino (uncredited)

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CinemaSerf

Written on 1/19/2025

So much of this adaptation of James Cain's "Postman Always Rings Twice" novel depends on it's stunningly intimate, almost adulatory, photography and on that score this really does not disappoint. "Giovanna" (Clara Calamai) is trapped in a loveless marriage with the older, drunken and thuggish "Giuseppe" (Juan de Landa) when the drifter "Gino" (Massimo Girotti) happens by. He's a jack of all trades and they can use him to help around the place in return for his bed and board. Quite quickly, though, she makes it clear she'd prefer it were her bed, and the pair are soon scheming an end to her loathsome predicament. It turns out that that's not so difficult to achieve, but what of events thereafter? The police, the insurance, the struggling business, oh - and the guilt. It's that latter element that gradually gnaws away at their relationship and it's this last hour or so that sees Visconti at his creative best. The highly structured but entirely natural look of the scenarios, the score and the increasingly frenetic dialogue raise the tension appreciably and though there is a tangible chemistry throughout from Calamai and Girotti, it's one that intensifies as an uncertain denouement beckons. You can just imagine the response it would have received in wartime Italy as it questions issues of faith and fidelity, crime and lust - indeed I'm quite surprised all the prints weren't burnt at the stake. Did this postman actually ring twice? I'm not sure he did, but I'm not sure that mattered to me in the end.

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Release Timeline

This title has already released. Showing historical dates and streaming availability.

Premiere · confirmed
Premiere
Obsession
October 2, 1976
Theatrical · confirmed
Theatrical
Obsession
June 3, 1977
Theatrical · confirmed
Theatrical
Obsession
June 17, 2008

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Obsession

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