OBSESSION (1976)

Made right before his mainstream breakthru in CARRIE/’76, director Brian De Palma, with co-scripter Paul Schrader, can’t find dramatic footing even in the wading pool depth of this snarky cineast puzzle.  More ripoff than homage, think of it as a ‘refrigerator door’ poem made from magnetic word tiles.  The ones you arrange (and rearrange) to create cute haiku or doggerel-of-the-day.  Only here, instead of words, each tile a famous scene or moment from Alfred Hitchcock’s VERTIGO: looming tower; brooding portrait painting with a hair style to copy; switchback staircase; telltale piece of ‘borrowed’ jewelry;  dead love doppelgänger; terrifying dream sequence; confessional letter written but not sent; two fails at saving the love of your life; all fogged up cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond extrapolating off an unrestored print of VERTIGO?); Bernard Herrmann score.*  Plus, Bonus Tile from DIAL M FOR MURDER/’54: deadly scissors!  How’s the old saw go: Talent borrows/genius steals?  Not so much here.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Quite a contest in bad accents between John Lithgow’s southern drawl and Geneviève Bujold’s Québécois Italian.  He’s the villain/partner; she’s the reborn love; both still topping Cliff Robertson’s befuddled patsy, moping at having to play leading man on a low budget.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY/LINK:  *Composer Bernard Herrmann didn’t live to see his last two films (this and TAXI DRIVER) Oscar nom’d.  Shamefully, his first nod from the Academy since 1947!  None of the Hitchcocks even nominated.  Not PSYCHO, not VERTIGO.  And while he likely split his own vote, at least he lost to the great score Jerry Goldsmith wrote for THE OMEN/’76.    https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/omen-1976.html

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Don’t ruin VERTIGO by seeing this first!  And note our Truth in Advertizing poster with ‘money quotes’ from the likes of Rex Reed and Liz Smith.