Ossessione [VHS]

A great film survives in poor shape
This is a truly great movie. It is the precursor film to the Italian Neo-Realist film movement. You can see many of its scenes were filmed in city streets and that the restaurant is a real building alongside a real highway. It is a wonderful mix of Film Noir and tragic opera. Sadly, the existing copies of the film survive in poor condition. Some of the outdoor scenes look rather washed out. Other scenes appear dark and grainy. Some flickering is apparent. This is one classic film that is crying out for restoration. The Image Video disc is pretty good considering the flaws in the quality of the film itself. I got a new disc through Amazon sellers and when it arrived, it was not the familiar purple Image disc but a Korean disc of the same film. I have nothing against Korean discs; One disc I had of the original "King Kong" was from a better copy of the movie than the new western reissue in stores now. I wish I could say that about this Korean disc of "Ossessione". The film the disc was mastered from was extremely worn, especially the sprocket holes. As a result some reels of the film jitter up and down in a really annoying manner. There is a spot early in the film where the film broke and was spliced. Fortunately, It takes place so early in the film that it does not affect the flow of the plot. I've had this type of substitution occur before while buying from Amazon. I think that Amazon sellers should state when the item being sold is not the item pictured.

Traumatic but absorbing ride
Unhappy people in unhappy circumstances. Gino is a drifter, but because he has no talent. He is a lost soul looking for an undefined future and is determined to not be tied to anything until he finds his personal nirvana. Giovanna wants the security of being settled, but is unhappy with the man who made it possible. She too, is a lost soul in search of an undefined future. With only passion as a common denominator, they cast their lots with each other and start in motion a chain of events that brings none of the joys anticipated. Don't expect this movie to be a study of life in WWII Italy. Though made during the war, it is never an issue. Indeed, with the prevalence of young men throughout the movie, it is more likely an image of pre-war Italy. And although some reviewers speak of subtle references to homosexuality, such is unnecessary in describing the Spaniard. Identical scenes in American Westerns are understood to be simply friendship and the necessities of circumstance, i.e., one bed and two people in need of sleep. Every nuance of the movie hinges upon the passion of Gino and Giovanna, complicated by his desire to be going somewhere, anywhere, and her desire to remain settled. It's a traumatic but absorbing ride, even with the distraction of reading sub-titles.

Things are not what they seem to be
Many years ago I saw a movie on TV entitoled "Obsession" It made an impression on me. I have since tried to find a copy of it anf thought this was it. It was not! This movie was passe. It was a waste of money.

Ossessione
In 1943, still under the nose of fascist censors, the great Visconti directed this sizzling, unauthorized adaptation of James Cain's novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice," which would finally get made in America three years later. Often referred to as the first neo-realist film, it comes off more as earthy, tingling melodrama. Regardless of how you categorize it, "Ossessione" stacks up admirably against later versions of this definitive "crime of passion" story.

visconti's debut
ossessione is perhaps viscont's most important film.. it ushered in a new era of cinema.. it was the first of the neorealist films.. besides that, it is simply a great movie.. visconti's debut does not feel like a debut.. the camera movements and placements are perfect.. the cast and the story are marvelous.. this is visconti's first movies but it is also one of his best adaptations..