Obsession

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Obsession

PG,

1976,

1h 38m,

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

77%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

59%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) is a husband and father whose wife, Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold), and daughter, Amy (Wanda Blackman), have been kidnapped. When a rescue attempt fails, Elizabeth and Amy are killed, leaving Michael devastated and alone. After years of mourning, Michael travels to Italy and meets Sandra Portinari, a woman with a familiar face. Deeply in love and still haunted by the memory of Elizabeth and Amy, Michael fears that Sandra may face a similar fate.

Critics Consensus

Obsession suffers in comparison to the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece that it mirrors, but director Brian De Palma's unique preoccupations give this thriller its own compulsive, twisted fingerprint.

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John Simon

New York Magazine/Vulture

Jan 1, 2020

De Palma's direction has its splashy slickness, but the people serve as mere props for the effects.

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Walter Goodman

New York Times

Dec 13, 2017

Whatever shred of credibility the movie retains is dispersed by the final, dead serious directorial hocus‐pocus.

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Lou Lumenick

New York Post

Apr 24, 2015

4/4

Subtlety is a not a term that can often be applied to DePalma's work, but it's this uncharacteristic restraint that helps make "Obsession" his masterpiece.

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Tony Sloman

Radio Times

Jul 2, 2025

3/5

Star Wars editor Paul Hirsch consolidated his reputation on this movie, which is nearly, but not quite, as clever as it thinks it is.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Apr 4, 2025

3/5

…Cliff Robertson is rather stolid, but Bujold and Lithgow excel in difficult roles… no split screens, but lots of atmosphere, rushing, whirling camerawork and a wonderfully OTT Bernard Hermann soundtrack that elevates Obsession to real cinematic heights…

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Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

Feb 7, 2025

The truth that’s revealed by De Palma is a core of wrongness that can neither be undone, assimilated, nor confronted.

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Hermione P

Oct 22, 2018

One of his early and successful works. pity that this kind of art is practically obsolete nowadays...

Hagrid S

Feb 13, 2018

Obsession is a moving, dreamlike, and suspenseful thriller; a masterfully crafted film that has De Palma the top of his game.

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George S

Feb 6, 2018

Ultimately the story is good but as a movie it is a crashing bore to witness. Genevieve Bujold is her usual magnetic self but even she cant elevate this most boring of all De Palma movies.

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Draco R

Dec 12, 2015

De Palma only became original after this film. Upon re-watch all the actors did a fine job here, particularly Lithgow and Robertson. This is a serious film, and that's difficult to see but it is, which immediately lends its ambition and influence to Hitchcock.

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Brian De Palma

Director

Cliff Robertson

Michael Courtland

Geneviève Bujold

Elizabeth Courtland

John Lithgow

Robert Lasalle

Sylvia `Kuumba' Williams

Maid

Wanda Blackman

Amy Courtland

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Synopsis

Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) is a husband and father whose wife, Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold), and daughter, Amy (Wanda Blackman), have been kidnapped. When a rescue attempt fails, Elizabeth and Amy are killed, leaving Michael devastated and alone. After years of mourning, Michael travels to Italy and meets Sandra Portinari, a woman with a familiar face. Deeply in love and still haunted by the memory of Elizabeth and Amy, Michael fears that Sandra may face a similar fate.

Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: George Litto, Harry N. Blum
Screenwriter: Paul Schrader
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 1976, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 27, 2010
Runtime: 1h 38m

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