Ossessione
by Luchino Visconti
Our Price: $33.89
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $16.82 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Clara Calamai, Dhia Cristiani, Elio Marcuzzo, Massimo Girotti, Vittorio DuseDirector: Luchino Visconti
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 140 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-07-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Ossessione
DVD Review: Glowing with perceptive light and smoldering heat
Summary: 5 Stars
"Ossessione" may possess a few blemishes, but director Luchino Visconti achieves nearly ideal results, rendered from modest resources, in scene after scene throughout the entire length of the film. It is the first movie Visconti made, yet it is an original masterpiece of instinctive genius and technical skill, melded with a mature understanding of human nature. "Ossessione" is the earliest cinematic adaptation of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and, it may indeed be the finest version as well, because it portrays all its characters through clear-eyed vision that is both wise and compassionate. Though we recognize these people are ill-fated, we never consider them to be mere dupes in a noir-ish morality play. We feel in earnest for these individuals, whose sorrows and aspirations resonate realistically -- and sympathetically -- with our own disappointments and dreams.
It can also be said that "Ossessione" is exactly the type of film that most deserves to be safely archived forever, in digital format like DVD. It is a small miracle that this movie still exists for us to admire intact. Visconti's working budget was so spare that he could not afford to purchase the screen rights from "Postman" author James M. Cain; consequently, copyright protections blocked the picture from being shown outside Italy and, these legal difficulties held it in limbo for decades. Within Italy itself, "Ossessione" was censored and banned. Both the Catholic Church and Mussolini's government declared it unwholesome for Italian audiences, and only allowed severely edited versions to be shown, or kept it out of movie theaters altogether. While it's evident that the print preserved in this edition has suffered wear over its 60 difficult years, the pure artistry of this movie always shines through undiminished, so that image flaws never become a concern (at least not for this viewer) and it is truly gratifying to witness this splendid movie in its full length. As I am deeply enamored of such handsome, vintage films I feel blessed that "Ossessione" has survived to offer all its treasures to us now. Even its rough qualites seem in keeping with the fluctuating destinies of its protagonists.
This picture has such a wealth of nuance and detail that I am almost at a loss to adequately recommend its virtues to intrigue the prospective buyer. Somehow, with graceful prowess, Visconti has translated a classic American crime thriller into the local features and native inflections of 1940s Mediterranean culture, so that freshly imagined Italian verismo episodes keep greeting our eyes and, there is scarcely a single moment that seems contrived or implausible. Moreover, Visconti has managed to create another layer of poignant complexity within the plot by introducing an entirely new character, a street magician named Spagnolo ("The Spaniard") whose mercurial presence adds immeasurable depth -- and heartache -- to this tale. All of these attributes are conveyed with such subtle yet salt-of-the-earth realism (including the virile appeal of the leading actors) that this movie abundantly rewards our careful attentiveness. But, it could also strike the too-casual viewer as being a rather sparse and unremarkable affair. If you are the sort of movie lover who delights in the riches of finely wrought cinematic craft, please do not hesitate to avail yourself of this worthy, historic gem. It is still as darkly lustrous and vital, in its own way, as John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath", Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" or Jean Cocteau's "Orphee", and it has lived on, despite formidable odds, to be appreciated by us today.
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The DamnedRAMPLING,CHARLOTTE; Release date: 2004-02-17; Published: 2004-02-01; DVD
Best price: $18.25
Price in other shops:
Big Deal on Madonna Street (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2001-06-05; DVD
Best price: $15.98
Price in other shops:
LudwigKOC; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $20.99
Price in other shops:
Doris Dowling, Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone, Checco Rissone, Nico Pepe, Adriana Sivieri. Vittorio Gassman - Bitter Rice (1949)Release date: 2011-05-31; DVD
Best price: $19.99
ShoeshineE1E; Release date: 2011-05-17; DVD
Best price: $16.81
Price in other shops:
Rocco and His BrothersRelease date: 2001-10-30; DVD
Best price: $29.98
Terra TremaRelease date: 2012-03-13; DVD
Best price: $26.99
Price in other shops:
Le Notti Bianche (The Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2005-07-12; DVD
Best price: $15.92
Price in other shops:
Senso (The Criterion Collection)IMG; Release date: 2011-02-22; DVD
Best price: $15.78
Price in other shops:
L'InnocenteKoch International; Release date: 2009-03-10; DVD
Best price: $7.37
Price in other shops: