Ossessione

Synopsis

Restless wife Giovanna meets Gino, a rough and handsome drifter. Their passionate affair leads to the murder of Giovanna's boorish husband. Adapted from James M. Cain's novel The Postman Always Rings Twice, a suggestion made to Visconti by Jean Renoir, Ossessione is an electrifying tale of the seductive and destructive power of human sexuality. It heralded a new era of Italian cinema, establishing Visconti as a leading and controversial exponent of neo-realism. On its release in 1942, Ossessione outraged the Italian Fascist government with its shocking and authentic portrayal of proletarian life and was condemned as immoral and subversive. Heavily censored, it was initially suppressed from international distribution by MGM who subsequently produced their own version four years later. It was only in 1959 that a 112-minute version was played in Paris and a full seventeen years before American audiences finally saw the full 140-minute director's cut.

Special Features

- Commentary by David Forgacs, Professor of Italian at University College London and Lesley Caldwell, Associate Fellow, Italian Department, UCL
- Biography of Luchino Visconti