History Film / Obsession1976

* BadassMustache: Bob Lasalle is clean-shaven in 1959, but sports one of these in 1975.

In present day (1975) New Orleans, Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) is a land developer who is deeply haunted by the past. In 1959, his wife Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold) and their 9-year-old daughter Amy (Wanda Blackman) were abducted and held for ransom. The police bungled an attempt to rescue them, including a plan involving a briefcase full of blank paper instead of money. In the ensuing chaos, Elizabeth and Amy died. Michael has mourned their loss ever since, even erecting a memorial to them on the land where he'd intended to build a housing subdivision.

* YouKilledMyFather: The reason why [[spoiler:Amy/Sandra was eager to go along with Lasalle's scheme, since Lasalle had convinced her that Michael didn't love her anymore and let Elizabeth die on purpose, so she was eager to get revenge on her father]].

* EiffelTowerEffect: A brief scene in the French Quarter, and some shots of the still-under-construction Superdome.

* SurpriseIncest: [[spoiler:Slightly averted in regards to the Sandra/Amy connection. In the original script, it is made explicit that father (Michael) and long-lost daughter (Sandra) consummate their love affair, but nervous studio executives [[ExecutiveMeddling tried to downplay it]] by making their wedding into a dream sequence and [=LaSalle=] telling Sandra "at least you didn't go to bed with him" as the two board the plane to Rome with the stolen money.]]

* {{Expy}}: On a basic level as a ''Vertigo'' homage, you have Michael/Scottie, Elizabeth & Sandra/Madeleine & Judy, and Elster/Lasalle. There's also a fair amount of [[Film/{{Marnie}} Mark Rutland]] in Michael too, since they have similar names and are both grieving widowers who start an unsettling relationship with a woman he barely knows, to the confusion of his associates.

* {{Expy}}: On a basic level as a ''Vertigo'' homage, you have Michael/Scottie, Elizabeth & Sandra/Madeleine & Judy, and Elster/Lasalle. There's also a fair amount of [[Film/{{Marnie}} Mark Rutland]] in Michael too, as a grieving widower who starts an unsettling relationship with a woman he barely knows, to the confusion of his associates.

* OrbitalKiss: No kiss involved, but the final scene uses this.

* WholePlotReference: Not as slavish a copy of ''Vertigo'' as its reputation suggests, but still follows the main outline. ''Film/{{Marnie}}'' also gets referenced. And of course, the "kidnapped daughter" angle is Creator/PaulSchrader doing another ShoutOut to ''Film/TheSearchers''.

* YouFool: Used verbatim by Lasalle during his final altercation with Michael.

* InternalReveal: Flashbacks reveal [[spoiler:that while Elizabeth died in the car accident, the kidnappers kept Amy at the house. Bob paid her ransom, then sent her to Italy, where she assumed the identity of Sandra]], but Michael doesn't learn it until the final scene.

* YouFool!: Used verbatim by Lasalle during his final altercation with Michael.

* WholePlotReference: Not as slavish a copy of ''Vertigo'' as its reputation suggests, but still follows the main outline. ''Film/{{Marnie}}'' also gets referenced. And of course, the "kidnapped daughter" angle is Creator/PaulSchrader doing another ShoutOut to ''Film/TheSearchers''.

* WholePlotReference: Not as slavish a copy of ''Vertigo'' as its reputation suggests, but still follows the main outline. ''Film/{{Marnie}}'' also gets referenced. And of course, the "lost daughter" angle is Creator/PaulSchrader doing another ShoutOut to ''Film/TheSearchers''.

** The ransom plot was actually a failed attempt at this. [[spoiler:Knowing how much he loved his wife and daughter, Lasalle expected Michael to pay the ransom, which would force him to give up his share of the partnership. Instead, the police convinced Michael to go along with a phony payment sting operation, which ruined the plan and forced Lasalle to pay the kidnappers off himself]].

* BittersweetEnding: Having [[spoiler:killed Bob]], Michael thinks [[spoiler:he'll get the chance to take revenge out on Sandra, but instead learns that she's actually his daughter]].

* InternalReveal: Flashbacks reveal [[spoiler:that while Elizabeth died in the car accident, Amy stayed at the house, Bob paid her ransom, then sent her to Italy, where she assumed the identity of Sandra]], but Michael doesn't learn it until the final scene.

In present day (1975) New Orleans, Michael Courtland (Cliff Robertson) is a land developer who is deeply haunted by the past. In 1959, his wife Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold) and their 9-year-old daughter Amy (Wanda Blackman) were abducted and held for ransom. The police bungled an attempt to rescue them, including a plan involving a briefcase full of blank paper instead of money. In the ensuing chaos, Elizabeth and Amy died. Michael has mourned their loss ever since, including erecting a memorial to them on the land where he'd intended to build a housing subdivision.

* DejaVu: This was the film's working title, and reliving past experiences is major theme for all the main characters.

* ChekhovsGun: A literal gun carried concealed by a waiter at the Courtlands' party, and used for the abduction.

* BatmanGambit: It's a complicated scheme, but [[spoiler:Lasalle is using Sandra/Amy to manipulate Michael into giving up his money and land. He even comments on how completely Michael fell for the scam and how it made things so easy]].

* WholePlotReference: Not as slavish a copy of ''Vertigo'' as its reputation suggests, but still follows the main outline. ''Film/{{Marnie}}'' also gets referenced.

On a trip to Italy with his business partner Bob Lasalle (Creator/JohnLithgow), Michael revisits the San Miniato al Monte basilica in Florence, where he'd met Elizabeth. There, he encounters Sandra Portinari (also Geneviève Bujold), a local young woman (who speaks perfect English) helping out with the restoration of a painting. She looks exactly like Elizabeth.

* BatmanGambit: It's a complicated scheme, but [[spoiler:Lasalle even comments on how completely Michael was duped by Sandra and how it made things go like he wanted]].

Any similarities to ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' in that plot are strictly intentional, as De Palma once again indulged in his admiration for the work of Creator/AlfredHitchcock, including having Music/BernardHerrmann to write the score. Bouncing back from the failure of ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'', ''Obsession'' became a SleeperHit that helped set the stage for the success of his BreakthroughHit ''[[Film/Carrie1976 Carrie]]''.

* SmugSnake: Even we he just seems like Michael's loyal business partner, Bob has an off-putting, arrogant manner. Turns out [[spoiler:he's a BitchInSheepsClothing who's trying to swindle the land away from Michael]].

Any similarities to ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' in that plot are strictly intentional, as De Palma once again indulged in his admiration for the work of Creator/AlfredHitchcock, including having Music/BernardHerrmann to write the score. Bouncing back from the failure of ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'', ''Obsession'' became a SleeperHit that helped set the stage for the success of his BreakthroughHit ''Film/Carrie1976''.

* Expy: On a basic level as a ''Vertigo'' homage, you have Michael/Scottie, Elizabeth & Sandra/Madeleine & Judy, and Elster/Lasalle. There's also a fair amount of [[Film/{{Marnie}} Mark Rutland]] in Michael too, as a grieving widower who starts an unsettling relationship with a woman he barely knows, to the confusion of his associates.

In present day (1975) New Orleans, Michael Courtland is a land developer who is deeply haunted by the past. In 1959, his wife Elizabeth (Geneviève Bujold) and their 9-year-old daughter Amy (Wanda Blackman) were abducted and held for ransom. The police bungled an attempt to rescue them, including a plan involving a briefcase full of blank paper instead of money. In the ensuing chaos, Elizabeth and Amy died. Michael has mourned their loss ever since, including erecting a memorial to them on the land where he'd intended to build a housing subdivision.