Obscure Masterpiece

This is one of those rare films that will instantly sink itself into your personal cinematic cosmology. You will cherish and covet your copy, force new friends to watch it with you, and resent others who claim to adore it as much as you do with the voracity of a lover who discovers their beloved has made love all night with a stranger. I pretty much shudder with ecstatic pleasure every time I watch this film. It crackles and seethes with a bizarre and potent vitality that is apparent from the first few seconds of the film. Isabelle Adjani's performance is like a maelstrom of sheer madness and perfection. Astoundingly beautiful and completely insane you will not be able to rip your eyes away from her face. Sam Neil is fantastic, completely embroiled in the character, rivaling Kinski at times. The color palette is extremely original as well using an odd combination of blues, oranges and yellows. Almost every scene is memorable and thrilling to behold. What many people don't mention as well is the remarkable humor of the film. At points it is incredibly, darkly funny. Not to mention it's "Psycho" esque genre-shifting plot structure. To some, the film will be hard to swallow because of it's experimental-narrative structure. So don't expect your aunt Clara to get it. But to anyone with good taste in film it is an obscure masterpiece to be held, cherished, and worshiped.

There is only one big problem. The film is basically out of print. There could be a few VHS editions floating around. The only DVD copy you can get was on a "Horror Double Feature" disc paired with a Fulci film. But that just went out of print as well (I snatched up the last copy at the closing of Kim's Video). If any film needs a restored DVD release on Criterion, or an upload to NetFlix and Itunes it's this one. . And "Valerie and her Week of Wonders". NetFlix has the film, but it's still listed as "save" satus. This does give me a little hope though. C'mon distributors and archivists. Save "Possession"!