The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
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- Synopsis:
In "The Postman Always Rings Twice", Jack Nicholson teamed up again with his "Five Easy Pieces" and "King of Marvin Gardens" director Bob Rafelson for this 1981 version of James M. Cain's hard boiled novel of lust and murder. This version takes a much grittier (and sexually explicit) approach to the material than the slick 1946 MGM version starring John Garfield and Lana Turner. Nicholson plays Frank Chambers, a drifter who happens upon a roadside diner run by Cora Papadakis (Jessica Lange) and her swarthy Greek husband, Nick (John Colicos). Sparks fly, and before you can say l'amour fou, Frank and Cora are making the beast with two backs on the kitchen table. One thing leads to another and they conspire to murder Nick. The movie is still a little too cold and distant to fully convey a hot-blooded passion that leads to murder, but it is a strangely haunting and disturbing film nevertheless. The screenplay is by David Mamet, the photography is by the great Sven Nykvist (Ingmar Bergman's cinematographer), and watch for Anjelica Huston in a supporting role. - Actors:
- John Colicos, Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan, Anjelica Huston, William Traylor, Thomas Hill, Jon Van Ness, Brian Farrell, Raleigh Bond, William Newman, Albert Henderson, Ken Magee, Eugene Peterson, Don Calfa, Louis Turenne, Charles B. Jenkins, Dick Balduzzi, John Furlong
- Directors:
- Bob Rafelson
- Producers:
- Charles Mulvehill, Bob Rafelson
- Writers:
- James M. Cain, David Mamet
- Genres:
- Drama, Romance, Thrillers
- Collections:
- A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Frances McDormand, Getting to Know: Jack Nicholson, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Jean Renoir, Top 10 European Remakes, Top 10 French-Language Remakes, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- Unknown
- Run Time:
- 122 minutes
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Reviews (1) of The Postman Always Rings Twice
Freedom’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Say - The Postman Always Rings Twice review by griggs
Nearly forty years of censorship separate this from the 1946 original, and Rafelson takes full advantage. The raw, ugly, carnal energy James M. Cain put into the novel is more fully on screen — sex and violence as the engine, not decoration.
And yes, I’ll say it: I find this the more satisfying film, even knowing what Lana Turner achieved under the Hays Code’s thumb.
Nicholson’s solid, but Lange is the revelation. Where Turner brought icy, composed menace, Lange is feral, calculating, desperate — and more than once acts Nicholson off the screen. It’s her film.
The first hour is properly oppressive: heat, dust, desire and dread all pressing down at once. This is where it earns its keep.
Then the second hour loses the plot — morally, not literally. Rafelson gets so absorbed in what he can show that he never decides what he thinks about it. The 1946 version had a point of view despite its shackles; this one, handed full freedom, ends up rudderless.
A fascinating near-miss. Proof that censorship occasionally forced filmmakers to have opinions.