POSSESSION
*****
Directed by Andrzej Zulawski.
Starring Sam Neill, Isabelle Adjani, Heinz Bennent.
Horror, France/West Germany, 124 minutes, Certificate 18.
Released in the UK on Limited Edition 4K UHD & Blu-ray by Second Sight Films on 15th December.
Since the dawn of DVD, there have been a certain number of classic films that get re-released again and again with all manner of re-masters, special features and alternate cuts. How many times have we bought the likes of the EVIL DEAD trilogy, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE or RE-ANIMATOR. Then there are a number of films which seem to be released once and vanish, whether due to a lack of demand or rights issues can be judged on a case by case basis, but these films seem to vanish into the cinematic ether. Such works may not have the reputation of the previously mentioned films but there is one film that stands above all, with a reputation that has just kept growing in terms of infamy and influence, particularly over the past few years, that for some reason has not had any kind of home release for over a decade. Praise be to Second Sight Films then, who have decided to focus their usual meticulous efforts in remastering, special features and packaging on Andrzej Zulawski’s deranged 1981 masterpiece POSSESSION.
Perhaps the most arthouse of all the titles that got swept up in the Video Nasty craze of the 1980’s with its Palme d’Or nomination and Best Actress award for Isabelle Adjani’s astonishing performance, POSSESSION has lost none of its power to unsettle its audience. The story of a marriage breakdown and the extraordinary effects it produces not only in husband Mark (Sam Neill) and wife Anna (Adjani) but in everyone who crosses their destructive path, this is at times otherworldly and apocalyptic and continuously hysterical. Set in Berlin, literally in the shadow of the Wall, we follow Mark’s attempts to uncover the reasons behind Anna’s sudden distance. Believing her to have run off with another man, the effete yet handy with his fists Heinrich (Heinz Bennent), the truth behind the dissolution of their relationship is stranger, and far more shocking, than anyone could begin to suspect.
Inspired by, among other things, Zulawski’s own failed marriage, POSSESSION is a raw and personal work of art that stands out in the genre. From the first shot it feels like it could spin out of control at any given moment. The swooping camera work perfectly compliments the unhinged performances of not only the starring double act but every other character who gets swept up in their hurricane of cosmic, carnal madness. Separate moments of traffic accidents, involving both Anna and Mark, feel genuine and chaotic and in Mark’s case genuinely painful. Then there is the film's famed central set piece of Anna’s breakdown in a subway corridor. As astonishing as it is unnerving, it feels like we are witnessing a genuine moment of madness within Adjani, yet it is impossible to tear your eyes away from. It is little surprise that such a scene has now become so influential with the likes of THE FIRST OMEN not so much paying homage to it but straight out stealing it, but with little of the terrifying effect that the original still casts. Long standing rumours of Adjani’s struggle in dealing with the role only add an extra troubling edge when watching the film, whether for the first time or a repeat viewing.
The now deceased Zulawski attributes the power of the scene to Adjani’s acting skill and a shaman like trance on a prickly audio commentary included here in this absolutely stacked release. Two other commentaries are included here, one with screenwriter Frederic Tuten, the other with Alexandra Heller-Nicolas and Alison Taylor, that pick the film apart in terms of subject, themes and behind the scenes info in detail that will please both fans of the film and those who may take more of a scholarly interest in everything that it represents. Also included are a large number of featurettes and documentaries including a fifty minute making-of directed by Daniel Bird, as well as an hour long documentary from the 80’s about Zulawski and his numerous troubles with filmmaking in his native Poland and the effects on his own life. A half hour interview with Guillermo Del Toro sees the filmmaker eagerly discuss the films influence on himself and surprisingly his romantic life, using it as a first date movie (“It took a few goes.”) Also notable is the American release of the film included on a separate disc, which was the only way to see the film in that country for decades. Cut by fifty minutes this is an essential curio for fans, making an already deranged film feel even more berserk with its extensive butchering of the film and its bizarre added optical effects which distributors thought would make the film play better in grindhouse cinemas at the time.
It is fun to compare to the original release which has never looked better with the 4K remastering work. The naturalistic lighting shines through better than ever capturing not only a Berlin divided between the past and the then present but also offers a chance to examine the astonishing special effects of Carlo Rambaldi’s mysterious creature that Anna becomes so fond and protective of. No doubt the freeze frame button will be employed here like never before for a chance to examine one of the most unsettling creatures cinema has ever offered. Again, Second Sight have not only gone above and beyond with the presentation and features, but the addition of the original shooting script, with notes from Zulawski and Tuten and a separate 200 page plus hardback including various essays, articles and illustrations make this the most essential physical release of this year. If you are a long time fan you will no doubt have suspected as much, but if this is the first time you are to experience the madness of one of the most unique horror films ever made, then there could be no finer introduction than this.
Iain MacLeod