The Possessed
- Year: 1965
- Country of origin: Italy
- Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Director: Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini
- Length: 95 min
Film Synopsis
The Possessed (1965) follows a novelist who returns to a deserted lakeside hotel to rekindle a past romance with a maid, only to learn she has died under suspicious circumstances. His search for the truth unravels a web of deceit, obsession, and eerie behavior among the residents, blurring the line between reality and delusion. This haunting Italian mystery blends noir atmosphere, psychological tension, and dreamlike unease.
Critical Perspective
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The Possessed feels very much like what a proper giallo by the likes of Michelangelo Antonioni would have been like. Of course, the master of cinematic ennui had already dabbled in the genre with L’Avventura (1960) and would do so again with his landmark Blow-Up (1966), but neither film would really play by the basic rules of the genre. Directors Luigi Bazzoni and Franco Rossellini are more inclined to “color within the lines,” as it were, but the film is still very much in the vein of serious, artistically inclined cinema. Whether that is a good thing or not will inevitably depend upon the tastes of the viewer …
Troy Howarth, So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, Volume 1, 1963-1973 (Midnight Marquee Press, 2015)
The Possessed Blu-ray editions
See which disc extras are included across selected editions.
| Disc Extras | Arrow BD-ALL/US 2019 |
|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Tim Lucas | |
| Richard Dyer on “The Possessed” | |
| The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers - Interview with Actor/Director Francesco Barilli | |
| Lipstick Marks - Interview with Makeup Artist Giannetto De Rossi | |
| Youth Memories - Interview with Assistant Art Director Dante Ferretti | |
| English Theatrical Trailer | |
| Italian Theatrical Trailer |
Edition and Packaging Notes
- Arrow’s Blu-ray includes a 40-page booklet with writing by Andreas Ehrenreich (“The Production of ‘The Possessed’”) and Roberto Curti (“The Secrets of the Lake”). Reissued (without booklet) in the “Giallo Essentials - Red Edition” box set with The Fifth Cord (1971) and The Pyjama Girl Case (1978).
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Collector’s guide
Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.
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Richard Dyer on “The Possessed” (25:11) -
The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers (30:35) -
Lipstick Marks (11:51) -
Youth Memories (16:19)
| Editions |
Arrow BD 2019
|
|---|---|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Tim Lucas Arrow BD |
| Richard Dyer on “The Possessed” Arrow BD | |
| The Legacy of the Bazzoni Brothers - Interview with Actor/Director Francesco Barilli Arrow BD | |
| Lipstick Marks - Interview with Makeup Artist Giannetto De Rossi Arrow BD | |
| Youth Memories - Interview with Assistant Art Director Dante Ferretti Arrow BD | |
| English Theatrical Trailer Arrow BD | |
| Italian Theatrical Trailer Arrow BD |