National Theatre Live: Obsession (2017)

Sorry, this movie sucks

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Needing to take some forms into town to get completed,I decided to see what was being shown at the cinema. Finding the listings to be filled with inane-sounding blockbusters,I was taken aback to spot a "live" theatrical adaptation of Luchino Visconti's Film Noir Ossessione (which I've sadly not yet seen.) Finding the National Theatre versions of Frankenstein and Coriolanus to be extremely distinctive versions,I got set to see a Film Noir on stage.The plot:Entering the inn without any cash in his pockets, drifter Gino grabs some of innkeepers Hanna and opera singer Joseph's food and gets set to leave. Stopping Gino,Joseph arranges a deal for Gino to pay via fixing his truck. Lusting the moment he walked in,Hanna seduces Gino. Deciding to leave together,Hanna pulls away over fears of losing the business. In the wilderness once again,Gino drifts back to Hanna,who makes a plan to bring the curtain down on Joseph's opera.View on the film:Stripping the Film Noir world bare,co-writer/(with Simon Stephens and Jan Peter Gerrits trims the set down to the bare elements,with a bar table,an engine (which spills oil over the stage) accordions in glass and a shower creating a minimalist landscape where Gino is isolated. Brilliantly using the "filmed" aspect of the production, Hove charges up a cinematic Noir atmosphere,in overlapping shots of Gino's face,stylish side shots behind Joseph's shoulders,and oil poring like an open wound against dour lights,offering aspects that viewers of the stage show could not see.Adapting Luchino Visconti's adaptation of James M. Cain's book (!) the writers brilliantly balance Italian Neo-Realism with deep-fried US Film Noir. Limiting themselves to seven characters,the writers give each of them a Noir loner state of mind,from the abusive dialogue of Joseph to the gasping for freedom from Gino. Drinking up the soundtracks mix of Opera and The Stooges,the writers strike the minimalism of Italian Neo-Realism with a deep-fried fury of southern Film Noir,with Gino and Hanna's lust simmering with a deadly passion,and a fellow drifter giving the tale a homoerotic undertone.Spitting orders at Hanna, Gijs Scholten van Ascha gives a fantastic performance as Joseph,whose southern charm Ascha cracks with blunt exchanges fuelling the unease between the trio. Bravely appearing naked on stage, Halina Reijn gives a magnificent performance as Hanna,who sizzles as a seducing Femme Fatale in Hanna's brief encounters with Gino,which Reijn tones down,once she has set Joseph and Gino off. Wandering into the Noir darkness, Jude Law gives an excellent performance as Gino,that hits a sensuality in the lingering touches with Hanna and a deepening helplessness of this inn not being a safe haven from drifting Noir.

As a lover of theatre and musicals it has long been a dream of mine to see a stage show with a big name actor in it... however this is made difficult by living in Northern Ireland. So when they started introducing NTL to my local cinemas I though it would be a chance to cross this off my wish list. I was not disappointed! The play was superb, and only after viewing did I realise it was the same story as 'the postman always rings twice'. The director decided to forgo lavish sets and instead went for a minimalist approach having only 2 or 3 props on stage throughout the entire show which allowed your imagination to fill in the gaps but always allowed all of the focus to be on the powerhouse performances of its too leads. I have always been a fan of Jude Law and to see him do his thing without fancy editing or retakes was a thing of beauty. The chemistry between the two stars was excellent and watching it on a cinema screen allowed for close ups of the actors faces! Without spoiling anything a scene near the end where his word are emotional but his face emotionless stood out to me as a perfect representation of how his character felt in the situation he had found himself. All in all I really enjoyed the experience and look forward to seeing angels in America next month with Andrew Garfield as the lead!