THE FILM
FILM DIRECTOR: Bob Rafelson
SCREENWRITER: David Mamet
FILM STARS: Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Michael Lerner, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd
COUNTRY: USA
THIS BOOK
AUTHOR: James M. Cain
TYPE: Novel
PUBLISHER: Pan
THIS EDITION PUBLISHED: 1981
COUNTRY: Great Britain
COVER: Paperback
THE ORIGINAL BOOK
ORIGINAL AUTHOR: As Above
YEAR FIRST PUBLISHED: 1934
ORIGINAL BOOK TITLE: The film title
NOTES
GENRE: Drama
WORDS: Famous for its steamy sex scenes, this tale of lust and murder was scripted by David Mamet, directed by Bob Rafelson and stars Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. How can it go wrong? It doesn’t. But I still prefer (by a country mile) the 1946 version by Tay Garnett with John Garfield and Lana Turner (Jessica is a babe but Lana sizzles with heat) or the Italian (unofficial) version, Ossessione (Obsession), from 1943 film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Clara Calamai and Massimo Girotti. The book is typical Cain – always readable and always torrid with sex and violence. If you want to know what the title means there are theories, but it seem the postman is “fate” and the character escapes with his actions the first time but not the second.
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James M Cain is a great writer. Full stop. He made a big deal of little things. Gas stations, baking pies, selling life insurance. I’ve often thought Pablo Almododovar should film his novel ‘Serandade’ – about a derelict opera singer down and out in Mexico.
As good as the film versions of ‘Postman’ are, Cain’s novel is the superior work of art. As an aside, it’s got a great opening sentence – one of the best: ‘They threw me off the hay truck about noon.’
Paul, I knew you would comment, knowing your love of Cain. In relation to “Serenade”. It was made into a film in 1956. It is more Hollywood (a lot more) than Cain but it does have its compensations: directed by the great Anthony Mann and starring Mario Lanza (a Elvis favourite) at his most ripe.