The obscure film OBSESSIONS (aka A HOLE IN THE WALL) was directed by Dutch
artsploitation auteur Pim de la Parra and co-produced by longtime collaborator
Wim Verstappen (BLUE MOVIE). This gritty, psychedelic Hitchcockian mystery,
which is notable for being the first Dutch film shot in English-language, starts
in a savagely brutal fashion. When a bloody painting of Vincent van Gogh falls
from a wall and exposes a makeshift peephole, student protagonist Nils Janssen
(played by the film's German co-producer Dieter Geissler) becomes an unwitting
witness to a gruesome sex crime next door. When his young fiancée Marina
(Alexandra Stewart of Truffaut's DAY FOR NIGHT), an enterprising journalist,
tells him about a report of a murder that she is writing, he naturally wonders
if it's the very same killing.
This classic exploitation film was the birth of auteur cinema in
Holland, and inspired legendary filmmakers such as Paul Verhoeven to make their
start in the industry. Originally distributed in over 100 countries, the film
remained unreleased in the U. S. (and France) until now. Perhaps most notably,
the film was co-written by a young Martin Scorsese, who shot the legendary
erotic dream sequence for his first feature WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR
(1968) in Amsterdam, that same year. Additionally, the film also stars legendary
Dutch filmmaker Fons Rademakers (MIRA, THE ASSAULT), is edited by Henry Rust
(CHILDREN OF PARADISE) and scored by Hitchcock composer Bernard Herrmann (TAXI
DRIVER, SISTERS). OBSESSIONS is a curious cultural hybrid where late-1960s Dutch
exploitation and classic Hollywood Hitchcock collide in a provocative and
revolutionary fashion. Hitchcock, Scorsese & Sex. Made in Holland.
- New HD Transfer (from original 35mm film) - Introduction by
director Pim de La Parra (HD, 2017) - Introduction by actor/producer
Dieter Geissler (HD, 2016) - Interview with Pim de La Parra (HD,
2017) - Interview with Dieter Geissler (HD, 2016) - Interview with
Martin Scorsese (Volkskrant, 2017) - Scorpio Films (Excerpt from
Parradox documentary, HD 2010) - Original Dutch Theatrical Trailer
(HD) - Script notes by Martin Scorsese - Obsessions photo video
gallery
Screenshots
To
save images, right click any image below and choose "save
picture" or download zip file above to download all hi-res
images at once.
