The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writers:

James M. Cain (novel)
David Mamet (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 March 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | Romance

Tagline:

You Will Feel The Heat.

Plot:

The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Drifter | Cafe | Lunch Wagon | Remake

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Frank Chambers
Jessica Lange	...	Cora Papadakis
John Colicos	...	Nick Papadakis
Michael Lerner	...	Mr. Katz
John P. Ryan	...	Kennedy
Anjelica Huston	...	Madge
William Traylor	...	Sackett
Thomas Hill	...	Barlow (as Tom Hill)
Jon Van Ness	...	Motorcycle Cop
Brian Farrell	...	Mortenson
Raleigh Bond	...	Insurance Salesman
William Newman	...	Man from Home Town
Albert Henderson	...	Art Beeman
Ken Magee	...	Scoutmaster
Eugene Peterson	...	Doctor

Also Known As:

Wenn der Postmann zweimal klingelt (West Germany)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1988) | Finland:K-18 (1981) | Singapore:PG (cut) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Portugal:M/16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Santa Barbara, California, USA

Company:

CIP Filmproduktion GmbH

Trivia:

Meryl Streep rejected the part of Cora.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Cora walks to the door of the café after coming back from her mother's (1:38:25), her zipper and zipper pull show. What we see is an "invisible" zipper which were not invented until the early 1960s.

Quotes:

Sackett: Spit on the sidewalk and you'll die in jail!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick (2007) (V)

ring...ring

Whereas previous versions of this movie had to follow strict censorship rules, this one didn't have to, so you'd better believe that they went all out. When 1930s drifter Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson) decides to stay at a hotel, he falls for lusty co-owner Cora Papadakis (Jessica Lange). But since she's married, their relationship can only progress if something "happens" to her husband Nick (John Colicos).

Bob Rafelson had previously directed Nicholson in the masterpiece "Five Easy Pieces" and the slightly more subdued "King of Marvin Gardens" (they collaborated on even more movies after this one). But here - like I said - they go all out. We might interpret the movie as looking at the role of women in our society...or maybe it's totally up to interpretation. But let me tell you: you're not likely to come away from "The Postman Always Rings Twice" neutral. Also starring Anjelica Huston, Michael Lerner, and Christopher Lloyd.