The Postman Always Rings Twice
Short description
Frank Chambers is a drifter making his way through Depression-era California when he stops at a roadside lunch stand and takes a job from its owner, Nick Papadakis. Frank soon becomes involved with Nick's wife, Cora, who is much younger than her husband and unhappy in the marriage. The affair turns into a plan to get rid of Nick, setting the lovers on a course that neither can control.
Bob Rafelson directed the film, the fifth of the seven features listed for him and his first after Stay Hungry. David Mamet wrote the screenplay, adapting James M. Cain's novel, and Rafelson produced with Charles Mulvehill. Jack Nicholson plays Frank and Jessica Lange plays Cora, with John Colicos as Nick and supporting turns from Michael Lerner, John P. Ryan and Anjelica Huston. It was made for about 12 million dollars and took in roughly the same amount worldwide.
Audience scores are moderate and closely aligned: 6.6 out of 10 on IMDb from around 28,000 votes and 6.5 out of 10 on TMDB from far fewer votes. A critics' rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 14 reviews sits at the same level, so professional and public responses to the film barely differ.
What's left behind the scenes
- When the search for an actress for the role of Cora began, director Bob Rafelson wrote the name of the actress he believed would be cast on a piece of paper, sealed the paper in an envelope, and only gave the envelope to Jessica Lange, who starred in the role, several months later. The paper contained her name.
- The film features a sex scene on a kitchen table performed by Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. The scene was so realistic that many believed the actors weren't acting at all, which Nicholson and Lange always denied. Only Bob Rafelson and cinematographer Sven Nykvist (1922-2008) were present during the filming of this scene; everyone else was asked to leave.
- When developing the image of Cora, which she was to embody on screen, Jessica Lange decided that this woman had once tried to become an actress in Hollywood, but eventually got married. When Jack Nicholson learned of this, he gave her the autobiography of actress Barbara Payton (1927-1967), “I Am Not Ashamed” (published in 1963) to read. Lange incorporated some of Payton’s traits into the image of Cora, who, like Lange herself, was born in Cloquet, Minnesota.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
