The Postman Always Rings Twice
- The Postman Always Rings Twice, Tay Garnett (1946)
- The Postman Always Rings Twice Bob Rafelson (1981)
The Postman Always Rings Twice was originally made in 1946 directed by Tay Garnett, and Bob Rafelson did the remake in 1981. Although there are a few alterations, the two films use different means and techniques to tell the same story.
Color isn’t for everyone
The first version was a black and white film and the remake is in color. The love story between the two main characters, Frank and Cora, was meant for the black and white screen. Using colors makes the visual more ‘attractive’ and modern, but the black and white hue gives an authentic and classical quality to the movie in the sense that it makes the story grittier, therefore more gripping. The black and white builds more suspense and tension because of the greater contrast. The director has to pay more attention to these details, which aren’t always thought of when using color.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I watch a film noir, I build a universe according to their mores, which are different from my expectations and thoughts. I also analyze and treat the subject accordingly. I imagine living in that period and dealing with their social issues. The subject matter can’t always be translated into modern cinema because we socialize and interact differently (than say sixty years ago).
Timelessness is another key aspect in black and white films. If these movies managed to survive the new technologies and the colored pictures, then it is truly a masterpiece that will transcend the passage of time. Ultimately, the theme and the plot of this movie are more appropriate as a real film noir.
Actions vs. Acting
In the older version, the dialogue revealed more about the passionate love between Frank and Cora. The typical I-can’t-live-without-you and life-is-not-worth-living-if-we-are-not-together is exchanged between the two verbally. In the recent version, the scenes were more graphic and used less dialogue to convey their wants and desires. It would have been awkward, because of the changed social reality if the script had remained the same in the two movies.
Instead of dialogue and the dramatic acting used in the classic film noir, explicit sex scenes are used to convey their passionate love. This changes the dynamics between Frank and Cora because sometimes she seems clingier and then surrenders her control over the situation to Frank in scenes where you are not sure if it is passion or violence. There were moments when it seemed as though Frank was raping Cora.
More Scenes
In the remake, the cat appears closer to the beginning. The cat becomes a metaphor that almost foreshadows where the story is leading.
The newer version also had more of the escape scene. Instead of the two running away from Twin Oaks (by foot), they were going to go by train. This is understandable given the different circumstance with transportation. But Frank gambles and Cora leaves him at the station. The original version had Cora return for different reasons.
During the murder scene, the original version builds more suspense and tension because of the stark contrasting shades. It also doesn’t reveal what Cora is doing during the murder. In the remake, they show what happened in the bathroom. Little details such as the cop exploring the house at night instead of the day, and climbing the ladder… are modified in the recent version.
The second time around, when murdering Nick, the remake has Cora and Frank hitting each other to make it look like they were in a car accident. This could be interpreted in many ways. Did this event foreshadow what would happen at the trial or did the director add this for the theatrical effect?
There is also an added scene with Frank’s whereabouts when he goes to San Francisco. It shows what he does and whom he does it with. The first version had the viewer draw his/her own conclusions about what was going on when Frank gest in the lady’s car (without revealing anymore than that). The remake has Cora marrying Frank and carrying a child. Given the period in which the remake was done, their love wasn’t enough; they had to add marriage and pregnancy to the plot. I figure that the latter adds more of an emotional impact at the end.
Where did the scenes go?
There were some scenes, in the newer one, that were omitted/changed.
Notably, one of the firsts scenes, when Frank meets Cora, was depicted differently. The original film had Cora drop her lipstick and wait for him to bring it to her. Right at the beginning, this builds tension and a potential conflict. At the very end when Cora dies, she drops the lipstick and it goes rolling just like the very first scene.
The scene about selling twin oaks is also missing. It is important because it revealed more about Cora as a character, and showed that she had ambitions, desires and a say in the business. It was probably replaced with Nick’s return party.
The scenes where the two are in the ocean and share those moments are not included in the recent version.
The ending really affects the way the viewer sees the title. In the newer version, the last scene is showing Cora dead, and lying on the ground from the car accident. In the 1946 version, Frank is in jail and the movie is narrated as he tells the story to the detective. He doesn’t want to be sentenced for Cora’s death, but accepts that he was responsible for Nick’s death.
- The Postman Always Rings Twice. Dir. Tay Garnett. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1946.
- The Postman Always Rings Twice. Dir. Bob Rafelson. CIP Filmproduktion GmbH, Lorimar Film Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Northstar International, 1981.