The first acclaimed work of Italian neorealism is this gritty, earthy (and unlicensed) adaptation of The Postman Always Rings Twice, much closer in tone and spirit to Cain’s tale than the Hollywood version. Starring earthy and erotic Clara Calamai and Massimo Girotti as the doomed lovers, the film was banned by Italy’s Fascist government, and MGM (legal holder of the movie rights) destroyed all the prints it could find. Yet Ossessione survives, a stunning hybrid of noir and neorealism was the director’s first of several masterpieces.