The Postman Always Rings Twice

film by Garnett [1946]

Written by

Lee Pfeiffer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

The Postman Always Rings Twice, American film noir, released in 1946, based on the crime novel of the same name by James M. Cain. The film features all the elements of an enduring noir classic: sexy leading players, tight script and direction, and a shocking climax.

Frank Chambers (played by John Garfield) is a drifter who chances upon a rural café run by the sexy Cora Smith (Lana Turner) and her older, obnoxious husband, Nick (Cecil Kellaway). Starved for affection, Cora becomes Frank’s willing lover in a tempestuous affair that leads them to devise a plan to kill Nick in order to collect his insurance money. As with all crime films of the era, the pair get their comeuppance, but the trail to the startling conclusion is filled with red herrings and unexpected plot twists, all under the acclaimed direction of Tay Garnett. The film’s cryptic title is explained by Garfield’s character at the movie’s conclusion.

Earlier screen adaptations of Cain’s book include a 1939 French version, Le Dernier Tournant (“The Last Turn”), and Italian director Luchino Visconti’s Ossessione (1943; “Obsession”). Director Bob Rafelson’s American remake of the film in 1981 starred Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. In 1998 an acclaimed Hungarian adaptation, Szenvedély (“Passion”), was released.