Body Double

I am a Brian DePalma's fan. I love his style, his visual uniqueness, his ability to grab me from the very opening of his films and not let me take my eyes off the screen until the very last moment and even after that keep me a captive of his dangerous yet seductive worlds. I liked a lot every De Palma's film I've seen: The Black Dahlia (2006), Femme Fatale (2002), Snake Eyes (1998), Mission: Impossible (1996), Carlito's Way (1993), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Casualties of War (1989), The Untouchables (1987), Scarface (1983), Dressed to Kill (1980), and Carrie (1976).

As with all his films, you either love "Body Double" and let its typical De Palma's over-the-top charm, his mesmerizing beautiful camera movements, his 20 minutes long, dialog-free pursuit sequence, his intense interest in exploration of sexual "dysfunction," his constantly present obsession with voyeurism, his satire on making cheap horror and adult movies, and his loving yet humorous homage to several Alfred Hitchcock's films overwhelm you or you just dismiss it scornfully for its most impossible and unbelievable story, for the plentiful coincidences and the holes in the plot, for the excessive violence, and for its sensationalism and exploitation. I found "Body Double" shocking, poignant, satirical, often hilarious, and always highly entertaining. Once again, De Palma did not disappoint me. I figured from the beginning where the story of a struggling B-movie actor (Craig Wasson) with many problems (claustrophobia that cost him a part in a horror movie, break-up with a cheating girlfriend, witnessing a gruesome murder and becoming a possible suspect) would lead. It did not stop me from enjoying the film and admiring De Palma's ability to trick me not just once but many times by making me see what he only wanted me to see, yet never hiding the whole picture and using to perfection his magic camera that "lies all the time; lies 24 times/second". I believe that De Palma himself has provided the keys to better understanding and enjoying his films when he said, "My films deal with a stylized, expressionistic world that has a kind of grotesque beauty about it." All we have to do - to recognize the beauty behind the grotesque.

P.S. Melanie Griffith gave her best performance and stole all her scenes as a hot blond smart porn star with "a head for business and a bod for sin" who might help Jack to solve the mystery of the brutal murder he had witnessed.

P.P.S. After I finished watching "Body Double", I added to my rental list "Blow Out" (1981) and "Sisters" (1973). Exploration of De Palma's worlds continues.

Jake is a washed up actor who walks in on his girlfriend with another man and so it means his got to find another place to live. Plus he is fired from the vampire movie he was involved in because that of his phobia of confined places. So, when Jake is checking about for some acting gigs he meets another struggling actor who offers him place to house sit and it does have its perks. Through a telescope he can spy on his neighbours, which through one window a lady goes through the same strip routine every night. Jake becomes extremely obsessed with the woman and he gets caught up in a seedy web of intrigue when he witness the woman being killed.

De Palma goes all out on this occasion with his obsession with Hitchcock and the master's films that are under the spotlight in this voyeuristic thriller are "Rear Window" and "Vertigo". While, there might be elements borrowed from those films, De Palma still brings to the party his own distinguishable style and perspective. I've enjoyed most of his works and this one joins the ranks. Well, maybe one of the lesser ones since I was a bit iffy on it at times. I'll admit - it's pure trash, but technically it's done so well with many fashionable touches worked into this artistic piece of steamy erotica that I just found it hard to take my eyes off it. Some of those facets that make a mark is the camera-work that's handle rather silkily with it's many gliding shots and innovative angels. The taunting score rallies up the tension remarkably well and actually generates an alarming awe. There are some odd, kinky and down and out heart stopping images like that of the infamously lurid drill scene and a couple of downright claustrophobic build ups. The female cast involving Melanie Griffith and most definitely Deborah Shelton are desirably seductive. Craig Wasson as the down on his luck actor Jake was solid, but it's the freaky villain of the piece "The Indian" that will catch your eye and make you real nervous. Also there's a neat cameo role by Dennis Franz as a director, which is a neat treat. The over-the-top story tightly constructs itself around a complicated web of twists and turns involving sleaze and murder, but when it came to its climax it felt convoluted and rushed. The confusing revelation doesn't seem as effective and clever as it may think. Hollywood even comes under fire with it being mock with De Palma using the porn industry to do so. Anyhow, remember to shut your blinds, as who knows maybe someone is peering into your window right now. ;)

"Body Double" is a flawed, but an interesting concept that I could not help but go with the flow.

Rating: ***1/2 out of 4.

Brian De Palma has had it with his critics and the rating's board. After the cuts that needed to be made to his masterpieces like DRESSED TO KILL and SCARFACE (which eventually got to be released in its intended format inconspicuously), the line is drawn. So naturally, he would make a movie about it. The result is BODY DOUBLE, a big thumb-in-the-nose to Hollywood conventions and 80's pop-culture. It's one-part Hitchcockian thriller and one-part satire, but its an all-around crazy movie.

If you despise De Palma, chances are you'd consider BODY DOUBLE as one of his worst. Here, De Palma doesn't give a damn if you get him or not. Here, he revels in who he is and what he wants. He also intentionally throws in the trashy 80's fad at the time, from a tacked in music video of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's one-hit wonder "Relax" to the voyeuristic obsession with porn, as the sufficient atmosphere (as well as a social critique) of the era. The story, which basically riffs VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW, has a B-movie actor named Jake Scully (Bill Maher look-alike Craig Wasson) who has a very bad day when first he gets fired from his only B-movie gig and later sees her girlfriend in bed with another man. Discouraged, he bumps into a friend named Sam Bouchard (Gregg Henry, the most noticeable "Hey, isn't he that guy?" character actor appearing in De Palma's films) who invites him to watch over his place; a campy-looking tower mansion that looks like it came out of an episode of LOST IN SPACE. While there, Sam introduces him to his "favorite neighbor", a beautiful woman named Glora Revelle (Deborah Shelton) who does a striptease in her bedroom, not knowing she's being watched. Every night, Jake would watch Gloria doing her routine like clockwork through a telescope, which is harmless perverted fun until he realizes that her life may be in danger; danger in the form of a weird-looking Indian(!) who's spying on her too.

It may take a lot of suspension of disbelief to understand the plot of BODY DOUBLE as it goes to even crazier heights. At first, it looks like the usual De Palma-as-Hitchcock thriller with some terrific sequences, then it turns into something out of a slasher film, then enters the sleazy world of 80's pornography where a young Melanie Griffith plays Holly Body, a porn star who may be a key to solving the crime. But when people realize that this is meant to be a thriller-cum-satirical comedy, they might enjoy it more. As usual, De Palma demonstrates his talents with staging mise-en-scene in sequences like when Jake stalks Gloria who is being stalked by the Indian (which is obviously borrowed from VERTIGO but is actually a little more voyeuristic in nature here) and there's the REAR WINDOW-inspired scene where Jake spies on Gloria while she's doing her striptease routine, backed up by a catchy score by Pino Donaggio.

Overall, it's not meant to be taken seriously. "It's only a movie!", Hitchcock once said to some of his difficult actors, and this movie screams that mantra. Wasson's character was meant to be a an average loser and his casting isn't just coincidence; he was meant to play the audience's surrogate. The film being set in Hollywood is another. And is it no wonder that the director that Dennis Franz plays is a direct copy of De Palma? BODY DOUBLE thumbs its nose at Hollywood and many pop-culture fads of the era, turning out to be both a sleazy re-working of Hitchcock's classics and a clever satire.

Mysterious story , competent performances and sense of style about a second-rate actor who witnesses a brutal slaying . The film begins and ends with the protagonist, Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), playing the part of a vampire on the set of a low-budget horror film . After he ruins a take by being unable to rise from a coffin due to claustrophobia , a fire breaks out on the set and he is sent home by the director Rubin (Dennis Franz) . Scully arrives home early and catches his fiancée (Barbara Crampton) having sex with another man . Since it is the girl's apartment , he must leave, so without a place to stay he heads to an acting workshop, where he makes a new friend, Sam (Gregg Henry) . Sam offers him a house-sitting arrangement at an opulent Modernist bachelor residence high atop the Hollywood Hills . He also points out a sexy female neighbor, Gloria Revelle (Deborah Shelton),whose seemingly exhibitionistic antics can be viewed by telescope. Then the young actor's obsession with spying on the bombshell woman who lives nearby leads to a baffling series of events with drastic consequences . A seduction !. A mystery !. A murder !. Brian De Palma the modern master of suspense invites you witness . Do you like to watch? You can't believe everything you see.

A classic in suspense from De Palma , pitching us right into the action from the beginning and baffling most of us to the ending. Concerning a B-actor that when a grisly murder happens it leads him into an obsessive quest through the world of pornographic movies . The film displays a great and haunting musical score by Pino Donaggio , De Palma's favorite composer and imitating former hits , along with appropriate cinematography . There is much for De Palma buffs to savour in this thrilling and atmospheric handling of a complex story with deliberately old-fashioned treatment. Craig Wasson is assured as ever as the obsessed actor battling against his obsessions and Melanie Griffith in a difficult role as the porno actress who looks exactly like the woman on the the window , she strangely adds depth to her acting . An adequate frisson is supplied by Melanie Griffith , the daughter of one of Hitch's favourite blondes , Tippi Hedren , star of ¨Marnie¨ and ¨The Birds¨ . There are tense key images that that are brilliantly staged. This thriller flick is plenty of mystery, intrigue, and suspenseful . Adding special characteristics techniques as ominous camera movements .

It contains colorful and evocative cinematography by cameraman Stephen H. Burum , as well as perceptible , impressive musical score by Pino Donaggio . Very good and graphically mysterious direction from Brian De Palma . Brian De Palma's homage to Hitchcock and the chief amusement turning out to be inquire what scenes taken from Master of suspense . That's why takes parts especially from ¨Vertigo¨ and ¨Rear Window¨. All this said, the mechanics of suspense are worked quite well and may frighten the easily scared quite badly , but De Palma has made a habit of dwelling on their more sordid side-shoots . The picture is brilliantly directed by Brian De Palma. This one along with ¨Sisters¨, ¨Dresssed to Kill¨, ¨Blow out¨ are outwardly another ode to Hitchcock , but the Master might well shift uneasily in his grave at the long-drawn-out tension , and the shock effects with the accent on the killing , but on most occasion is thrilling . Rating : 7/10 . Above average but gets some riveting basic ideas and fascinating images . Nowadays , being a highly considered film ; that's why it is deemed by many to be one of the Brian Palma's best.

Sort of a cross between "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" but instead of James Stewart we get Craig Wasson as a struggling actor mixed in with some sly jokes at the film studios, actors, and adult films. Visually very stylish with hypnotic score. Bizarre music video sequence is well done to the tune of "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. If you can look past the plot holes, it's an entertaining over-the-top effort from De Palma.