Brian DePalma has been one of the more incendiary directors of the last 30 years. His films are the definition of love em or hate em. Excess is one of the words frequently used to describe his films. Excess in the form of violence (Scarface), excess in the form of a miscast disaster (Bonfire of the Vanities), and excess in the form of sexuality (Body Double).
Another term, fairly or unfairly, labeled to DePalma’s films is Hitchcock ripoff. The director himself admits the impact Hitchcock had on his career and that several of his earlier suspense films, particularly Dressed to Kill, Blow Out and Body Double, more than tip the hat to the legendary director. Body Double, being re-released by Sony in a Special Edition, is next to Scarface, DePalma’s most controversial and misunderstood film.
While clearly paying homage to Vertigo and Rear Window, Body Double (released in 1984) was savaged by critics and PC types for being misogynistic and glorifying violence against women and subsequently bombed. Ironically, this was DePalma’s first film after Scarface (1983), which had its own controversy over the level of violence, was nearly slapped with an X rating and also received a poor initial reception by audiences. DePalma, Oliver Stone, and Al Pacino would have the last laugh on that one - as the years have proved VERY kind to the film.
We meet the protagonist, actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), at the beginning of a bad day. After freezing up on the set of a horror film due to his claustrophobia (nod to Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo) and losing his part, he returns home with a big goofy smile on his face, as he is to surprise his girlfriend. The surprise turns out to be her in bed with another guy. Unemployed and now homeless, Jake finds himself in need of a place to stay. He meets another actor Sam (Gregg Henry) who offers him a place to stay while he is off on a shoot. It seems too good to be true. The place to stay is a futuristic, high-rise condo on stilts that looks like it belongs in a Kubrick film and has a panoramic view of the San Fernando Valley. All Jake has to do is water the plants. Before Sam leaves, he points out the other main perk the place has to offer – that being a telescope that points at the window of a gorgeous woman who does a nightly striptease in front of God and anyone else that cares to watch.
Jake is a guy and he has a pulse. So he watches her and watches her. After a few nights he believes that the woman in the window (a hauntingly beautiful Deborah Shelton) is in danger. He innocently follows her follows her one morning and, in a truly remarkable sequence shot in L.A.’s Rodeo Collection, he stalks her as another sinister looking man stalks her. He is caught in the same catch-22 as Jimmy Stewart is in Rear Window. He’s a peeping tom and a stalker. He can’t warn the girl that she is in danger without admitting that he broke the law.
It is at this point where attention must be paid to every detail. A brutal murder occurs soon afterwards. You’ll never look at a power drill the same way. In a drunken haze, Jake stumbles onto a clue that might unravel what really happened. This clue leads him into the porno industry and to one of the female stars of the business, the appropriately named Holly Body (Melanie Griffith.) Jake is convinced that this woman can help him.
DePalma was one of the many great directors to emerge along with Altman, Scorsese, Coppola, Friedkin, Penn, Spielberg, Schrader, Peckinpah, Ashby, etc that emerged from the greatest decade for American cinema-the 1970s. While he hasn’t had the long lasting success that some of his contemporaries that survived still maintain, he was at one time one of the more prominent directors after he had broken out with Carrie (1976) and Dressed to Kill (1980). For some reason, critics and the public turned on him after Scarface and Body Double came out. He has had sporadically good moments since (The Untouchables, Casualties of War, maybe Carlito’s Way) and some truly bad ones (Bonfire of the Vanities, Snake Eyes).
He will never regain the auteur status he once had, it’s a different industry now, but as time has gone by, Scarface has become one of the more universally known and beloved films, reaching a mythic status. While I wouldn’t put Body Double in that category, I will say that it deserves a second chance and has aged very well. Yes, he has his indulgent Hitchcock tracking shots that will make some film snobs cough up their chocolate milk. But, he does them well and they become as much a character in the story as anything or anyone. Body Double is indeed the last great suspense thriller he made. There are so many levels to the film, there is bound to be something that one can enjoy. Whether it’s the suspense aspect or the eroticism or the tongue-in-cheek jabs and spoofs at Hollywood and the film industry, this is a well-made film.
The criticism leveled at DePalma because of the film’s overt sexuality and violence seems foolish and dated. Compared to the level of sex and violence in today’s films; Body Double is tame to say the least. The misogynistic label also hurled at DePalma seems to have come from women’s groups that may not have ever even seen the film. Yes, there is violence committed against women in the film. Yes, the women in the film are highly sexualized. Yes, DePalma is notorious for loving his shots of naked women (see Carrie and Dressed to Kill for further evidence). That does not mean he is a misogynist. The Holly Body character is proof of that. She is strong-minded and independent and does not end up being a victim. She chooses what she does and is not brutalized. If you want to criticize a film or series of films that seem misogynistic, why don’t you look at every James Bond film made prior to The Spy Who Loved Me. The only difference is that Body Double takes direct shots at the Hollywood industry. Why do you think her name is Holly Body? She has the body that Hollywood directors and producers love to put up on screen. Also, it is well known that Hitchcock had a penchant for putting his beautiful leading ladies in perilous positions. DePalma is no different.
The actors are all perfectly cast for their parts. Craig Wasson, who has steadily worked since the film but was never a leading man again, is the perfect everyman type for Jake. He’s not some gorgeous model. He’s more of a cross between Bill Maher and Andy Dick. He‘s not a bad guy but he likes to look at beautiful women taking their clothes off. The moment you meet him, you like him instantly and can sympathize with his immediate plight. He brings a realistic look at what it is to be a struggling actor and how helpless it can be when your livelihood is dependent on, not your talent, but on what others think of you. Deborah Shelton, who has the most beautiful green eyes God ever put on a human being, is so hauntingly beautiful and erotic you’ll find yourself wondering why she wasn’t a bigger star. She doesn’t have much dialogue but she says more with her face and eyes than words possibly could. Dennis Franz has a hilarious cameo as the director of the vampire film that Jake gets fired from at the beginning. In the supplemental featurettes that follow he admits that he parodied DePalma for his part.
It is Melanie Griffith, pre-botox and plastic, that steals the show. As the seemingly stupid Holly Body, she turns what could’ve been another dumb blonde role into a tough-minded but vulnerable woman. Her scene with Wasson where she tells him what she will and won’t do in a film is a highlight. Looking at her in the featurettes included in the DVD and then in the film is a shocker to say the least. She used to be an incredibly beautiful woman back then. Now she looks like an ad for “Botox gone bad.” Nevertheless, it was this role that would catapult her career to roles in Something Wild and Working Girl. Frequent DePalma film scorer Pino Donaggio provides another superb film score here as it frequents from sadness and melancholy to eroticism to tingly suspense. As with all other aspects of the film, the music is a character all onto itself. The cinematography by Stephen H. Burum is a hypnotic, kaleidoscopic look at Los Angeles in the 80s and plays to the characters’ emotions beautifully.
While there are no trailers or commentary, this special edition offers a four-part documentary on the making of the film that runs a little over 50 minutes and features interviews with DePalma, a botoxed Melanie Griffith, an older but still naturally gorgeous Deborah Shelton (thank you), Gregg Henry, and Dennis Franz. It’s curious to see Wasson missing from this and his absence is never explained. The four parts include The Seduction, The Setup, The Mystery and The Controversy. It is a highly entertaining look at the film’s history including the genesis, a breakdown of the plot, how the actors were cast, DePalma’s own misgivings about the film and the controversy that surrounded the film.
There are several humorous stories told including how the Frankie Goes to Hollywood 80s staple “Relax” found its way into one of the best sequences of the film (where Jake meets Holly Body for the first time) and how DePalma admits that the swirling 360 degree shot of Wasson and Shelton kissing went too far and was unintentionally funny to audiences. To his credit, he is right. That particular sequence, while fun to look at, seems like complete fantasy and almost insults the viewer. But, Deborah Shelton is HOT.
In the end though, all great filmmakers rip off other great films before them. Have you ever seen a Quentin Tarantino film? He’ll be the first one to tell you he rips off other films. I don’t see how he gets a free pass while DePalma, who’s being doing this a lot longer, gets crucified.
Maybe it’s because DePalma’s influences like Hitchcock are more universally known and considered belonging to the world whereas Tarantino’s influences like 70s grind house, kung-fu and exploitation films are considered more obscure and consequently are not as familiar and recognizable when incorporated into a mainstream film. It could also be that DePalma much like Robert Altman, always an industry outsider, wasn’t afraid to lampoon the industry that fed him. Every living director today has ripped off another great director of the past. The Fellinis, Kurosawas and Kubricks of the world are gone.
Brian DePalma is not in that category but in his prime, he made many solid and memorable films. Scarface and Carrie could arguably be considered classics in their own right. Body Double is a well-made thriller from top to bottom that deserves a re-evaluation. Hitchcock would’ve been proud. Oh and by the way, Deborah Shelton is still hot.
Body Double is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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