Body Double (1984) Columbia/Suspense-Thriller RT: 114 minutes Rated R (strong violence, language, strong sexual material/references, nudity) Director: Brian De Palma Screenplay: Brian De Palma and Robert J. Avrech Music: Pino Donaggio Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum Release date: October 26, 1984 (US) Cast: Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry, Deborah Shelton, Guy Boyd, Dennis Franz, David Haskell, Rebecca Stanley, Al Israel, Lane Davies, Barbara Crampton, Larry “Flash” Jenkins, Monte Landis, Douglas Warhit, B.J. Jones, Russ Marin. Box Office: $8.8M (US)
Rating: ****
After his infamous battle with the ratings board over the violence in his gangster epic Scarface, a defiant Brain De Palma set out to make a movie containing “everything they hate and more of it than they’ve ever seen”. The result was Body Double, an erotic, violent thriller that successfully weaves plot elements from two Hitchcock classics- Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958)- into a narrative that pushes more boundaries than any De Palma movie before it. The maker of Carrie and Dressed to Kill is truly at home in the thriller genre as evidenced by this genuinely suspenseful story of a not-too-bright guy caught up in a twisted murder scheme.
Craig Wasson (Ghost Story) stars as Jake Scully, a struggling actor between gigs after being fired from a low-budget vampire movie due to his claustrophobia. He’s in need of a place to stay after he catches his girlfriend cheating on him. Fellow actor Sam Bouchard (Henry, Just Before Dawn) overhears his dilemma and offers up a solution. His friend needs a housesitter for a few weeks; as long as Jake remembers to water the plants, he can crash there. The house in question is one of those fancy modernist jobs on stilts in the hills overlooking L.A. Sam gives Jake the grand tour which includes a telescope pointed at a shapely neighbor’s (Shelton, Dallas) house. Every night at the same time, the woman does a sexy striptease in front of her open bedroom window. Of course, Jake watches her each night and becomes infatuated. Suspecting she might be in danger, he starts to follow her.
Since revealing much more of the plot would ruin Body Double for those who haven’t yet seen it, I’ll only say two more things about it. First, Jake witnesses a brutal murder and can’t go to the cops with what he knows without admitting to being a voyeur, itself a crime. Second, Jake enters the world of pornographic filmmaking in order to get close to an actress, Holly Body (Griffith, Fear City), who might be able to help him solve the case. I’ll also say that once all is said and done, the story makes complete sense. There are no lapses in logic or plot holes. The screenplay by De Palma and Robert J. Avrech is absolutely airtight. Not too many films can make that claim.
In a stroke of artistic brilliance, De Palma did NOT cast big name actors in Body Double. Hypothetically, let’s say he cast Robert De Niro or Kurt Russell in the lead role. Both actors have name recognition. Viewers would likely want to see the movie based more on the star than the story. Furthermore, a familiar face would take away from the intended viewing experience. De Palma wants to take the audience on a roller coaster ride of fear and terror. He largely succeeds for many reasons; the cast plays no small part in that success. Wasson is a great as the flawed hero of the story. He’s basically a good guy, but not perfect. He knows it’s wrong to watch his neighbor undress, but he does it anyway and ends up getting in over his head. The role of Jake Scully requires an actor who can sell a likable but not-too-bright protagonist. Wasson is that actor. He has a vulnerability to him. He’s also likable. He can be laid-back and he can be intense. It all comes natural to Wasson. Griffith, in one of her first major roles, is terrific as Holly, a jaded porn star who would be right at home in a Damon Runyon story. A combination of smart and dumb, she lives in a world where everybody is a pervert. She thinks she knows what Jake is after, the same thing every man wants from her. When he reveals his true intentions, she doesn’t quite know how to react. I think it’s one of Griffith’s best performances.
As well all know, De Palma LOVES Hitchcock. It’s seen in the way he carefully constructs his films especially thrillers. Body Double is partly a love letter to the Master of Suspense. Look at the tunnel scene where Jake experiences a claustrophobia attack while following the neighbor. The way it’s filmed is definitely reminiscent of Vertigo. However, that’s not all that’s going on stylistically in Body Double. De Palma gives us an anthology of styles like cheesy vampire flicks, 40s thrillers and adult films. There’s this one great film-within-a-film scene where Jake journeys through an X-rated version of Dante’s Inferno to the tune of “Relax (Don’t Do It)” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The cinematography and visual tricks have a vintage 40s feel to them. Style is most definitely part of the experience.
If asked, I would say Body Double is one of my favorite De Palma movies. Not only is it a genuinely suspenseful and sometimes funny thriller, it’s also clever and unpredictable. It has a couple of really cool plot twists. It’s well made and well acted. The climax at the aqueduct is legitimately thrilling. Then there’s the murder scene. The killer’s weapon of choice is a huge handheld drill. Tell me that’s not an obvious phallic symbol. It’s a cool scene. It’s a perfect centerpiece to a perfect film with a warped sensibility. Today’s filmmakers should look to Body Double as an example of a thriller done right.
