This Brian De Palma Mystery Thriller Is the Most Hitchcockian Movie Not Made by Hitchcock
This is an erotic thriller in which voyeurism becomes a catalyst for anxiety.
Brian De Palma is often called Alfred Hitchcock's most successful student. While his Dressed to Kill was an homage to Psycho, Body Double, released in 1984, is a grand tribute to the legendary Rear Window.
De Palma reimagines the classic by setting the story of a curious observer in the 1980s, a decade marked by the explosive growth of videotape pornography and synth-pop aesthetics.
What Is 'Body Double' About?
Jake is an actor. One day, he returns home to find his girlfriend with another man, which forces him to find a new place to live. His friend Frank offers him the chance to stay in his luxurious apartment with panoramic windows while he is away.
To keep Jake entertained, Frank tells him about his "entertainment": Gloria, who lives in the building across the street, undresses by her uncurtained window every evening. After witnessing the free striptease with his own eyes, Jake dreams of meeting Gloria in person.
One day, however, instead of the usual show, Jake witnesses Gloria being murdered.
'Body Double' Is a Film That Combines Voyeurism, Irony, and Suspense in the Style of the 80s
Body Double is a movie that exists in a space where the cinematic nature of vision is reexamined. A failed actor spies on a girl through a telescope from a safe distance until he learns she's in mortal danger.
De Palma draws a parallel between the "safety" of neighborly peeping and the viewer's position in front of the screen. The entire plot is driven by incredible erotic tension, a technique the director learned from Hitchcock's thrillers.
At the same time, the film is permeated with irony, from the synth-pop hit "Relax" to a veritable wall of irony that sometimes makes it difficult to discern where De Palma is mocking the viewer and where he is being serious.
De Palma's technical virtuosity and stylization are unmatched, and his suspense is in no way inferior to Hitchcock's, however, De Palma draws his own conclusions.
'Body Double' Is One of the Best Examples of Reimagining a Classic Without Resorting to Cheap Imitation
De Palma initially wanted all of the sex scenes to be real, but the producers wouldn't allow it, of course. Nevertheless, even today, Body Double feels disturbingly explicit.
The scene in which a half-naked woman dances while the main character watches her through a telescope reveals the film's inescapable voyeuristic potential. Ordinary events draw Jake into a vortex of criminal-erotic incidents, and the intrigue doesn't let up until the credits roll.
Body Double is essentially a sexualized version of Rear Window. De Palma set the story in the 80s and added his signature directorial touches: incredible cinematography, vibrant colors, and a hypnotic soundtrack.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Body Double'?
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Body Double has 78% from critics and 65% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
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On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.8/10.
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On Letterboxd, Body Double scored 3.8/5.0.
Where to Watch 'Body Double'?
Body Double is available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.
