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MOVIES / ON DVD / BODY DOUBLE
Body Double

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Body Double (1984)

83%
N/A
78%
N/A
N/A
N/A
83 %
Reviews Counted: 24 Fresh: 20  Rotten:4 Average Rating: 6.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Synopsis:
Struggling, intensely claustrophobic actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) spends his spare time spying on an always-undressing beautiful woman while house-sitting at his friend's swanky Los Angeles bachelor pad. Then he notices a big ugly guy with a power drill is also spying on her, and... [More]
Struggling, intensely claustrophobic actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) spends his spare time spying on an always-undressing beautiful woman while house-sitting at his friend's swanky Los Angeles bachelor pad. Then he notices a big ugly guy with a power drill is also spying on her, and Scully begins trailing them in a bizarre game that eventually leads to murder. To solve the mystery, Scully infiltrates the porn industry and stars in an X-rated video for 1980s band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, eventually linking up with adult film star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith), the key to all the strange goings-on. Director Brian De Palma delves merrily into his bag of cinematic tricks for this mystery, which comes off as a sort of sex- and sleaze-filled hybrid of Hitchcock's VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW. Griffith, then known mainly as the daughter of Hitchcock leading lady Tippi Hedren, earned fans and critical buzz with her refreshingly funny, sexy performance as the porn star. A pre-NYPD BLUE Dennis Franz appears as a director. Evocative use of L.A. locations and De Palma's creative camerawork help mask the less believable plot elements, as does a nice score by Pino Dinoggio. [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Deborah Shelton, Gregg Henry, Dennis Franz

Director: Brian De Palma
Story: Brian DePalma
Screenwriter: Robert J. Avrech, Brian DePalma

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 3, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French
  • Subtitles - English, French - Optional
  • Subtitles - English - Closed Captioned

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurettes - 1. "The Seduction"
  • 2. "The Mystery"
  • 3. "The Setup"
  • 4. "The Controversy"

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image

It's a mystery, a romance, a horror flick, and a straight-faced parody all rolled into one unique little movie.

Full Review | Comment
11/01/06 02:37 PM
Scott Weinberg
DVD Clinic
Ratings Image

...De Palma's expectedly grandiose directorial choices go a long way towards keeping things interesting...

Full Review | Comment
10/13/06 09:32 PM
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Ratings Image

Emblematizes De Palma's refusal to take Hollywood seriously.

Full Review | Comment
10/01/06 01:45 PM
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
Ratings Image

Body Double, while not his finest, is the best candidate as Brian De Palma's signature film.

Full Review | Comment
08/29/06 02:04 PM
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
Ratings Image

enough to portend the downfall of civilization... a guilty pleasure

Full Review | Comment
08/17/06 10:06 PM
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
02/09/06 03:17 AM
Time Out
Ratings Image

Another sexed-up Hitchcockian thriller from Brian De Palma. Plays much better today than it did in 1984.

Full Review | Comment
01/24/06 07:47 PM
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
09/09/05 12:01 AM
Josh Ralske
All Movie Guide
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
08/08/05 10:56 AM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
10/23/04 10:31 PM
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
07/08/04 10:08 AM
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
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Kinda stupid, really.

| Comment
03/17/04 01:35 PM
Gregory Weinkauf
New Times
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No review available.

| Comment
02/08/04 10:12 AM
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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No review available.

| Comment
11/14/03 11:19 AM
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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A gripping murder mystery in which director Brian De Palma offers sly tributes to Alfred Hitchcock.

Full Review | Comment
07/23/03 09:51 AM
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
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No review available.

| Comment
06/26/03 12:01 PM
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
Ratings Image

No one can rip off Hitchcock quite like De Palma

| Comment
06/03/03 02:31 PM
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
05/20/03 05:15 PM
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

A minor De Palma with a few great moments and a soggy leading man.

| Comment
03/02/03 02:42 PM
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
02/12/03 10:32 AM
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
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