The Window (1949)

Director:

Ted Tetzlaff

Writers:

Cornell Woolrich (story)
Mel Dinelli (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 November 1949 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

It never lets you go!

Plot:

At the age of 9, Tommy Woodry has a reputation for telling tall tales -- the latest one being that his...

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Parent | Police | Summer | Heat Wave

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Barbara Hale	...	Mrs. Mary Woodry
Arthur Kennedy	...	Mr. Ed Woodry
Paul Stewart	...	Joe Kellerson
Ruth Roman	...	Mrs. Jean Kellerson
Bobby Driscoll	...	Tommy Woodry

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A | Finland:(Banned) (1949) | Finland:K-16 (1950) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #12861)

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

This film was shot in the latter part of 1947 but shelved by RKO boss Howard Hughes and released in 1949. When Bobby Driscoll got his juvenile Oscar in 1950 he was 13 years old.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Tommy writes his note he leans it against a coffee cup. When Mr. Kelerson reads it, he lays it flat on the table. In the next shot of the kitchen table, the note is again leaning against the coffee cup.

Quotes:

Joe Kellerson: Hello, Tommy. Now you be quiet if you don't wanna get hurt. What's the matter, have I ever done anything to you?
Tommy Woodry: [shakes his head]
Joe Kellerson: What are you runnin' around tellin' stories for?
Tommy Woodry: They're not stories!
Joe Kellerson: No? Well, maybe if you tell me what they are, I can explain. I don't want you thinkin' these terrible things. What is it you think I did?
Tommy Woodry: You know what you did!
Joe Kellerson: But I don't. I don't know what you're talkin' about. Now, c'mon, Tommy, let's be fair. You can't accuse me of something and not tell me what it is.
Tommy Woodry: You killed somebody!
Joe Kellerson: Oh, come on, Tommy. You don't really believe that, do ya?
Tommy Woodry: I was on the fire escape! I saw ya!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Boy Cried Murder (1966)

Ultraviolence. 1940's style.

Late-night tv sometimes throws up some high quality gems. The Window is one of them. And before you go saying ''aww! but this movie is old and in b&w, i bet it's awful!" STOP. Take a step back. This movie is excellent.

9 year old Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll) is a lying little git. Always telling lies and making up stories. It's gotten to the point where no-one believes a word he says anymore, not even his own parents.

Tommy's world is about to come crashing down around him after he is witness to a murder in the apartment above his one night. The problem is, Tommy knows the truth, no-one believe's him and to make matters worse the Kellerton family upstairs (the murderer's) find out that Tommy knows what happened and want him silenced.

I swear to god, this movie was so harsh. Harsh in the sense that for a movie thats well over 50 years old now - taken in it's original form without modern day conception - this is one violent movie. One guy gets beaten to near death then is finished off getting stabbed to death with a pair of scissors in front of a kid. The Kellerton's kidnap Tommy and in one scene Joe Kellerton (Paul Stewart) punches the little boy in the face about three times then drugs him with chlorophyl!! Another point to add, this movie is actually banned in Finland! This movie must have genuinely shocked it's original audience when it was first shown back in 1949.

This is a dark movie; very eerie and some scenes mount incredible depths of tension. The acting is superb and the camerawork doubly so.

If your a true movie fan and are happy to watch any movie no matter the age, you'll love this. It's a real treat and i'm glad i caught this one on tv. Special mention goes out to fellow IMDB user Bob The Moo, who supplied me with a VHS edition! Now to track down the DVD...