Windows (1980)

Shire is the subject of a perverse obsession by a Lesbian neighbor, Andrea, who not only is in lust with her but hires a rapist in order to get audio tapes of her moaning. Ashley turns ... See full summary »

Director:

Gordon Willis

Writer:

Barry Siegel

Stars:

Talia Shire, Joe Cortese, Elizabeth Ashley

6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Talia Shire	...	Emily Hollander
Joe Cortese	...	Bob Luffrono (as Joseph Cortese)
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Andrea Glassen
Kay Medford	...	Ida Marx
Michael Gorrin	...	Sam Marx
Russell Horton	...	Steven Hollander
Michael Lipton	...	Dr. Marin
Rick Petrucelli	...	Obecny
Ron Ryan	...	Detective Swid
Linda Gillen	...	Police Woman
Tony DiBenedetto	...	Nick
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bryce Bond	...	Voice-over
Ken Chapin	...	Renting Agent
Bette Davis	...	Charlotte Vale (archive footage)
Marty Greene	...	Ira

Storyline

Shire is the subject of a perverse obsession by a Lesbian neighbor, Andrea, who not only is in lust with her but hires a rapist in order to get audio tapes of her moaning. Ashley turns peeping tom and watches Shire with a telescope as she begins an affair with Det. Cortese.

---

Plot Keywords:

peeping tom | telescope | lesbian | taxi | taxi driver | 

---

Taglines:

Somebody loves Emily... too much

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Corky

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mike Lobell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film performance of Kay Medford.

---

Quotes

[last lines]
Bob Luffrono: Say, uh... are you still out of coffee?
Emily Hollander: [laughs] I never was.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: The New York Ripper (2015)

User Reviews

Genuinely Disturbing

WINDOWS reminds me of REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE. When REFLECTIONS came out in 1967, it had the book thrown at it for being deviant, sick, perverse, reactionary, offensive, pretentious (which is such a mouthful that it makes one believe that the hater(s)doth protest too much). On top of these epithets, was the final body blow, and "just plain boring." It's difficult to be all of the above and be "just plain boring" to boot which is the reason I was compelled to check out both movies. I'm glad I did. WINDOWS is not the outright triumph REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE is, but it's thoughtful and original about something that shouldn't be dismissed by film lovers out of court. It's not sleazy or exploitative; as a matter of fact, that's a major problem with it. It refuses to further sensationalize its wildly lurid "givens." It's artful enough in its intentions to try to suggest that the tragedy of urban life is not the violence of melodramatic evil, but the glass cubicles people live in that link and separate them in devastatingly emotional ways. Gordon Willis' direction is typical of a first time director. It suffers from being too studied but it's far from daft or moronic; visually, it's as thought through as REAR WINDOW, its obvious predecessor in voyeurism. But there's nothing in REAR WINDOW, as seriously naked and exposed as Elizabeth Ashley's performance. It's interesting that when great actors like Brando (in REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE), and Ashley in WINDOWS attempt something that goes beyond the average viewer's opinion of how a homosexual SHOULD be portrayed, there's is an automatic reflex action on the part of said viewer to distance themselves from the performance, to laugh at it or automatically dismiss it as being "over the top." This response is, in fact, more reactionary than the sins that have been dumped in the picture's lap. WINDOWS is not as dumb or insensitive as the knee jerk response it provokes in most people who feign an interest in the dark side until it becomes too real.