Body Double (1984)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Brian De Palma (story)
Robert J. Avrech (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

A seduction. A mystery. A murder.

Plot:

Jake comes home to find his girlfriend with another man and has to find a new place. In between his acting workshops and his job in a vampire B-movie...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Girlfriend | Window | Neighbor | House Sitter

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Craig Wasson	...	Jake Scully
Melanie Griffith	...	Holly Body
Gregg Henry	...	Sam Bouchard
Deborah Shelton	...	Gloria Revelle
Guy Boyd	...	Det. Jim McLean
Dennis Franz	...	Rubin the Director
David Haskell	...	Will the Drama Teacher
Rebecca Stanley	...	Kimberly Hess
Al Israel	...	Corso the Director
Douglas Warhit	...	Video Salesman
B.J. Jones	...	Douglas
Russ Marin	...	Frank
Lane Davies	...	Billy
Barbara Crampton	...	Carol
Larry Flash Jenkins	...	Assistant Director (as Larry 'Flash' Jenkins)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:R | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (2000) (DVD) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) (VHS) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1985) (theatrical) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) (cut) | Singapore:R(A) (cut) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:18 | France:-12 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:15 (cut) | Norway:16 (1985) | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

802 N. Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Brian De Palma originally planned for this to be the first Hollywood film to boast unsimulated sex scenes. The studio thought differently.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jake discovers Carol cheating on him, her lover's left hand is on her right breast. When the camera switches to a close-up, his right hand is on her left breast.

Quotes:

Sam Bouchard: Don't be so melodramatic.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Untouchables: Production Stories (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Main Theme

De Palma in his Hitchcock Phase

Sort of a cross between "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" but instead of James Stewart we get Craig Wasson as a struggling actor mixed in with some sly jokes at the film studios, actors, and adult films. Visually very stylish with hypnotic score. Bizarre music video sequence is well done to the tune of "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. If you can look past the plot holes, it's an entertaining over-the-top effort from De Palma.