Man at the Window (12 Mar. 1985)
"The Hitchhiker" Man at the Window (original title)

Faded playwright Arthur Brown uses state-of-the-art electronic equipment to record the private conversations of other people and uses the material gleaned from said intimate conversations ... See full summary »

Director:

Christopher Leitch

Writers:

Riff Markowitz (creator), Lewis Chesler (creator),

Stars:

Edward Albert, Page Fletcher, Michael Madsen

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Edward Albert	...	Arthur Brown
Page Fletcher	...	The Hitchhiker
Michael Madsen	...	John Hampton
Penelope Milford	...	Diane Hampton
Belinda Montgomery	...	Carla Magnuson
Vlasta Vrana	...	Mark Greenburg

Storyline

Faded playwright Arthur Brown uses state-of-the-art electronic equipment to record the private conversations of other people and uses the material gleaned from said intimate conversations for his work. Brown gets in over his head when his latest subject Diane Hampton turns out to be having an extramarital affair with lesbian photographer Carla Magnuson. When Diane's abusive and possessive cop husband John finds out what's going on, everyone including Brown is placed in great danger.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Release Date:

12 March 1985 (France)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Markowitz/Chesler Producing, Quintina Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

27 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Another sturdy episode

Faded playwright Arthur Brown (well played by Edward Albert) uses state-of-the-art electronic equipment to record the private conversations of other people and uses the material gleaned from said intimate conversations for his own work. Brown gets in over his head when his latest unsuspecting subject Diane Hampton (a fine and touching performance by Penelope Milford) turns out to be having an extramarital affair with compassionate lesbian photographer Carla Magnuson (a warm and appealing turn by Belinda Montgomery). When Diane's abusive and possessive cop husband John (an appropriately intense and menacing portrayal by Michael Madsen) finds out what's going on, everyone including Brown is placed in great danger. Offering a more complex and tricky story than usual thanks to Michael Janover's absorbing and challenging script, with across the board excellent acting from the entire cast, able direction by Christopher Leitch, a steady pace, slick'n'shadowy noir-style cinematography by Thomas Burstyn, startling outbursts of brutal violence (the moments with John beating Diane are genuinely upsetting), an effectively shivery and ominous score by Michel Rubini, a good deal of slowly building and nerve-wracking suspense, a smidgen of the show's trademark tasty gratuitous female nudity courtesy of the lovely Ms. Milford, several creepy voyeuristic scenes depicting Brown spying on his subjects, and a deliciously ironic climax in which Brown gets his just harsh comeuppance, this episode delivers a potent and valid point about the considerable peril to be found in eavesdropping on and even manipulating the personal lives of others for one's own selfish purposes. Fans of this often dark and grim cable anthology program should enjoy this pleasingly twisted and perverse episode.