Windows (1980)

Emily is the subject of a perverse obsession by a gay neighbor, Andrea, who not only is in lust with her but hires a rapist in order to get audio tapes of her moaning. Andrea turns peeping ... 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	...	Lawrence 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

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

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Plot Keywords:

psycho thriller | sexy thriller | peeping tom | telescope | lesbian | 

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Taglines:

Somebody loves Emily... too much

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released in theaters roughly one month before Cruising (1980), another film that was protested by gay rights activists for portrayals some deemed homophobic and hateful stereotypes.

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Quotes

Andrea Glassen: Please... don't hurt me. Please... don't hurt me. *Please*... don't hurt me. Please... don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. Please. Please. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please.

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions were heavily cut by 2 minutes 16 secs by the BBFC to edit the opening rape scene.

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Connections

Referenced in Vintage Video: A Small Circle of Friends (1980) (2020)

User Reviews

A Flat Film That Never Takes Off

Windows (1980)

** (out of 4)

Emily (Talia Shire) walks into her apartment when she is attacked from behind. She is forced onto the ground with a knife where the man threatens to kill her unless she shows him what she has and that she moans in satisfaction so that he can record it. Police detective Luffrono (Joseph Cortese) questions Emily but she has no details of the man. Soon the two of them are striking up a relationship, which doesn't sit well with Emily's former neighbor Andrea (Elizabeth Ashley).

WINDOWS is a film that I heard about decades ago when movies like SINGLE WHITE FEMALE and THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE were making big cash at the box office. It seems WINDOWS was pretty much forgotten for the most part yet I always wanted to see it even with the rather negative reviews that it got. I must admit that the film wasn't very good and in fact it's pretty silly when viewed today. The film attempts to be a psychological study of two troubled women but in the end it's basically about a lesbian who can't tell another woman she wants her.

It's interesting that this same year also gave us CRUISING. That film was highly controversial and perhaps so much so that this film got away with the idea that a woman could be a nut simply because she was a lesbian and wants another woman. Instead of telling her she orders the woman to be sexually attacked and then she begins to stalk her. All of this should have made for a more interesting film but sadly WINDOWS just never really takes off. The biggest problem is the screenplay, which tries to avoid any real violence or anything all that dramatic and instead we just see the two women as they discuss their situations with the men in their lives. Emily has her cop friend and Andrea has her shrink.

I'm not going to sit here and say that the movie doesn't have any good qualities because it does. Shire was very good in her role, although the screenplay doesn't give her too much to do except to act scared at times and at other times to stutter. She's still quite good as the fragile woman as is Ashley, although she's given even less to do. The real standout was Cortese who was excellent in the role of the detective. The film does benefit from some nice cinematography and the New York City locations were great.

Some people might find the subject disturbing and some might find the film to be creepy but neither really worked on me. The film is mildly entertaining but it never has any real suspense and that's its real downfall. Gordon Willis was a wonderful cinematographer but it's easy to see why he never really blossomed as a director. The lack of any real energy or suspense kills the film and you just keep waiting for it to take off but it never does.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Corky

Filming Locations:

9 Cranberry Street, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$311,796, 20 January 1980

Gross USA:

$2,128,395

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,128,395

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mike Lobell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1