From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Body Double
Body Double movie poster
Directed by	Brian De Palma
Produced by	Brian De Palma
Written by	Brian De Palma Robert J. Avrech
Starring	Craig Wasson Melanie Griffith Gregg Henry Dennis Franz Deborah Shelton
Music by	Pino Donaggio
Cinematography	Stephen H. Burum
Editing by	Gerald B. Greenberg Bill Pankow
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	October 26, 1984
Running time	114 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10,000,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Body Double is a 1984 film directed by Brian De Palma. Starring Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, and Dennis Franz. The film is an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's films Vertigo, Rear Window, and Dial M for Murder. The original music score is composed by Pino Donaggio. The film is marketed with the tagline "You can't believe everything you see."

The film was remade in India as the Hindi film Pehla Nasha (1993) ^[1]

The film begins and ends with the protagonist Jake Scully (Wasson) playing the character of a vampire on the set of a low-budget horror film. He is unable to rise from a coffin due to claustrophobia, causing him to lose the part. He also attends an acting workshop to improve his skills. He has recently found himself without a home, after witnessing his girlfriend having an affair in her home, where he had been living. At the workshop class, he makes a new friend, who gives him a house-sitting offer he cannot refuse, on top of a cul-de-sac with 360 degree views (aided by a bed that rotates slowly). He also introduces Jake to his "favorite neighbor" via telescope; a beautiful young woman who dances seductively, half naked, in the window of a nearby house. Jake's nightly voyeuristic viewings of this woman quickly evolve into a murder mystery, as he witnessess a murder. At one point in the film, we see a "movie within a movie" with Frankie Goes to Hollywood performing the song "Relax" on the set of a porno shoot. Scream queen starlet Brinke Stevens appears in this and other brief scenes as a porn actress.

The movie was largely dismissed by critics upon release, and even denounced outright by others. Only actress Melanie Griffith received rave reviews from the film, earning a National Society of Film Critics Best Supporting Actress Award, a Golden Globe Nomination as Best Supporting Actress, and the Motion Picture Booker's Club Award as "Star of Tomorrow." Some claimed that the movie was an out-and-out rip-off of Alfred Hitchcock, rather than an homage, as in the case of Dressed to Kill, while other critics condemned the film's perceived misogyny and graphic violence.

However, Roger Ebert praised the movie, giving it three and a half stars (out of four). The film developed a dedicated cult following which remains strong today, due to its directorial and aesthetic indulgences, early 1980s new wave soundtrack, and the use of iconic Los Angeles locations.

Brian De Palma has stated in the DVD commentary that the film was his response to critics who had denounced him before as ripping off Hitchcock, for his use of graphic violence (especially in the case of Scarface), and what they interpreted as misogyny (in the case of Dressed to Kill.)

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Body Double is heavily referenced in Bret Easton Ellis' novel, American Psycho.
• The Tower Records store that Jake enters to purchase a copy of "Holly Does Hollywood" is the Tower Video branch at the corner of Larabee and Sunset Boulevard. The current interior of the store differs from the movie in that there is no carpeting. The advertisement for the video in the movie which states "... or pick it up right now at Tower Records all-night video sale ..." is referring to the fact that this Tower location (and its record store counterpart across the street) remained open until midnight.
• The saucer-shaped house in the movie is the Chemosphere, located on the San Fernando Valley side of the Hollywood Hills.
• The bar which is featured twice early in the film is Barney's Beanery, located right off of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
• The hot dog stand featured at the beginning of the movie, Tail O' the Pup, was located near the corner of 3rd Street and La Cienega Boulevard, right by the Beverly Center which is also visible in the movie. Of note is that this particular area was rather sparse in comparison to the level of density that is featured today.
• The upscale mall where Jake stalks Gloria is the Rodeo Collection on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
• The motel with the steps leading down to the beach and the passageway with the graffiti-lined entrance are located in Long Beach, California.
• The Hollywood Tower apartment building featured early in the film is located on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, two blocks away from Gower Street.
• Several reviewers have called the movie "the only bona fide American giallo ever made".^{[citation needed]}

• Craig Wasson: Jake Scully
• Melanie Griffith: Holly Body
• Gregg Henry: Sam Bouchard
• Deborah Shelton: Gloria Revelle
• Guy Boyd: Detective Jim McLean
• Dennis Franz: Rubin
• David Haskell: Will
• Lane Davies: Billy
• Barbara Crampton: Carol

• Body Double at the Internet Movie Database
• Body Double at All Movie Guide

v • d • e American films of the 1980s
1980 •1981 •1982 •1983 •1984 •1985 •1986 •1987 •1988 •1989