Review of Body Double (1984) by Juan C — 10 Jan 2011

The salacious everyman.

This is the film that most directly is influenced by Hitchcock, as an everyman is slowly drawn into a salacious world beyond his control. Obvious references and a riff on Rear Window, with Vertigo thrown in for good measure.

The camera shots referencing his claustrophobia are technically awful and should have used something much closer to the push-pull shots in Vertigo. The murder scene is also hilarious in how clumsy it is shot. It is nearly comedy until it reaches a sudden and grotesque ending.

Then we delve completely into the world of the adult industry as Frankie Goes To Hollywood blasts out. The ending does come together nicely rather than devolving into complete farce.

The shower sequence and body double are themselves a reference to the Angie Dickenson controversy of Dressed to Kill. It also references Psycho yet again and is the exact same device used in Blow Out as reality and the world of film mix. A sound effect is replaced with the body double. Super meta.

The Indian villain is also memorable and due to his surreal natures, has a disturbing and sinister edge.