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	USA
Language	English
Budget	$10,000,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Body Double is a 1984 film by directed 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. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (492x755, 59 KB) This image is of a film poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the film or the studio which produced the film in question. ... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American film director. ... Craig Wasson (b. ... Melanie Griffith is an American film actress. ... Gregg Henry (born May 6, 1952 in Lakewood, Colorado) is an American theater and film character actor and rock, blues, and country musician. ... Dennis Franz (born Dennis Franz Schlacta, October 28, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois) is a German-American actor best known for his roles as Andy Sipowicz, a gritty police detective in the television series NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues and Beverly Hills Buntz. ... Deborah Shelton is an American beauty queen and actress. ... Pino Donaggio (Composer Born 24 October 1941, Burano, Italy. ... Stephen H. Burum is an American cinematographer, and was born on 25 November 1939 in Visalia, California. ... Gerald B. Greenberg (sometimes credited as Jerry Greenberg or Gerry Greenberg) is an Academy Award-winning film editor. ... Bill Pankow is an American film editor who was born in New York City in 1952. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brian De Palma (born James Giacinto DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American film director. ... Craig Wasson (b. ... Melanie Griffith is an American film actress. ... Dennis Franz (born Dennis Franz Schlacta, October 28, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois) is a German-American actor best known for his roles as Andy Sipowicz, a gritty police detective in the television series NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues and Beverly Hills Buntz. ... For a description of the medieval homage ceremony see commendation ceremony Homage is generally used in modern English to mean any public show of respect to someone to whom you feel indebted. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was a highly influential film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rear Window (1954) is a motion picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrichs short story It Had to Be Murder (1942). ... Dial M for Murder is a 1954 Warner Brothers film directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Grace Kelly and Ray Milland as a married couple. ...

Tagline: You can't believe everything you see.

Plot Summary

The film begins and ends with the protagonist Jake (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. 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. 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. Vampires (sometimes vampyres) are not mythological or folkloric creatures are the re-animated corpses of human beings who subsist on human or animal blood. ... The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. ... Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH) was one of the most controversial and commercially successful UK new wave acts of the early 1980s. ...

Critical reaction

The movie was largely dismissed by critics upon release, and even denounced outright by others. 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. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was a highly influential film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... For a description of the medieval homage ceremony see commendation ceremony Homage is generally used in modern English to mean any public show of respect to someone to whom you feel indebted. ... Dressed to Kill is a 1980 horror film written and directed by Brian de Palma. ... Misogyny () is hatred or strong prejudice against women. ... Graphic violence is the depiction of violence in media such as film, television, and video games. ...

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. Russ Meyer (left) and Roger Ebert, (1970) Roger Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942 - ) is an Emmy Award-nominated American television personality, author, and film critic who began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

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.) This article or section contains a plot summary that may be overly long, confusing, or ambiguous. ...

Trivia

• Body Double is heavily referenced in Bret Easton Ellis' novel, American Psycho.
• The title is supposedly a reference to the use of a body double for Angie Dickinson's nude scenes in De Palma's 1980 film, Dressed To Kill.
• 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 market where Jake is seen carrying a grocery bag to his car is the Farmer's Market by 3rd Street and Fairfax Avenue.
• 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.

Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is an American author. ... American Psycho is a 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis. ... Body Double is a 1984 film by directed Brian De Palma. ... Angie Dickinson (born September 30, 1931) is a famous American television and film actress who is probably best-known for her role as sultry Sgt. ... Dressed to Kill is a 1980 horror film written and directed by Brian de Palma. ... Tower Records was a retail music chain based in Sacramento, California, USA. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store. ... Sunset Boulevard (officially known as West Sunset Boulevard, except in Beverly Hills) is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... The Chemosphere, built by American architect John Lautner in 1960, is an innovative Modernist residence in Los Angeles, California. ... San Fernando Valley from southwestern edge. ... The Hollywood Hills, an unofficial designation of part of the City of Los Angeles, California, are part of the eastern section of the low transverse range of the Santa Monica Mountains, which extends from the Los Feliz District and Hollywood, on the south side of the Valley, to Pacific Coast... Barneys Beanery is a famous restaurant and bar located in West Hollywood, California. ... California State Route 2; the Santa Monica Boulevard segment is highlighted in red, Alvarado Street is highlighted in green, the Glendale Freeway is highlighted in blue, and the Angeles Crest Highway is highlighted in purple. ... West Hollywoods logo illustrates the citys borders. ... Fairfax Avenue is a street on the west side of Los Angeles, California, which runs from Culver City at its southern end to West Hollywood on its northern end. ... Tail O the Pup is an iconic Los Angeles, California hot dog stand actually shaped like a hot dog. ... Map of La Ciénega Boulevard and the unbuilt SR 170 freeway La Ciénega Boulevard is a major north/south arterial road that runs from El Segundo Boulevard in El Segundo, California on the south to Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. ... The Beverly Center is a shopping center in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Rodeo Drive Rodeo Drive (pronounced Spanish: ro-DAY-oh) is a famous three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops in Beverly Hills, California, United States. ... For other uses, see: Beverly Hills (disambiguation). ... Nickname: The International City (on flag), Friendly City (in Latin on citys seal), or the LBC Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: Country United States State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Bob Foster Area    - City 170. ... The following stations on the New York City Subway share the name Franklin Avenue. ... ... Gower Street is a street in Hollywood, California, which marks the start of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which runs east to west on Hollywood Boulevard. ...

External links

• Body Double at the Internet Movie Database