Windows (film)

Windows

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Gordon Willis
Produced by Mike Lobell
Written by Barry Siegel
Starring Talia Shire
Joseph Cortese
Elizabeth Ashley
Kay Medford
Russell Horton
Michael Lipton
Ron Ryan
Linda Gillin
Rick Petrucelli
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cinematography Gordon Willis
Edited by Barry Malkin
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
 January 18, 1980
Running time
 95 minutes
Language English
Box office $2,128,395

Windows is a 1980 erotic thriller film starring Talia Shire, Joseph Cortese and Elizabeth Ashley, directed by Gordon Willis.

Background

Willis was the cinematographer of some of the most acclaimed films of the 1970s, among them The Godfather (and its sequel, The Godfather Part II), All the President's Men, Annie Hall and others. This would be his only attempt at directing a movie.

Plot

Emily Hollander (Shire) is the subject of a lesbian obsession at the hands of Andrea Glassen (Ashley), her next-door neighbor. As Emily begins dating detective Bob Luffrono (Cortese), Andrea overflows with jealousy, spying on Hollander through her own window.

Emily, a shy, recently divorced woman, lives alone in a New York apartment. In the opening scene a man has forced his way into her apartment and performs a bizarre "rape" - he forces her to make sounds of erotic satisfaction, and captures them on his tape recorder. She reports the attack to the police the following day, and while they are still interviewing her, Andrea stops by to comfort her.

Emily seeks safety by moving to an apartment in another section of the city. However, while she is moving out, the same man tries to attack her again – but this time Andrea conveniently passes by, and is able to prevent the man from entering Emily's apartment.

It becomes apparent that Andrea is not the helpful neighbor that she seemed - for starters, she has the recording made during Emily's first attack. Andrea has developed an erotic fascination with Emily, apparently developed as she has observed Emily through the apartment's windows. She hired a local taxi driver to perform the attacks, with the purpose of gaining the recording, to which she repeatedly listens while fantasizing of Emily. Emily, unaware of the situation, continues to view Andrea as a friend. She also begins a relationship with the policeman who responded to her case. At this intrusion into her fantasy, Andrea becomes increasingly unhinged, and takes to spying on Emily through a telescope.

When Emily unwittingly hails a taxi driven by the very man who assaulted her a few days previously, he strikes up a conversation with her "because she looks familiar". She finally realizes who the man is, and asks him to stop at a phone booth (so she can call the police). Amazingly, the police department advises her to get back into the taxi and engage the man in harmless conversation until they can arrive to assist her.

With the taxi driver getting arrested and confessing to the entire plot, Emily and Andrea have a confrontation where Andrea professes her love for Emily, but Emily slaps her hard in the face and tells a devastated, weeping Andrea that they will never speak to or see each other again. Her ordeal over, Emily finishes the movie by greeting Det. Luffrono at her front door and happily inviting him to have coffee.

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Criticism

The film was the subject of many protests from gay rights activists who accused the film of being homophobic and resorting to hateful stereotypes of lesbians.[1] David Denby attacked the film, saying "Windows exists only in the perverted fantasies of men who hate lesbians so much they will concoct any idiocy in order to slander them." [2]

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert selected the film as one of their "dogs of the year" in a 1980 episode of Sneak Previews.[3]

Gordon Willis admitted the film had been a mistake,[4][5]and later said of directing that he didn't really like it. "I've had a good relationship with actors," he reflected, "but I can do what I do and back off. I don't want that much romancing. I don't want them to call me up at two in the morning saying, 'I don't know who I am'".[6]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref
1980 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Picture Mike Lobell Nominated [7]
Worst Screenplay Barry Siegel Nominated [7]
Worst Actress Talia Shire Nominated [7]
Worst Supporting Actress Elizabeth Ashley Nominated [7]
Worst Director Gordon Willis Nominated [7]

External links

References

  1. ↑ The celluloid closet
  2. ↑ Kendall R. Phillips, Controversial Cinema: The Films That Outraged America. ABC-CLIO, 2008. ISBN 1567207243, p. 35
  3. ↑ Sneak Previews: Worst of 1980
  4. ↑ Feeney, Mark. "A Study in Contrasts", The Boston Globe, 14 January 2007
  5. ↑ Quoted on NPR affiliate publicbroadcasting.net Retrieved 4 March 2011
  6. ↑ Peary, Gerald. "Gerald Peary: Gordon Willis", Boston Phoenix, August 2003. Retrieved 4 March 2011
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "First Annual RAZZIE® Awards (For 1980)". razzies.com. March 31, 1981. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
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