The Bedroom Window (1987 film)

Last updated
The Bedroom Window
Bedroomwindowposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Screenplay by Curtis Hanson
Based onThe Witnesses
by Anne Holden
Produced by Martha Schumacher
Robert Towne
Starring
Cinematography Gilbert Taylor
Edited byScott Conrad
Music by Michael Shrieve
Patrick Gleeson
Distributed by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (USA)
Release date
  • January 16, 1987 (1987-01-16)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8.3 million
Box office$12.6 million

The Bedroom Window is a 1987 American neo-noir [1] psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson. It stars Steve Guttenberg, Elizabeth McGovern and Isabelle Huppert, and was shot in Baltimore in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Based on a novel The Witnesses, by Anne Holden, it tells the story of a young executive who starts an affair with the wife of his boss which then escalates into nightmare after he lies to the police in order to protect her.

Contents

Plot

Terry asks his boss's wife Sylvia to his apartment after an office party and the two go to bed. Later, while he is in the bathroom, she hears screams outside and goes naked to the window. Seeing a man attacking a young woman, she opens the window and the assailant runs away. When the media report the murder of a young woman near Terry's flat that night, he thinks the police should know what Sylvia saw but, to protect her, claims that it was he who was at the bedroom window.

At a police lineup, neither he nor the victim Denise is able to pick out the attacker, Chris. Despite the feeble evidence against him, Chris is put on trial for the assault and during the proceedings his lawyer proves that since Terry is short-sighted, and was supposed to be asleep - and therefore not wearing his contact lenses - when the attack occurred, that he could not have witnessed the incident. Chris goes free, leaving not only the police and the prosecution but also Denise and Sylvia aghast at Terry's ineptness.

In the courtroom, Chris recognises Sylvia as the woman at the window. Desperate to warn her, Terry finds her at a ballet performance and tells her she must go to the police, but she refuses all further involvement. As he leaves, he sees Chris's distinctive truck parked outside and rushes in again. He is too late, however, for in the dark she has been stabbed fatally and dies in Terry's arms.

He takes refuge with Denise, who first seduces him and then offers him a chance to redeem himself. She wants revenge, and with him devises a plot to provoke Chris into another attack. Disguising herself, she goes to a bar where Chris is drinking and signals her availability. Terry follows her as she leaves to go home and, when Chris attacks, the two are able to repel him. He escapes, only to be caught by the police who Terry forewarned.

Cast

Production

Development

Curtis Hanson read the novel The Witness by Anne Holden and tried to get the film rights. They had been bought by Paramount who had them for 15 years. Hanson did a deal with the studio to write the script. His adaptation added the character of Denise, the assaulted waitress. [2]

Casting

Hanson says Elizabeth McGovern was his "only choice" to play Denise. "Robert De Niro was obsessed with McGovern in Once Upon a Time in America. Dudley Moore was obsessed with her in Lovesick. So it's fun to have her play a part where her beauty is secondary. At a certain point she takes over the plot. She's the victim who becomes the aggressor." [2]

In the script Sylvia was American but Hanson decided to cast Isabelle Huppert. "She gives the movie a little extra something," said Hanson. "Being French, she has a veneer of sophistication. She's glamorous and belongs to a world that he aspires to. Isabelle also added a contrast with Elizabeth, to whom Steve's character was initially unattracted." [2]

Hanson says Steve Guttenberg was not his first choice for the lead of Terry but rather a suggestion of Dino De Laurentiis. "Dino thought that if the movie wasn't successful, at least he'd have a young person in the lead who is liked and is known for comedy," said Hanson. [2]

Guttenberg was very enthusiastic to do the film and Hanson agreed to cast him after they had dinner together. "I thought the picture should have his enthusiasm and his humor," Hanson said. "Steve was dying to play the part. It was something different for him. He perceived his character as more of a leading man than a comedian." [2]

Shooting

The film was shot in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland and at DeLaurentiis' DEG studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. [2]

Music

The music for the film was composed by Michael Shrieve and Patrick Gleeson, and released as the official soundtrack album on LP in 1986. [3]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 72% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "A likable cast and mostly solid story help The Bedroom Window transcend hollow Hitchcock pastiche." [4] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [5]

The film was met with negative feedback by Vincent Canby in The New York Times . [6] It subsequently received mixed to mildly positive reviews from other film critics. James Berardinelli gave the film 2 out of 4 stars and called it "a promising thriller [gone] badly wrong". [7] Jack Sommersby recommended it as "a first-rate thriller that only occasionally missteps", but reflected negatively on its story. [8] Derek Armstrong described it as "a diligent, suspenseful thriller" with "a tense, focused story", pointing out, however, the inferiority of the third act to the rest of the film as well as loose plot threads. [9]

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The Bedroom Window grossed $12.6 million at the box office, [10] against a budget of $8.3 million. [2] [11] It spent its first three weeks in the Top 10 at the box office. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabelle Huppert</span> French actress (b. 1953)

Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert is a French actress. Known for her portrayals of cold, austere women devoid of morality, she is considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation. With 16 nominations and two wins, Huppert is the most nominated actress at the César Awards. She is also the recipient of several accolades, including five Lumières Awards, a BAFTA Award, three European Film Awards, two Berlin International Film Festival, three Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival honors, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her first on its list of the greatest actresses of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Hanson</span> American filmmaker (1945–2016)

Curtis Lee Hanson was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Reno, Nevada, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. After dropping out of high school, Hanson worked as photographer and editor for Cinema magazine. In the 1970s, Hanson got involved in filmmaking starting with participating to the writing Daniel Haller's The Dunwich Horror (1970) and his directorial debut Sweet Kill (1973), where he lacked creative control to fulfill his vision. While Hanson continued directing, he rose to prominence by being involved in the writing of critically acclaimed films. This includes Daryl Duke's The Silent Partner (1978), Samuel Fuller's White Dog and Carroll Ballard's Never Cry Wolf (1983).

<i>Fear</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Fear is a 1996 American psychological thriller film directed by James Foley and written by Christopher Crowe. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Reese Witherspoon, William Petersen, Alyssa Milano and Amy Brenneman. It revolves around a wealthy family whose seemingly perfect life is threatened when their teenage daughter begins dating an attractive and mysterious young man who turns out to be a violent sociopath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Guttenberg</span> American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director (born 1958)

Steven Robert Guttenberg is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. His lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s include Cocoon, Police Academy, Three Men and a Baby, Diner, The Bedroom Window, Three Men and a Little Lady, The Big Green, and Short Circuit.

<i>The Piano Teacher</i> (film) 2001 film by Michael Haneke

The Piano Teacher is a 2001 erotic psychological drama film written and directed by Michael Haneke, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Elfriede Jelinek. It tells the story of an unmarried piano teacher at a Vienna conservatory, living with her mother in a state of emotional and sexual disequilibrium, who enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with her student. A co-production of Austria and France, Haneke was given the opportunity to direct after previous attempts to adapt the novel by filmmakers Valie Export and Paulus Manker collapsed for financial reasons.

<i>Amateur</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Hal Hartley

Amateur is a 1994 crime comedy-drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley and starring Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan, Elina Löwensohn, and Damian Young. The story revolves around a former nun who gets mixed up in pornography, violence and international crime.

<i>La Cérémonie</i> 1995 film

La Cérémonie is a 1995 French-German psychological thriller film by Claude Chabrol, adapted from the 1977 novel A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell. The film echoes the case of Christine and Lea Papin, two French maids who brutally murdered their employer's wife and daughter in 1933, as well as the 1947 play they inspired, The Maids by Jean Genet.

<i>Every Man for Himself</i> (1980 film) 1980 French film

Every Man for Himself is a 1980 drama film directed, co-written and co-produced by Jean-Luc Godard that is set in and was filmed in Switzerland. It stars Jacques Dutronc, Isabelle Huppert, and Nathalie Baye, with a score by Gabriel Yared. Nathalie Baye won the César Award for Best Supporting Actress. It also was submitted as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 53rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

<i>The Brontë Sisters</i> 1979 film by André Téchiné

The Brontë Sisters is a 1979 French biographical drama film directed by André Téchiné, who co-wrote the screenplay with Pascal Bonitzer and Jean Gruault. The film stars Isabelle Adjani, Marie-France Pisier and Isabelle Huppert as the Brontë sisters. The cinematography was by Bruno Nuytten. It was a project that Téchiné wanted to make since 1972, but only after the favourable reception of Souvenirs d'en France (1975) and Barocco (1976), he was able to find the necessary financing. Produced by Gaumont, the film's originally running time was cut from three to less than two hours upon its release at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Story of Women</i> 1988 French drama film

Story of Women is a 1988 French drama film directed by Claude Chabrol, based on the true story of Marie-Louise Giraud, guillotined on 30 July 1943 for having performed 27 abortions in the Cherbourg area, and the 1986 book Une affaire de femmes by Francis Szpiner.

<i>Lakeview Terrace</i> 2008 American film

Lakeview Terrace is a 2008 American crime thriller film directed by Neil LaBute, written by David Loughery and Howard Korder, co-produced by James Lassiter and Will Smith, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington. Jackson plays a racist African-American LAPD police officer who terrorizes his new next-door neighbors because they are an interracially married couple. The title is a reference to the ethnically mixed middle class Los Angeles neighborhood of Lake View Terrace.

<i>La vie promise</i> 2002 French film

La vie promise is a 2002 French film directed by Olivier Dahan, written by Olivier Dahan and Agnès Fustier-Dahan, and starring by Isabelle Huppert, Pascal Greggory and Maud Forget.

<i>Eaux profondes</i> 1981 film

Eaux profondes is a 1981 French thriller film directed by Michel Deville that stars Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Based on the novel Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith, it tells the story of a man who regains his wife's affections by killing two of her lovers.

<i>Comedy of Innocence</i> 2000 film

Comedy of Innocence is a 2000 French supernatural drama film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz and starring Isabelle Huppert. It is co-scripted by Ruiz and Françoise Dumas. The film is produced by Mact Productions, distributed by Canal+, CNC, TF1, Les Films du Camelia. As Michael Goddard indicates in his book, The Cinema of Raul Ruiz: Impossible Cartographies, the film was loosely adapted from Massimo Bontempelli novella "Il Figilio del Due Madri", or "The Child of Two Mothers"

<i>Elle</i> (film) 2016 film by Paul Verhoeven

Elle is a 2016 psychological thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven from a screenplay by David Birke, based on the novel Oh... by Philippe Djian. Djian's novel was published in 2012 and received the Prix Interallié. The film stars Isabelle Huppert as a businesswoman who is raped in her home by a masked assailant and decides not to report it due to her past experience with police.

<i>Lavalantula</i> American 2015 science fiction horror thriller film

Lavalantula is an American 2015 science fiction comedy horror thriller television film that takes place after a series of volcanic eruptions in Los Angeles unleashes a swarm of gigantic, lava-breathing tarantulas from which the film draws its title. It was directed by Mike Mendez and stars Steve Guttenberg, Nia Peeples and Patrick Renna. Ian Ziering appears as Fin Shepard, tying the film into the Sharknado universe. It premiered on Syfy on July 25, 2015.

<i>Eva</i> (2018 film) 2017 film

Eva is a 2018 romantic drama film written and directed by Benoît Jacquot, based on the 1945 novel Eve by James Hadley Chase. Starring Isabelle Huppert and Gaspard Ulliel, the film tells the story of a young fraudster who causes the death of a girl who loves him because of his obsession for an older high-class prostitute. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Greta</i> (2018 film) 2018 film directed by Neil Jordan

Greta is a 2018 psychological thriller film directed by Neil Jordan and written by Ray Wright and Jordan. The film stars Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore and Stephen Rea, and follows a young woman as she befriends a lonely widow who becomes disturbingly obsessed with her.

<i>Wolves at the Door</i> 2016 film by John R. Leonetti

Wolves at the Door is a 2016 American horror film directed by John R. Leonetti and written by Gary Dauberman. The film is loosely based on the murder of Sharon Tate, the wife of Roman Polanski, and her friends in 1969 by members of the Manson Family, and, though not considered an installment in the franchise, takes place within The Conjuring Universe. The cast features Katie Cassidy, Elizabeth Henstridge, Adam Campbell and Miles Fisher as four friends who are stalked and murdered by a group of intruders at a farewell party, with Eric Ladin reprising his role as Detective Clarkin from Leonetti's 2014 film Annabelle.

<i>The Hole in the Ground</i> (film) 2019 film by Lee Cronin

The Hole in the Ground is a 2019 supernatural horror film, directed by Lee Cronin in his feature debut film, from an original screenplay he wrote with Stephen Shields. It stars Seána Kerslake, James Cosmo, Kati Outinen, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, and James Quinn Markey. It follows a woman who begins to suspect that her son's disturbing behaviour is linked to a mysterious sinkhole.

References

  1. ↑ Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; Ursini, James; Porfirio, Robert (2010). Film Noir: The Encyclopaedia. Overlook Duckworth (New York). ISBN   978-1-59020-144-2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Russell, Candice (March 8, 1987). "Bedroom Window' Director Inspired by Novel, Hitchcock". Sun Sentinel .
  3. ↑ "Michael Shrieve & Patrick Gleeson - The Bedroom Window (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs . 1986. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  4. ↑ "The Bedroom Window". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 2024-03-11. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  5. ↑ "The Bedroom Window". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  6. ↑ Canby, Vincent (16 January 1987). "Bedroom Window: A Thriller" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on 7 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Berardinelli, James (2001). "Review: The Bedroom Window". reelviews.net. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  8. ↑ Sommersby, Jack (2002-12-27). "Movie Review - Bedroom Window, The". efilmcritic.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  9. ↑ Armstrong, Derek. "The Bedroom Window (1987) - Curtis Hanson". AllMovie . www.allmovie.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  10. 1 2 "The Bedroom Window". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved 2024-03-11. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ Knoedelseder, William K Jr. (1987-08-30). "De Laurentiis: Producer's Picture Darkens" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.