Woodyanders Abrasive feminist reporter Grace Collier (well played to the annoying hilt by Jennifer Salt) witness a murder committed by model Danielle (a bravura performance by Margot Kidder) through her apartment window. When the police don't believe her, Collier hires low-rent private detective Joseph Larch (the always excellent Charles Durning) to get to the bottom of things. From its clever opening that puts an ingenious spin on the whole concept of voyeurism to the boldly ambiguous "it's not quite over" ending that refuses to tie everything up all nice and neat in a bow, director/co-writer Brian De Palma has a grand time slyly subverting basic thriller conventions while still delivering the requisite exciting set pieces: The brutal murder of decent guy Phillip Woode (a likeable portrayal by Lisle Wilson) is downright painful to watch while a ripsnorting cinematic black and white flashback sequence proves to be both surreal and nightmarish in equal measure. William Finley contributes a splendidly creepy turn as sinister psychiatrist Dr. Emil Breton. Dolph Sweet also does well as gruff and skeptical detective Kelly. Gregory Sandor's polished cinematography makes expert use of split screen and boasts a few sinuous tracking shots. Bernard Herrmann's shivery and spirited score hits the stirring spot. Essential viewing for De Palma fans.

christopher-underwood I have liked this film since I first saw it back in the 70s when I seem to recall it was much dismissed. I felt there was something different about it. Maybe not as clinically professional as some films and more concerned with the action than the actors. There also seemed to be unusually seedy aspect to the goings on. Later, of course, I discovered Italian exploitation and gialli in particular. This is the territory De Palma is working in even if the references to Hitchcock are undeniable. Interestingly enough I recall Hitchcock being asked if the violence in Frenzy was really necessary and he said that continental films had much more sex and violence and if he had been allowed to he would have made his films more like that. So, De Palma does get away with it and in some style. The story races along with a pretty Margot Kidder central at first, before we get tabloid type flashes as to the past evidence of conjoined twins and the whole thing gets very creepy. The use of split screens is exciting, indeed De Palma seems to use anything at his disposal, including the great score, to give us that thrilling experience with just a little feeling of dread.

SnoopyStyle Danielle Breton (Margot Kidder) is a French Canadian model living on Staten Island. Philip Woode takes her home after their appearance on a Candid Camera game show. She's separated from her Siamese twin Dominique Blanchion who is angry about being left behind in a mental hospital. It's their birthday and Dominique is coming for a visit. When Philip returns with a birthday cake, he is stabbed to death by a crazed Dominique which is witnessed by neighbor reporter Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt). Her ex-husband Emil is stalking her and finds Danielle disoriented and Philip dead. He helps her hide the dead body in the foldaway couch. Police detectives Kelly and Spinetti investigate but they don't find a body. The cops distrust the reporter and Grace must investigate on her own. Her editor insists on hiring private detective Joseph Larch (Charles Durning) to join her.I often complain that characters in movies never call the cops. It's almost as bad when the cops turn out to be idiots. It doesn't make sense that the first cops on the scene are detectives rather than patrolmen. There's an argument about exigent circumstance which seems overblown and unreasonable. I can't understand why Grace is allowed into the apartment other than a need to advance the plot. If this actually happened, I expected uniformed cops to come and knock on the door looking for a victim. The cops dragging their feet is suppose to build tension but it build annoyance for me.Director Brian De Palma is doing a homage to Alfred Hitchcock. There is a good deal of fun Rear Window scenes. The last act is quite compelling. There are a lot of goodness here but there are a few things keeps annoying me. I really don't understand why Larch doesn't call the cops about the couch. If they find the body, the cops could get the couch delivered in their own sting. These little logic problems just bug me.

Theo Robertson Sometimes a TV channel can surprise you . There I was watching THE INVADERS on the UK Horror Channel wondering what graphic and mediocre movie the channel was going to throw up at us as it normally does on a 9pm weeknight . Flicking through the info button I caught the synopsis and instantly thought I was going to be something along the lines if BASKET CASE a film that despite having a cult following I wasn't mad keen on . So doing what every other puzzled film fan does I came on to this site to catch a bit more info and was slightly surprised to see it had an average user rating of 7.0 which is quite high for something being broadcast on The Horror Channel . I then glanced at the credits and was shocked to discover it's an early effort from Brian De Palma ! Hold the front page because " De Palma directs a film that is being broadcast on The UK Horror Channel " is definite headline news and let's not forget that from CARRIE to CARLITO'S WAY he was one of Hollywood's leading film makers . This alone makes this rather obscure and early work from the director worth seeking out De Palma is something of an acquired taste and he does sometimes come in for heavy criticism such as " one trick pony " and " Hitchcock plagiarist " and to be blunt you could make the exact criticism about BLOOD SISTERS . This was made during The New Hollywood period when film making movie brats discovered post modernism and obviously De Palma has seen REAR WINDOW . The main plot involves a person witnessing a murder from the window of a facing apartment , calling the police and the police finding no evidence , but to say it's a rip off of a 1950s Hitchcock classic is to do it a disservice . The story is very much updated to the 1970s since the witness is now a career woman who works as a journalist which is something very few women would have had in the way of a career20 years earlier . The heroine is a lot more proactive than what Jeff was in REAR WINDOW and I felt the major problem in that film was that it too static for its own good . There's also an air of weary 70s cynicism where the police are useless are to be blunt total " pigs " . Since the Hays Code had been nullified a few years previously the film contains much more graphic violence than you'd have seen in a 1950s movie One thing Hitchcock described about his movies was " The ice-box effect " By this he meant when you watched one of his movies you went to the ice box to grab yourself a beer then - bang . You stop to think about the plotting and everything collapses and we see the same thing here . Someone gets stabbed to death and within the ten minutes of it being witnessed and the police arriving it's possible to get blood stains out of the carpet etc . The story suffers these unlikely implausible aspects and relies a little bit too much on coincidence and bad luck to drive the story forward . Bernard Herrman's score is very intrusive and again reminds you of his work for Hitchcock . You also tend to notice De Palma's style that he uses in nearly all his movies so despite it being an example of his early work there's a feeling of seen it all before . That said it is a highly involving tense thriller and I did enjoy this more than the film that inspired it so thanks to The Horror Channel for broadcasting it and I look forward to seeing more obscure works by Hollywood auteurs turning up