Body Double Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Body Double Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 29, 2015

.Brian De Palma's "Body Double" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new documentary featuring first assistant director Joe Napolitano; archival featurettes; and more. The release also arrives with a 200-page hardcover book with writings on the film and numerous archival and production photos. In English, with optional French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"She does it every night, like clockwork"

The more time passes by, the clearer it becomes that the people that used to routinely dismiss Brian De Palma’s work because he apparently kept ripping off Alfred Hitchcock simply could not, or did not want to, see the obvious -- that he had a unique style of his own. De Palma did make a few duds, but they are not the politically incorrect films the politically correct crowds rejected.

Ambitious but struggling actor Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) is fired by an obnoxious director (Dennis Franz) on the same day he discovers that his girlfriend is cheating on him. After the girlfriend kicks him out of her apartment, Jake meets another actor, Sam Bouchard (Gregg Henry), who offers him a place to stay until he figures out what to do next. The place is a futuristic house unlike any other in Los Angeles -- it looks like a Martian saucer and it is built on a stunning hillside overlooking the city. Inside the house there is a big spinning bed, a fancy bar, and a telescope. Before he heads to Seattle to shoot a new film, Sam tells Jake that he can use the telescope to enjoy the beautiful panoramic vistas -- or Gloria Rovelle (Deborah Shelton), the sexy neighbor living in the massive mansion below him, who likes to strip in her bedroom.

While waiting for Sam to return, Jake becomes obsessed with Gloria. Night after night he watches her strip and imagines being next to her. But his fantasies are disrupted when a mysterious man tries to hurt, possibly even kill Gloria. Determined to save Gloria, Jake quietly begins following her across the city.

This is a film with endless twists, but the majority of them are actually irrelevant. The bulk of the lines that are exchanged in it are also irrelevant. That’s right. What matters here is the style that blends everything together and the mood that emerges from it.

The events that ensue after Jake moves into the luxurious house send the film into two drastically different realities. In the first hordes of mainstream actors try hard to become stars while the wealthy enjoy the very best Los Angeles has to offer. This is the clean and healthy reality most people want to spend their time in. In the second a different group of actors are making the type of films the other reality does not recognize. It is here that Jake meets Holly Body (Melanie Griffith), a bubbly beauty and prolific adult actress, who agrees to help him get the mysterious man.

The film’s charm comes from De Palma’s ability to effectively target various cliches that characterize the two realities. (See the incredibly funny sequence where Holly Body humiliates the mainstream actress). And while he does it, he also plays with the many genre rules Hitchcock’s films established. The end result is truly remarkable. Despite the intended overstylization, or perhaps because of it, the film offers a strikingly accurate summation of Los Angeles from the 1980s and its people. This is a place of remarkable contrasts, wealth and power, beauty and cruelty, and people with admirable ambitions and dangerous desires.

Pino Donaggio collaborated with De Palma on a number of different projects during the years, but his contribution to this film remains his best work. There are various sequences where the light electronic music -- not the visuals, the camera movement, or the actors -- actually changes the rhythm of the film. Also, there is a fantastic sequence that uses Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s monster hit “Relax”.

Body Double Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Brian De Palma's Body Double arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.

The release is sourced from Sony's 4K remaster of Body Double, which will almost certainty remain the definitive presentation of the film on the home video market. Indeed, the film looks very healthy and fresh; the outdoor footage, in particular, looks strikingly vibrant. Close-ups boast excellent depth and clarity. Even during sequences that were shot at night or with light intentionally restricted various small objects and details remains very easy to identify. During footage with various panoramic vistas fluidity is excellent as well. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Unsurprisingly, the film looks very sharp -- not sharpened -- and has a very solid organic appearance. Color reproduction is good. Colors remain stable and there is a wide range of nuances. There are a couple of sequences where it does feel like the browns could have been slightly lighter, but the overall color scheme is convincing. Image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large debris, damage marks, cuts, or torn frames to report in our review. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Body Double Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the 2.0 track and later on did some random comparisons with the 5.1 track. The upgrades in terms of depth and fluidity are quite simply phenomenal. Pino Donaggio's atmospheric score has an enormously important role throughout the film and now it becomes very easy to understand why. There are various sequences where the music -- not the visuals, the camera movement, or the actors -- changes the rhythm of the film. The music also adds a big dose of pure style to some of the riskier footage. Balance is excellent and separation outstanding. The dialog is crystal clear, clean, and always easy to follow. Lastly, there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Body Double Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Preface de Samuel Blumenfeld - new video introduction to the film by writer and film historian Samuel Blumenfeld. In French, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Bande-annonce - original theatrical trailer for Body Double. In English, with optional French subtitles. (2 min).

• Pure Cinema - in this new documentary film, first assistant director Joe Napolitano recalls his first encounter with Brian De Palma (which was prior to the shooting of Blow Out) and discusses the director's working methods, the shooting of various sequences from Body Double (with some very interesting comments about Melanie Griffith's performance), the desire to make the sleezy side of the adult world depicted in the film look classy, production designer Ida Random's invaluable contribution to the film, the various locations that were used in the films, some of the unique framing choices that were made, the brilliant use of music, etc. The documentary was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, with optional French subtitles. (39 min).

• Featurettes - presented here are four archival featurettes. In English, with optional French subtitles.
  
  1. La seduction/The Seduction - Brian De Palma addresses the type of research and discusses the auditions that were done during the pre-production process and addresses some popular myths and half-truths. Melanie Griffith and Deborah Shelton also recall how they became involved with Body Double. (17 min).
  
  2. La mise en scene/The Setup - Brian De Palma and cast members discuss how various sequences were shot and some of the obvious Hitchcockian overtones in them. (17 min).
  
  3. Le mystere/The Mystery - Brian De Palma and cast members discuss the adult footage that was created for the film, including the sequence with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and the use of music. (13 min).
  
  4. La polemique/The Controversy - Brian De Palma, Deborah Shelton, Gregg Henry, Dennis Franz, and Melanie Griffith discuss some of the unusually harsh reactions the film inspired and explain why it has become a cult classic. (6 min).

• Book - 200-page hardcover book with writings on the film, in French, and numerous archival and production photos.

Body Double Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that Brian De Palma's Body Double is similar to David Lynch's Mulholland Drive -- it offers a very unusual but strikingly accurate summation of Los Angeles, its culture, and its people during a particular moment in time. Like most of De Palma's best films, Body Double is full of fascinating contrasts and over-the-top visuals which together with Pino Donaggio's stunning soundtrack create a truly unforgettable experience. French label Carlotta Films' technical presentation of the film is excellent. I must also say that this new deluxe set is the most elegant Blu-ray release to reach my desk this year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (In addition to the deluxe set, Carlotta Films will have available for sale a standard Blu-ray edition of Body Double. However, we have not tested it yet and at the moment cannot confirm its region code status).