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 October 20, 2016

Brian De Palma's "Body Double" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new documentary featuring first assistant director Joe Napolitano; archival interview with actor Craig Wasson; archival featurettes; isolated score; original promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page fully illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film; archival content; and technical credits. In English, with optional English 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 Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from Sony's 4K master of the film, which was also used for the French release that Carlotta Films produced in 2015. I like it a lot. The film looks very healthy and vibrant and it has the type of wonderful depth that new 4K masters provide. Density is also outstanding, and I think that the larger your screen is, the greater your appreciation for it will be. Colors are stable and healthy. As I mentioned in our review of the French release, I feel that there are a couple of sequences where the browns could be slightly lighter, but the overall balance is still convincing. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Also, there are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or torn/warped frames to report. 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 Blu-ray 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 two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I prefer to view this film with the LPCM 2.0. For the purpose of this review, I did a few random comparisons with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

The film has a legendary score and the lossless 2.0 track handles it exceptionally well. Depth, clarity, and dynamic intensity are, in my opinion, as good as they can possibly be. I especially like how fluid the music is in select sequences (see the segment with Relax). The dialog is clean, clear, and always easy to follow. The 5.1 score does open up the film a little bit better -- especially during the a few of the busier sequences -- but I like the more compact nature of the 2.0 track.

Body Double Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Trailer - original trailer for Body Double. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Craig Wasson Interview - in this archival interview, actor Craig Wasson explains how he feels about his contribution to Body Double and what makes the film uniquely suspenseful, and discusses some of the similarities between his professional career and that of the struggling actor he plays in the film, Brian De Palma's directing methods, etc. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080/60i).

• 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, not subtitled. (39 min, 1080p).

• The Seduction - in this archival featurette, 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. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080/60i).

• The Setup - in this archival featurette, Brian De Palma and cast members discuss how various sequences were shot and some of the obvious Hitchcockian overtones in them. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080/60i).

• The Mystery - in this archival featurette, Brian De Palma and cast members discuss the adult footage that was created for Body Double, including the sequence with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and the use of music. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080/60i).

• The Controversy - in this archival featurette, 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. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080/60i).

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Image Gallery - a large collection of original promotional materials for Body Double. (1080p).

• Booklet - included with the release is a fully illustrated 40-page booklet featuring:


• Ashley Clark's essay "Forget it Jake, Its Hollywood - Dreams & Debauchery in Body Double". The author is a film critic and programmer from London, based in New York. He writes for Sight & Sound, the Guardian, and Film Comment among others, and has appeared as a guest critic on the BBC Film show. He is also the author of Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee's Bamboozled (The Critical Press, 2015). He has curated series at venues including BFI Southbank and BAMcinématek, Brooklyn
• Double Trouble - Brian De Palma Interviewed by Marcia Pally (1984) - this unabridged interview, excerpted from a longer article in Film Comment (September/October 1984), finds De Palma in combative mood, refuting journalist and cultural critic Marcia Pally's accusations of misogyny in his recent thrillers, including Body Double.
• Brian De Pamla's Guilty Pleasures - this article was original published in the May 1987 issue of Film Comment. In it Brian De Palma offers a personal guide to an eclectic collection of his favorite films.
• Body Double - presented here is Richard Combs' original very negative review of the film, which appeared in Monthly Film Bulletin in 1986.

Body Double Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is the first release from the new British label Indicator/Powerhosue Films to reach my desk and I have to say that I am quite impressed. It delivers a very solid presentation of Brian De Palma's Body Double, sourced from Sony's 4K restoration/remaster of the film which was supervised by Grover Crisp, and a fantastic selection of supplemental features. If the release is indeed a sign of things to come, then I am convinced that next year we will get a lot of special treats. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.