Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Windows Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson July 22, 2017

After filming for the likes of Alan J. Pakula, Francis Coppola, and Woody Allen, Gordon Willis tried his own hand at directing with the dark thriller, Windows (1980). Producer Mike Lobell initially offered the film to Bob Fosse, who turned it down to fulfill a contractual agreement with Columbia in order to to make his dream project, All That Jazz. Willis was not that impressed with Barry Siegel's script (originally titled Corky) but agreed since he was so itching to direct. Windows was not only the first feature that Willis directed (and the sole, as it turned out) but also the twentieth movie that the esteemed cameraman photographed. Windows's personnel was made up of "Woody's crew" because a number of Allen's filmmaking colleagues team had collaborated together on other pictures. Taking place amid Willis's favorite New York City locations, Windows stars Talia Shire as Emily Hollander, a museum worker and part-time speech therapist whose soon to be divorced from her employer, Steven (Russell Horton). Emily walks home one night and upon entering the inside of her Brownstone apartment, she is ambushed in the dark by a male assailant. After the attempted rape, Emily is greatly shaken but receives comfort from Detective Bob Luffrono (Joseph Cortese), who investigates her case and becomes her boyfriend. Another individual who takes a special interest in Emily's plight is her neighbor, Andrea Glassen (Elizabeth Ashley), a poet who is apparently well-off. When the same stalker comes to Emily's doorstep, Andrea literally shuts the door on him. While Andrea mollifies Emily, sinister things are at play. Andrea has her own agenda and plans for Emily, who moves to a Brooklyn Heights apartment with her orange cat.

Detective Luffrono and Emily.

When United Artists released Windows in theaters, critics slaughtered the film. (Michael Maza, film critic for The Arizona Republic, walked out of Windows forty minutes into the picture, the purported first time he did for any film.) They complained about its dourness and sexual politics. Lesbian lib groups protested the picture and its portrayal of Andrea. In press interviews at the time and in an interview on this disc, Elizabeth Ashley defends her characterization, explaining that she made Andrea to be more about personal psychosis than a gay woman. Andrea is tough and sexy and speaks with a sensual, husky voice. She spies on Emily with her long, phallic-like telescope, caressing it as she watches Emily with her romantic partner. Andrea is obsessed with Emily but the film is more about her personal demons and the psychological breakdown she's experiencing. Reviewers also griped that the film doesn't deliver any clear answers to Andrea's attraction to the female protagonist and the abbreviated sessions she holds with her psychiatrist, Dr. Marin (Michael Lipton). Willis provides a few clues to the physiological connection between Emily and Andrea. The latter discovers Emily's books on stuttering and her physical handicap, which she may also have. Willis also deliberately leaves things ambiguous and I appreciate that aspect. We already know that Emily and Andrea are acquaintances/casual friends and it's up to us to explore the complex subtleties in their relationship.

Windows is very meticulously lit and shot, two attributes that critics rightly lauded. Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times observed: "It is unmistakably a cinematographer's film, a succession of images that are technically remarkable and beautiful to see, marvelous plays of light and shadow." However, Joe Baltake of the Philadelphia Daily News had the opposite reaction: "Even more perplexing is the film's visual unattractiveness. Somehow, Willis has managed to come up with his blandest-looking work to date." I believe that critics didn't like the dialogue's monosyllabic tone and found the mood to be joyless. That's too bad as the picture is very well made and can be enjoyed through the melancholic moments. While it contains plot holes and issues in narrative fidelity, it holds up well and the material certainly isn't as risque as it was in 1980. (Windows also had bad timing. It was released only a month apart from UA's Cruising.)

Windows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Windows makes its global debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Willis's solo directorial effort was unavailable for many years until MGM released it MOD as part of the studio's "Limited Edition Collection." Eric Cotenas of DVD Drive-In critiqued the image quality on that DVD-r, discerning: "The transfer appears to be new with neon colors leaping off the screen during the opening credits and well-defined blacks in the silhouetted and rimlit chiaroscuro setups; however, the master has not undergone the type of clean-up one expects of MGM's HD restorations, and there are several intermittent passages of white speckling (usually at the reel-changes). It still looks good, but not what one expects of a studio title." Shout! advertises their BD as a "high-definition transfer of the film taken from the interpositive," although it seems to be extracted from similar source elements as the DVD. Appearing in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the film looks possibly the best it's ever looked. The picture spots the same white speckles that Mr. Cotenas noted but they seem to occur with less frequency. There are very few obvious damage marks that mar the presentation. Willis was so finicky about black levels that after he watched the dailies and was displeased, he brought a Eastman Kodak lab technician in to eradicate any gray areas. This transfer by Shout! honors Willis's intent with completely solid, pitch blacks. Contrast is excellent, particularly when the director uses harsh light on faces (see Screenshot #3). There is a layer of medium-level grain. Shout! has given the main attraction an average bitrate of 29995 kbps, with the entire disc sporting a total bitrate of 33.44 mbps.

Shout! supplies twelve scene selections, which can be accessed via the menu. (The user can access nine chapter breaks on the DVD but that is probably by remote control only.)

Windows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shout! renders the movie's original sound track as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Dual Mono (1672 kbps, 24-bit). The track is without distortions or dropouts, although I did hear hiss and a little buzz/hum. MGM very likely gave Shout! the best available master and considering the low budget and age, the recording is solid. I had to resort to the optional English SDH on a few occasions but dialogue comes across fairly well. Ennio Morricone's score is one of the Italian maestro's most relatively unknown and underrated works. His "Emily's Quartet" and other pieces are key to enhancing the film's atmosphere. The movie wouldn't be as good in their absence. The music sounds clear across the front speakers.

Windows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW In Conversation: Interview with Actress Talia Shire and Producer Mike Lobell (40:06, 1080p) - Shire and the soft-spoken Lobell are seated across each other as they recall the origins of Windows, the first-draft screenplay and differences in the final film, and working alongside Gordon Willis. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Interview with Actress Elizabeth Ashley (25:18, 1080p) - Ashley defends her controversial role as Andrea and reminisces about collaborating with Willis. In English, not subtitled.

• Trailer (1:25, upconverted to 1080) - a film-sourced original theatrical trailer of Windows filled with a bevy of print artifacts.

• Original TV Spots (1:34, upconverted to 1080) - three artifact riddled TV spots that United Artists created to advertise Windows. In English, not subtitled.

• Still Gallery (2:24, 1080p) - with a background photo collage, this section comprises a collection of twenty-five images from the publicity campaign of Windows. Each image becomes a little bigger as it comes toward the center of your screen. Shout has included stills of color lobby cards, color pictures, US and international theatrical release poster sheets, and pages from United Artists' pressbook (including the covers of the movie's novelization).

Windows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although critics treated Windows harshly, the movie outperformed its production budget and stayed in theaters for at least a while. A decent number of patrons did pay to see it, although I wasn't able to obtain conclusive aggregate data on box office intake. Shout! Factory finally brings this overlooked thriller to high-def with a nearly faultless transfer and a couple of wonderful new interviews. I suspect that viewers will not have as repulsive a reaction to seeing Windows as critics did in 1980. For fans of Willis and Shire, this is a MUST BUY while curious cinephiles should see it at least once.