The Bedroom Window (1987 film)

The Bedroom Window
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Produced by Martha Schumacher
Robert Towne
Written by Anne Holden (novel, The Witnesses)
Curtis Hanson (screenplay)
Starring
Music by Michael Shrieve
Patrick Gleeson
Cinematography Gilbert Taylor
Edited by Scott Conrad
Distributed by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (USA)
Release date
  • January 16, 1987 (1987-01-16)
Running time
 112 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $12,640,385 (USA)

The Bedroom Window is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson. It stars Steve Guttenberg, Elizabeth McGovern and Isabelle Huppert, and was shot in Baltimore. 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.

Plot

Terry (Steve Guttenberg) asks his boss's wife Sylvia (Isabelle Huppert) 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 he was at the bedroom window.

At a police lineup, neither he nor the victim Denise (Elizabeth McGovern) is able to pick out the attacker Carl. Despite the feeble evidence against him, Carl is put on trial for the assault and during the proceedings his lawyer proves that since Terry is short-sighted he could not have witnessed the incident. Carl goes free, leaving not only the police and the prosecution but also Denise and Sylvia aghast at Terry's ineptness.

In the courtroom, Carl recognised 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 Carl's distinctive truck parked outside and rushes in again. 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 Carl into another attack. Disguising herself, she goes to a bar where Carl is drinking and signals her availability. Terry follows her as she leaves to go home and, when Carl attacks, the two are able to repel him. He escapes, only to be caught by the police who Terry forewarned.

Cast

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.[1]

Critical reception

Upon its original release, The Bedroom Window was met with a negative feedback by Vincent Canby in The New York Times.[2] The filmed 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".[3] Jack Sommersby recommended it as "a first-rate thriller that only occasionally missteps", but reflected negatively on its story.[4] 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.[5]

As of August 2018, the film holds an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Michael Shrieve & Patrick Gleeson - The Bedroom Window (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs. www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  2. ↑ Vincent Canby (1987-01-16). "Movie Review - - FILM: 'BEDROOM WINDOW,' A THRILLER - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  3. ↑ James Berardinelli (2001). "Review: The Bedroom Window". reelviews.net. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  4. ↑ Jack Sommersby (2002-12-27). "Movie Review - Bedroom Window, The - eFilmCritic". www.efilmcritic.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  5. ↑ Derek Armstrong. "The Bedroom Window (1987) - Curtis Hanson". AllMovie. www.allmovie.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  6. ↑ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bedroom_window
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