Windows (film)

1980 film by Gordon Willis

Windows
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gordon Willis
Written by	Barry Siegel
Produced by	Mike Lobell
Starring	Talia Shire Joseph Cortese Elizabeth Ashley
Cinematography	Gordon Willis
Edited by	Barry Malkin
Music by	Ennio Morricone
Production company	Mike Lobell Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	January 18, 1980 (1980-01-18)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2.1 million

Windows is a 1980 American psychological thriller film directed by Gordon Willis and starring Talia Shire, Joseph Cortese, and Elizabeth Ashley. It was the only film directed by Willis, who was better known as a cinematographer for such films as The Godfather series and several films by Woody Allen.

Plot

Emily Hollander is the subject of a lesbian obsession of Andrea Glassen, her next-door neighbor. A shy, recently divorced woman, Emily lives alone in a Brooklyn Heights apartment. One night, a man forces his way into her apartment and performs a bizarre assault on her: He forces her to make sounds of erotic satisfaction, capturing them on his tape recorder. She reports the attack to the police, and while they are interviewing her, Andrea stops by to comfort her.

Emily seeks safety by moving to an apartment in Manhattan. However, while she is moving out, the same man tries to attack her again. This time, Andrea just happens to be visiting Emily, and she is able to prevent the man from entering Emily's apartment.

It soon becomes apparent that Andrea is not the helpful neighbor that she seems: she hired a taxi driver to perform the attacks, with the purpose of gaining the recording, to which she repeatedly listens to and eventually recites while fantasizing of Emily. Andrea has fallen in love with Emily and her plan is that Emily will decide to live with her out of fear and a need for security and comfort in the wake of the attacks, and that Emily will end up reciprocating Andrea's love given time and closeness. Unaware of the situation, Emily continues to view Andrea as a friend. She also begins a relationship with the police detective who responded to her case. At this intrusion into her fantasy, Andrea becomes increasingly unhinged, and takes to spying on Emily through a telescope.

When Emily unwittingly hails a taxi driven by the very man who assaulted her, he strikes up a conversation "because you look familiar." She finally realizes who the man is and asks him to stop at a phone booth. She calls the police, who advise her to get back into the taxi and engage the man in harmless conversation until they can arrive to assist her.

With the taxi driver getting arrested and confessing to the entire plot, Emily and Andrea have a confrontation. Andrea professes her love for Emily, but Emily slaps her hard on the face and tells a devastated, weeping Andrea that they never will speak to each other again. Her ordeal over, Emily greets the detective at her front door.

Cast

Talia Shire as Emily Hollander
Joe Cortese as Bob Luffrono (as Joseph Cortese)
Elizabeth Ashley as Andrea Glassen
Kay Medford as Ida Marx
Michael Gorrin as Sam Marx
Russell Horton as Steven Hollander
Michael Lipton as Dr. Marin
Rick Petrucelli as Lawrence Obecny
Ron Ryan as Detective Swid
Linda Gillen as Police Woman
Tony DiBenedetto as Nick
Bryce Bond as Voice Over
Ken Chapin as Renting Agent
Marty Greene as Ira
William Handy as Desk Officer (as Bill Handy)
Robert Hodge as Desk Sergeant
Kyle Scott Jackson as Detective
Pat McNamara as Doorman
Gerry Vichi as Ben
Oliver as Jennifer the Cat

Release

Box office

United Artists released Windows theatrically in the United States on January 18, 1980. It earned $311,796 during its opening weekend, and went on to gross a total of $2,128,395 internationally.

Controversy

The film was the subject of many protests from gay rights activists who accused the film of being homophobic and resorting to hateful stereotypes of lesbians.

David Denby attacked the film, writing "Windows exists only in the perverted fantasies of men who hate lesbians so much they will concoct any idiocy in order to slander them."

Critical response

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave negative reviews for the film alongside other critics like Vincent Canby for The New York Times.

Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times praised it as "unmistakably a cinematographer's film, a succession of images that are technically remarkable and beautiful to see, marvelous plays of light and shadow," but felt the screenplay lacked depth, specifically in regard to the psyche of Ashley's character, rendering the villain lacking in credibility.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
1980	Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Picture	Mike Lobell	Nominated
		Worst Screenplay	Barry Siegel	Nominated
		Worst Actress	Talia Shire	Nominated
		Worst Supporting Actress	Elizabeth Ashley	Nominated
		Worst Director	Gordon Willis	Nominated
1980	Stinkers Bad Movie Awards	Worst Supporting Actress	Elizabeth Ashley	Nominated

Home media

MGM Home Entertainment released a made-on-demand DVD edition through their Limited Edition Collection line on June 28, 2012. Scream Factory released the film on Blu-ray July 4, 2017 with a high-definition transfer from the interpositive and interviews with both actresses and producer along with trailer and TV spots. The Blu-ray went out of print on June 4, 2022.

Novelization

The novelization of Windows was written by H. B. Gilmour. It was published by Pocket Books in 1980.

Legacy

Gordon Willis admitted the film had been a mistake, and later said of directing that he did not like it. "I've had a good relationship with actors," he reflected, "but I can do what I do and back off. I don't want that much romancing. I don't want them to call me up at two in the morning saying 'I don't know who I am'".

References

^ "Windows". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
Turner Classic Movies
Windows - The Cinema Snob by Stoned Gremlin Productions on YouTube
Russo 1987, p. 236.
Phillips 2008, p. 35.
"Windows, Heart Beat, The Runner Stumbles, Rape of Love, 1980". Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews.
"The Worst Movies of 1980". Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews.
Ebert, Roger (January 18, 1980). "Windows". Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
Canby, Vincent (January 18, 1980). "Screen: Talia Shire Is Menaced in 'Windows': P.S. Your Cat Is Frozen". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
Ebiri, Bilge (May 20, 2014). "Godfather Cinematographer Gordon Willis Directed One Movie, the Creepy and Strange Windows". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
Champlin, Charles (January 22, 1980). "Looking Through 'Windows'". Los Angeles Times. p. 2-VI – via Newspapers.com.
^ "First Annual RAZZIE® Awards (For 1980)". razzies.com. March 31, 1981. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
"Past Winners Database: 1980". Los Angeles Times. The Envelope. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007.
"Windows DVD - Talia Shire". Amazon. 28 June 2012. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023.
^ "Windows (Blu-ray)". Scream Factory. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022.
Kirst, Brian (2024). "Windows (1980)". In Abley, Sean; Doubé, Tyler (eds.). Queer Horror: A Film Guide. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 425. ISBN 978-1-4766-5151-4.
Larson, Randall D. (1995). Films Into Books: An Analytical Bibliography of Film Novelizations, Movie, and TV Tie-Ins. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow. p. 440. ISBN 0-8108-2928-2.
Feeney, Mark (January 14, 2007). "A Study in Contrasts". The Boston Globe.
Quoted on NPR affiliate publicbroadcasting.net Retrieved 4 March 2011
Peary, Gerald (August 2003). "Gerald Peary: Gordon Willis". Boston Phoenix. Retrieved March 4, 2011 – via GeraldPeary.com.

Sources

Phillips, Kendall R. (2008). Controversial Cinema: The Films That Outraged America. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-567-20724-8.
Russo, Vito (1987). The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies (Revised ed.). New York City, New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-060-96132-9.

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