(c) Photofest / Getty Images
A lewd love letter to the “Body Double” movie *Note! Contains spoilers.
2023.01.30
love for B-movies
Upon its release, ``Body Double'' caused controversy. In addition to the shocking content of a woman being murdered with an electric drill, there are also comments such as, ``Isn't the electric drill a symbol of male genitalia? Isn't this work a metaphor for the act of rape against women?'' It erupted. Brian De Palma makes this excuse:
"' Body Double' was critically criticized when it was released. It really hurt me. It was criticized by the media at a time when the women's liberation movement was at its peak...The film was just a suspense thriller. I've always been interested in finding ways to do it.'' (*2)
He argues that the horror production, in which a bloody drill pierces a woman's body and crashes through the ceiling, has been misinterpreted from a feminist perspective. But it was already too late. His career progressed steadily, and he was recognized as an A-level director and signed a contract with Columbia Pictures to make three films, but due to unfavorable reviews and lack of customers, the production of the remaining two films was scrapped. Ta.
"Body Double" (c)Photofest / Getty Images
Why did Brian De Palma go to such lengths to make ``Body Double''? Lawrence Kasdan's The Body Heat (1981) was a box office success, and it's true that erotic thrillers were a popular genre at the time, but there was no need to make such an explicit B-movie. Should be. I imagine that he wanted to convey the love of movies that brought him this far, especially B-movies, through this work.
This film includes a PV-like sequence for Frankie Goes to Hollywood 's hit number "Relax," but the shot of Jake descending the stairs that briefly shows a scene from " Sunshine" Mr. Sockhri, the main character of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in "Set Boulevard " (50). This masterpiece directed by Billy Wilder was a ``movie about movies'' that captured the light and shadow of Hollywood. I think De Palma also wanted to make a ``movie about movies'' in his own way. This may be a similar approach to that of Paul Thomas Anderson in `` Boogie Nights '' (1997), who tried to talk about his love of movies by depicting the inner workings of the porn industry in the 1970s.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Relax"
The movie review site Rotten Tomatoes has this review:
``Body Double, a showcasing of Brian De Palma's filmmaking prowess and obsessive taste, is a lewd love letter to cinema.'' (*3)
I feel the same way. ``Body Double'' is a movie about movies, full of appreciation and love for movies. Vulgar, vulgar, obscene, vulgar. Isn't that awesome?
(*3) https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/body_double
Text: Rui Takeshima
A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER".
(c) Photofest / Getty Images
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