Windows (1980)

Truly Dreadful Film

Overrated and overhyped

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

"Windows" is a leisurely paced, not terribly interesting drama about meek New Yorker Emily Hollander (Talia Shire of "The Godfather" and "Rocky" fame). She is targeted by a neighbor, Andrea Glassen (Elizabeth Ashley, "92 in the Shade", "Coma"), an unstable lesbian. Andrea will go so far as to hire a scummy cabbie (Rick Petrucelli) to assault Emily and record her cries and moans. The balance of the story details what happens as Andrea continues to obsess over Emily, and the latter is attracted to a nice guy detective (Joseph Cortese, "Evilspeak", "Monsignor").Renowned cinematographer Gordon Willis ("The Godfather", "Annie Hall") made his first and only directing effort with this film, which is not all that successful, unfortunately. If he had fully embraced the trashy elements of this material, that would have been one thing. It may have been distasteful to some viewers, but at least it would have been more entertaining than this. Willis directs it like an art house film, and it is lovely to look at (after all, he also served as his own cinematographer), but it's fatally bland.And speaking of bland, Shire and Cortese are dull as dishwater. It's hard to imagine why Ashley would have much interest in her, or why she would have much interest in him. The only main performer here who's even slightly intriguing is Ashley, who plays her lovelorn, disturbed character more low key than you might expect.Other than Ashley, the principal value lies in Willis' lighting and the pleasant music score by virtuoso composer Ennio Morricone.Otherwise, this is not one film that this viewer would easily recommend to potential viewers.Five out of 10.

By 1980, New York City, universally known as "the Big Apple," had become the incarnation of a paranoiac's nightmare. Movies like Michael Winner's revenge thriller "Death Wish," Walter Hill's gang epic "The Warriors," and William Friedkin's homosexual murder mystery "Cruising" had spawned this unsavory image and lenser turned director Gordon Willis' "Windows," an excellently made but egriegously scripted sizzler, starring Talia Shire and Elizabeth Ashley, appropriates this negativity for maximum impact. Clearly, at 96 minutes, the R-rated "Windows" exemplifies the theme of women versus women.The voyeurish plot involves a mousey Emily Hollander (Talia Shire of the "Rocky" franchise), who is at the mercy of lesbian stalker Andrea Glassen (Elizabeth Ashley of "The Carpetbaggers"). Ashley pays a cretinous cabbie to rape Emily and tape record the performance. Later, after Emily has moved out of the apartment where she was raped and into a security apartment complex, Glassen has Emily's tabby cat killed and frozen. Glissen sets up a telescope and then watches Emily constantly before she confronts her with the truth that she must possess her! Along the way, Emily becomes involved with an N.Y.P.D. detective (Joseph Cortese).Ace lenser Gordon Willis, who photographed Woody Allen's "Manhattan" and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather, Part II," makes his directorial debut. Not surprisingly, Willis also doubles as his own cameraman. The technical credits are great, especially Willis' striking photography, two-time Oscar nominated Barry Malkin's suspenseful editing, and Ennio Morricone's atmospheric orchestral score. Talia Shire as victim and Elizabeth Ashley as predator deliver emotionally taut performances.However, the Razzie nominated Barry Siegel screenplay is as sordid as it is stupid. Logic and motivation must have been thrown out the window. Happily, Siegel never wrote another screenplay. We are never told what it is that attracts Ashley to Shire. Presumably, only lesbians will know, but may hate this movie, too, for its phobic attitude. Similarly, Willis never called the shots on another movie, though he continued to lens them. My advice, unless you are written a term paper about "Windows," avoid it.

I found this film the other day at a market stall; quite an obscure film. The film appears to be quite good when you read the back of the box, but when you watch it...really awful. The only thing Gordon Willis seemed to care about was the photography. In a film like this you need great acting. We don't get great acting however and you cannot take the film seriously. It just gets ludicrous at times, especially the psycho-lesbian lover storyline. It is disgracefully misogynistic, which is another reason not to watch the film.I will say that the film's photography is stunning though (similar to woody allen's 'interiors') but that is the only reason to watch this garbage.

"Windows", a dreadful thriller about a lesbian psychotic and her straight-laced target, might have at least left us with some campy giggles, but alas--it is far too distasteful to laugh at. The opening scene, with Talia Shire attacked by a perv in her apartment, just goes on...and on...and on. What was director Gordon Willis thinking by allowing this ugly sequence to take up so much time? After this unfortunate encounter, our heroine turns inward and goes all quiet. Is there anything more deadly for a thriller then having a somnambulist leading character? She practically sleepwalks through the rest of the picture. The film has that dated, early-'80s look to it (brackish, shabby and "gritty", with thin neon lights snaking into shapes). I waited this thing out to see where the hell it was going. It goes nowhere...slowly. *1/2 from ****