Genres

Visitors Review

NuKu-NuKu 2012-05-26 04:35:58

Ultraviolence. 1940's style.

Late-night tv sometimes throws up some high quality gems. The Window isoneof them. And before you go saying ''aww! but this movie is old and in b&w,ibet it's awful!" STOP. Take a step back. This movie isexcellent.9 year old Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll) is a lying little git. Alwaystelling lies and making up stories. It's gotten to the point where no-onebelieves a word he says anymore, noteven his own parents.Tommy's world is about to come crashing down around him after he iswitnessto a murder in the apartment above his one night. The problem is, Tommyknows the truth, no-one believe's him and to make matters worse theKellerton family upstairs (the murderer's) find out that Tommy knows whathappened and want him silenced.I swear to god, this movie was so harsh. Harsh in the sense that for amoviethats well over 50 years old now - taken in it's original form withoutmodern day conception - this is one violent movie. One guy gets beaten tonear death then is finished off getting stabbed to death with a pair ofscissors in front of a kid. The Kellerton's kidnap Tommy and in one sceneJoe Kellerton (Paul Stewart) punches the little boy in the face aboutthreetimes then drugs him with chlorophyl!! Another point to add, this movie isactually banned in Finland! This movie must have genuinely shocked it'soriginal audience when it was first shown back in 1949.This is a dark movie; very eerie and some scenes mount incredible depthsoftension. The acting is superb and the camerawork doublyso.If your a true movie fan and are happy to watch any movie no matter theage,you'll love this. It's a real treat and i'm glad i caught this one on tv.Special mention goes out to fellow IMDB user Bob The Moo, who supplied mewith a VHS edition! Now to track down the DVD...

kyle_furr 2012-05-25 21:24:06

pretty bad

A young boy who is always making up stories and his parents are gettingp**sed off at him. Like one time he almost gets them kicked out of theirapartment. One night he goes and sleeps out on the fire escape since it isso hot outside. He goes up higher because it's cooler up their and throughthe crack in the blinds, he sees a man stabbed to death with a pair ofscissors. He's able to sneak off without being seen and the two whocommitted the murder hide the body in an abandoned building. The boy tellshis parents but they don't believe him as usual, so he goes to the policeand they don't believe him either. The parents find out about his going tothe police and takes the boy to apologize to them. After they know the boyknows, they wait to his parents leave and are going to take care of him.Themovie wasn't in the least bit scary and it's quite pathetic.

k-thomas 2012-05-24 23:41:26

A very good thriller.

I watched this film for the first time on BBC at 2 this morning and wasvery impressed. Some very fine acting by all the cast and and a goodbelievable, terrifying story. Hollywood should have a good look atthese old RKO movies and see how superior they are to the rubbish thatis being dished out today. Bobby Driscol played an excellent role asthe young boy and it was nice to see Arther Kennedy play a good guy.The black and white photography added to the suspense. Of course inlatter years, there have been similar stories filmed, for example, EyeWitness with Mark Lester and Susan George and Witness with HarrisonFord. All very good in their own right. A must for fans of a good oldfashioned thriller. Kevin Thomas.

sapblatt 2012-05-24 14:55:27

Top flight film noir

While 1949s "The Window" may not be a noir classic many have heard about Istrongly recommend seeing it if you can find it. (It is occasionally onTCM,but it is not currently available on DVD or VHS.)The film stars child protege Bobby Driscoll ("Song's of the South" "PeterPan") as a young boy who is living the Aesopian nightmare of "The Boy WhoCried Wolf." His parents are portrayed the ever capable Arthur Kennedy("Champion" "High Sierra") and Barbara Hale ("Perry Mason.") After the boywitnesses a murder his parents and the foolish police department refuse tobeleive him until it is almost too late.The murderers are also well-played by veterans Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman(who also were in 1949s "Champion" with Arthur Kennedy and Kirk Douglas.)The husband and wife would have gotten away with murder if at not been forthe young boy, . The ensuing chase and scary finale are very well done.Thepolice in this movie were so ignorant you would wonder if they did notinspire the moron cop, Officer Barbrady on "South Park."This fine film was actually considered to be a throwaway "B" movie. Itturned out to be quite popular even though it only runs for 73 minutes.Theyoung actor, Bobby Driscoll received a special Oscar for his work in 1949but soon found his acting career drying up as he aged and his life endedtragically from drug related issues in 1968 at the age of31.

Chris Gaskin 2012-05-22 15:16:38

"This story is not a lie"

I have recently watched The Window for the first time and found it verysuspenseful and gripping.A 9 year old boy, Tommy, is noted for telling tales. So one hot night,he decides to sleep on the fire escape to be cooler and then witnessesthe neighbours murdering a man and then hide his corpse. When he tellshis parents, they don't believe him and nor do the police when he goesto report the crime at the local police station. When Tommy is lefthome alone another evening, the Kellersons break into the flat and tryto silence him. While running away from them, stairs collapse whichleaves Tommy hanging from a beam and Mr Kellerson dead under a load ofrubble...The New York locations make the movie atmospheric. This was filmed in arun down part of the city and you often see Subway trains passing.The movie has an excellent cast: Booby Driscoll (Treasure Island)playing the part of Tommy brilliantly and the rest of the cast includesArthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale as his parents and Ruth Roman and PaulStewart as the murderers Mr and Mrs Kellerson.The window is a must see. Fantastic.Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

2012-05-22 05:29:09

Thrilling

This review is from: The Window [Remaster] (DVD) I would like to give this product 5 stars but honestly: its not restored, its a DVD-R, No Chapters - thats ok so far. But NO SUBTITLES are available.The Picture quality changes a little bit. On the beginning any scenes has some defects (watchable) but mainly - for a not restored movie the quality is very good.AND NOW THE BIGGEST PLUS:Bobby Driscoll, loaned exclusively from Disney to RKO to making this movie. I never heard or saw this movie before. The only reason to buy this DVD was just this amazing talented child actor Bobby Driscoll where died (sadly) very young."The Window", mady in 1949, is a film noir and absolutely very thrilling. Specially the hunt on the end. I was really speechless. THE STORY: Tommy, is lying and telling some weird stories. But one night he saw a murder. But who's believe him now? His Parents? The Police? FAZIT: thrilling. Buy it and enjoy this amazing acting. SUPPORTING: Barbara Hale, Ruth Roman.

Martin Teller 2012-05-20 18:42:03

The Window (1949)

Opening with a quote from Aesop, this movie is about a little lad whotells so many stories that no one believes him when he witnesses a realmurder. It takes an awful lot for me to forgive a film that centersaround a child, especially an obnoxious one like this. The very similarTALK ABOUT A STRANGER couldn't do it, despite the talents of JohnAlton. I hated young Bobby Driscoll throughout the picture and he'sundoubtedly its weakest link. His pouting and whining and "golly gee"demeanor are very grating. But director Ted Tetzlaff otherwise deliversa stunning noir. The photography is amazing, capturing the grittiness,desperation and danger of the urban setting beautifully. The script issolid, building tension at a steady pace, culminating in a lengthy andgripping chase sequence through a decrepit abandoned building. Tetzlaffclearly learned something about suspense as the cinematographer onNOTORIOUS. A great film with a lousy protagonist.

2012-05-20 12:05:47

"I was on the fire escape! I saw ya!"

Eleven-year-old Bobby Driscoll won a special Oscar for his work in THE WINDOW. Driscoll portrays Tommy Woodry-- a little boy with a big imagination. Tommy's many fantasies and outright lies have in the past caused problems for his parents, so now this "boy who cried wolf" one too many times has a serious credibility problem.One stifling summer night, Tommy gets permission to sleep on the family's second floor fire escape. While outside, Tommy witnesses a murder in the apartment above through a partially-raised shade. Joe Kellerson (Stewart) stabs a man in the back with scissors.Tommy wakes his mom (Hale) and tells what he saw; she dismisses this report as another piece of fiction and tells him to go to bed. In the morning, Tommy's insistence that he's seen a homicide angers Ed Woodly (Kennedy), and the boy is sent to his room to "think about" these many lies.Instead, the determined kid slips away and runs to the police to report the crime. A detective brings Tommy home, goes upstairs, tells Mrs. Kellerson (Roman) that he's a building inspector, and looks around the apartment. Seeing nothing unusual, he leaves.Jean K. is alarmed by the visit and gets more so when Tommy and mother Mary come knocking. She wants her child to apologize to the neighbor for stories he's telling but the frightened Tommy refuses and runs downstairs.When Joe Kellerson returns home that night, Jean (correctly) insists that the boy downstairs knows about the killing. She drops off a telegram to Mary Woodly that the Kellersons received "by mistake." Mary is needed out of town to nurse a sick relative, and Ed, who works overnights tells his son he must stay home by himself. Terror-stricken, Tommy begs to go with his mom or dad, but is refused.The last half-hour of this story is a perfect exercise in sheer terror. "The Window" is a film not to be missed. Highest recommendation!.Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 IMDb viewer poll rating.(7.5) The Window (1949) - Barbara Hale/Arthur Kennedy/Paul Stewart/Ruth Roman/Bobby Driscoll

2012-05-19 14:08:08

The Window

This review is from: The Window [Remaster] (DVD) "The Window" was made in 1949 and is a movie gem.'Thrills and Chills' proclaim the movie posters of the day butthat would be the understatement of the year.This movie makes Alfed Hitchcock's classic "Rear Window" look likean amateur piece of work. "The Window" is riveting stuff and isentertainment at its very best. It is nerve wrenching and totallyabsorbing from beginning to end.The movie stars popular child star Bobby Driscoll who at the timewas under contract to the Walt Disney Studios. He was loaned out toR-K-O Radio to play the part of Tommy Woodry which was a major rolein the movie.Tommy, who lives with his mother and father in an old apartmentbuilding in the city, witnesses a murder in an adjoining apartment.Unfortunately, Tommy has an over-active imagination and tells tallstories, so no one believes him.The couple who carried out the murder eventually come to theconclusion that Tommy witnessed the murder whilst on the fire escapeoutside their apartment and begin to formulate plans to shut him upget rid of him. The pair stalk Tommy in a menacing way so much sothat it sends shivers up and down your spine.The parents who still don't believe his story leave Tommy (underprotest) in the apartment alone for long periods of time to faceimpending disaster.What an incredible young actor is Bobby Driscoll who has the abilityto convey to the audience the fear and panic that he is experiencing.This is Bobby Driscoll's picture. You can be certain of that and forthe role he played in this movie, Bobby Driscoll won a Special AcademyAward at the 1949 Academy Awards presentation as the outstandingjuvenile actor of 1949.Very highly recommended. Prepare to be shocked and youwon't be disappointed. It is a masterpiece of suspense.

Brian Keith O'Hara 2012-05-19 00:00:50

Winner of The Mystery Guild's Award for Best Mystery

Only problem is there is no mystery in the film. I recently discoveredthat "The Window" was filmed in New York City in November 1948 whenBobby Driscoll was 10. In the spring of 1948, billionaire Howard Hughesbought RKO Studios. His first action was to fire Studio Head DoreSchary because he was a Hollywood liberal. Schary went to MGM where hesucceeded Louis B. Mayer. He enjoyed great success there. His seconddecision was to shelve "The Window" for being worthless garbage. It hadbeen one of Dore Schary's pet projects. The movie sat on the shelf fornearly two years, finally when the studio was short of films torelease, Howard Hughes was talked into releasing "The Window". Insteadit became the surprise hit of the year. A B movie, which was supposedto make back expenses and a small profit became a huge top ten hit andRKO's #1 movie of the year. And all the credit went to Bobby Driscoll.His terrifying portrayal of "Tommy Woodry" was one of them most intenseever caught on film: he went on to win an Oscar at the Academy AwardsCeremony at The Pantages Theatre(generously donated for the occasion byHoward Hughes, after the Shrine Auditorium proved to small). Bobby wasvery convincing as the boy who witnesses a murder but can't get anyoneto believe him....except the murderers. Bobby's character is viewed asa teller of tall tales because of his vivid imagination. Tthe one timehe tells the unvarnished truth, he is seen as a liar, it that isn'tirony, then irony doesn't exist. Cornell Woolrich, the great film noirnovelist based the story on "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". Nobody, much lessone ten-year-old boy, has ever been more alone than Bobby Driscoll's"Tommy Woodry". More a psychological terror than mystery, "The Window"is as intense a movie as has ever come out of Hollywood. By using aten-year-old boy's point of view, when that boy is also the object ofthe murderer's mechanations, Ted Tetzlaff, the film's director, has lethis audience into one boy's nightmare. It works brilliantly...

2012-05-17 17:30:38

Now it's down to this?

The movie is excellent. No issues there. And yes, this is the place to write what I am writing. Companies are now reverting to "on-demand" movies that are tranfered onto cheap dvd-r discs? Not only that but they're charging twice the price? This business has always been fraught with shady dealings and ripping off customers has long been the policies of the movie and music industry. Why do you think that it's in the state it's in? Now we are down to this grease-ball tactic. Here's a message to everyone who's making money off this; stick the movies in your personal little studio located below your back. People can watch movies free online now so I hope you bury yourselves even further than you already have by ripping people off. Oh and by the way, there's nothing "remastered" about this edition. It's a plain tranfer to disc.

Neil Doyle 2012-05-17 10:54:22

Exceptional little thriller of a child's worst nightmare...

The theme of a murder being witnessed by someone who no one believes, is based on the familiar concept of "cry wolf once too often and no one will believe you when you're telling the truth".Here it's played to the nth degree by an excellent cast--Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Ruth Roman and Paul Stewart--and directed in realistic, gritty style by Ted Tetzlaff. The New York tenement setting is an absorbing environment for this chilling tale of a boy who is in danger when the murderers know they have been seen--and must come to grips with his situation without the aid of his parents or police. Based on a Cornell Woolrich story, it's so tight and suspenseful for the length of its running time that it effectively projects the dark, nightmare world where one's worst childhood fears can come true.With the dark ambiance of lower East Side tenaments as its setting, danger and death seem to entrap the boy in every lurking shadow until his ultimate pursuit by the killers. This is a modest thriller that achieves a maximum of suspense thanks to the skillful performance by child star Bobby Driscoll and bears a resemblance to other Woolrich stories, as for example 'Rear Window'.Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy register strongly as the parents. Ruth Roman and Paul Stewart are a chilly pair as the neighbors from hell.

2012-05-15 22:18:24

Finally The Window on DVD

This review is from: The Window [Remaster] (DVD) I have watched this movie on TV quite a few times and This is one of my favorite movies. Bobby Driscoll is great in this movie. Its about a little boy who witnessess a murder through The Window. He tells his mother and the police who do not believe him only the killers. If you like suspense this movie is a must. Great Film and Highly recommened.

21MM392 2012-05-15 14:22:10

A ten-year-old with an overactive imagination is subjected to a night of real big city terror in 1949.

"The Window" is a rich and underrated tale of urban terror from aten-year-old's perspective. Tommy Woodry is jolted from his innocent worldof make believe games when he witnesses a murder in the middle of thenight.Making the terror all the worse is that the murderers are his upstairsneighbors, the Kellertons, and neither the police nor his parents willbelieve his story. The terror grows darker when Tommy's only protection,his parents, leave for the night because of shift work and family illness.The music and lighting brilliantly reflect the evil that begins withnightfall and the removal of his parents. When the Kellertons kidnapTommy,even pretending to be his parents to fool the police, bad "parents"replacethe good ones."The Window", in a way, is the opposite of the classic "These Three" ofthirteen years earlier. In the latter, the lies of a young girl (BonitaGranville) regarding adult wrongdoing are believed without reservation,withswift and devastating consequences. "The Window" also nicely showcases thehard life of the working class in 1949: the only telephone is at the drugstore and the apartments are cramped and dilapidated with no modernappliances.Paul Stewart, as Joe Kellerton, plays his villainous role with a cool,almost smug arrogance, while Bobby Driscoll, as Tommy, expertly handlestherole of an innocent child drawn into the gritty ugliness of urbanviolence.The movie maintains a fast pace, with total suspense all the way to thenail-biting end, and every second of it is worth watching.

dahawk 2012-05-14 15:11:24

memorable film

I saw this movie once, 50 years ago, as a 6-year old in Miami, Florida. Itterrified me then and images have stayed with me all this while. It has agreat plot--accidental witness to a murder with isolation of the witness(here, because he's a kid) putting him peril. I've wondered whetherHitchcock saw this and adapted the concept for Rear Window.I'd forgotten the name of "The Window" and found it by searching on theterm"fire escape"--this archive is quite powerful.

julikell 2012-05-14 10:01:25

Claustrophobic thriller

The claustrophobic cinematography makes this film. You feel cramped andtrapped as does our young hero. The tenements are lit just enough for youtoimaging all sorts of horrors within. The ending was evidently rushed and abit hokey; the director et al. could have fleshed it out a bitmoreThis is a very real film, in that we all know children who 'fabricate' aseasily as they breath. Bobby Driscoll was superb. I've never seen hisDisneywork -- now I'll keep my eye out for his name.I loved seeing a younger Arthur Kennedy (before he played only drunks) andaplain but always pretty Barbara Hale (pre-Perry Mason). Both were excellentand demonstrated a range I never gave them credit for.

ivan-22 2012-05-13 13:06:00

The ultimate window

Forget "Rear Window". This is he ultimate window movie. The plot is a bitcontrived and manipulative and somewhat unsavory, as in all thrillers, butthe esthetics of the film, the grim tenement environment is a real treat. Ireact more to the esthetic element than the dramatic per se. Whereas thisgreat film is intimate, moody, subdued and modest, "Rear Window" throwsstars, light and colors at you in a sad display of artistic insecurity.Bobby Driscoll and the other cast members are very good, which isn'tsurprising, as good movies tend to inspire good acting. I first saw it as akid, and although I had trouble understanding the plot, I knew it was anexceptional film.

yarborough 2012-05-13 03:04:56

A Ridiculous Movie. This is no classic.

I am a huge classic film buff, especially of the film noirs, but I haveto say that this 1949 "thriller" is an absolute disgrace. I becameinterested in seeing the movie because it was made in the 1940s,because it starred two beautiful actresses (Barbara Hale and RuthRoman) and because it features a colorful character actor, PaulStewart. But I was incredibly disappointed at what I saw. The storykicks off with a little boy (Bobby Driscoll) witnessing a murder but,because of the exaggerated stories he always tells, not being able toconvince anyone (including his parents) of it. The movie goes to greatlengths to show us how badly no one will believe the boy, and thekillers even know that no one will believe the boy, and the kid doesn'thave a shred of evidence on the killers, but guess what idiotic,brainless, stupid thing the killers decide to do. They try to kidnapthe boy!!! And the kidnap attempt is probably the clumsiest one everfilmed for the cinema!!! This is an example of a forced story that isso ridiculous it is beyond logic. And on top of all this, Barbara Halelooks so drab and dull in this movie that she didn't even make it worthseeing. Ignore this one.

MCL1150 2012-05-12 10:38:27

Top Ten Film Noir

In film, there's two kinds of 'predictable'. First, there's the "Ican't believe they'd do something SO INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS!!" type. Thenthere's the kind of predictable in which you know exactly what willhappen next, but the suspense still literally tears you to pieces! "TheWindow" is definitely the latter and it's all the better for it. Featuring a great, if mostly unknown cast, this should be counted amongthe top film noir's ever made. Starring 12 year old Bobby Driscoll,there's also noir vet Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman, Barbara Hale and ArthurKennedy who's probably the best actor to ever have been Oscar nominatedfive times without ever having won. Directed by Ted Tetzlaff, Jr., aseasoned and previously Oscar nominated cinematographer himself,virtually every frame is a beautifully crafted black & white image ofsubstantial texture and depth. Photographed by William O. Steiner &Robert DeGrasse, the camera-work is brilliant. The direction of theactors is just as good. Every character comes across as a real, livingbreathing human being (even the killers) and every actor turns innothing less than a terrific performance. As icing on the cake, the rundown tenement and condemned building setsare so perfect that they count as characters themselves. The climaticscene in the abandoned building is simply incredible. How they filmedsuch a realistic looking nail bitter of a scene in 1949 is beyond me.Today it would all be done on a computer, but not in 1949. I won't ruinit, but I felt like I was right there teetering on the edge of thatfailing wooden support beam about to plummet three stories along withthe characters. Not a bit overdone, this particular scene is one of thebest photographed, executed and outright suspenseful scenes ever put onfilm. And while there is a musical score, it gives way to the naturalsound of the setting at key moments rather than to telegraph what'scoming next.With its terrific combination of acting, directing, writing,photography, art direction and restrained musical score, this "little"film is the complete package. At about 73 minutes in length, it's allstory and not a second of fluff or padding. I'd bet the farm that if"The Window" ever gets remade they'll add at least 20-30 minutes forfear that today's audience will feel cheated by such a short runningtime. "The Window" was produced by RKO Studios. Great Film Noir flickswere a specialty of theirs and this is one of the very best.

jamesmckone 2012-05-12 03:02:27

Excellent Film!!!!

I loved this film, i watched it by chance late at night and had neverseen anything like it. The small boy is brilliant and the enclosedcommunity where it is set is brilliant and creepy. It was one of thosefilms where you don't want to blink as it is truly unpredictable, themost gripping film i have ever seen and incredibly scary. The film isonly about an hour long and this adds to the tension, scenes are notprolonged and suspicion and fear are created with a fast pace, and anurgency and despair of the boy. This is a film worth watching as it isdifferent from the big budget, special effects thrillers. it createsfear through the intensity of the boy and his parents fear of hissanity.