When you are attempting to craft a suspenseful film noir, it bodes well when you have some who has worked with the “Master of Suspense” on the creative team. While he would prove himself to be a powerful director, Ted Tetzlaff was primarily known as a skilled cinematographer who lensed over 100 films including the all-time classic Notorious for Alfred Hitchcock. This makes a lot of sense when you watch the 1949 thriller The Window in which Tetzlaff utilizes everything he learned about building tension from Hitchcock to create a sense of dread that is downright palpable. Based on the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” by Cornell Woolrich, the low-budget film would prove to not only be a critical success, but also an immense financial hit for RKO Pictures. The film often does not get the same cultural recognition as other contemporary suspenseful tales, but it is one that is apt to impress anyone who gives it a shot. Thanks to Warner Archive, you now have a readily-available option to do so.
The story is familiar enough for those who have grown up with the ubiquitous “crying wolf” fable; Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll, Treasure Island) is a young boy who tells a lot of stories to his friends and family, and a majority of them are not rooted in truth. Of course, this comes back to haunt him when one sweltering night he is sleeping on the fire escape outside of his family’s Lower East Side New York apartment. The curious boy wakes up in the dead of night and climbs up to see his seemingly innocuous neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Kellerson (Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman), kill a man and dispatch of his body. The frightened Tommy avoids detection, but justice refuses to be served as Tommy relays the story to his parents who believe he is one again indulging in his outrageous imagination. It is not just them, no one including the police believes what he saw was anything but a dream. As Tommy gets more agitated and adults get more reckless with his safety, the likelihood that the young boy might become another victim grows.
This story is a brilliant exercise in creating dread in the audience. The position that Tommy finds himself in is one that taps into the anxiety of being out of control of your own destiny. At every step, not only is Tommy wrestling with the fact that he has no credibility given his age and history with the truth, but the people who should be protecting him actively make his life worse. When his mother (Barbara Hale, Perry Mason) forces Tommy to apologize to the Kellersons for making up stories, he is automatically put on their radar as a potential loose end they might have to clear up. The lengths his own parents go to “teach a lesson” to the young boy will make you groan in frustration. From a modern perspective, the events may strain credibility – heck, with this type of picture you don’t need strict believability – but when you think about the time period this film was made you have to remember that many parents were less enlightened about how to interact with their children. When you get to the point where a police officer is jokingly endorsing whipping a kid into shape, you can’t help but feel that is right for the time.
When you are dealing with a tale centered on a youth performance, there tends to be an even chance that the kid can either be impressive or painfully annoying. Thankfully young Driscoll, who actually won an honorary Oscar for Outstanding Juvenile Actor for this role, avoids being a pain. You may not be able to say the same for the reckless adults around him, but Tommy is a character who you can mostly say makes smart decisions (outside of not blurting out some key facts at the appropriate times). The adults in the story may be maddening, but the performances are all very strong across the board. One of the strongest aspects of the film is the pacing; at a spry 73 minutes, Tetzlaff has shed all of the fat off this increasingly suspenseful tale. The twists and turns may lead to where you would expect, but the journey to the destination is impeccably crafted. The Window is one of the better film noirs to come out of RKO Pictures, and it is more than capable of delivering thrills to a modern audience.
Video Quality
Warner Archive presents The Window for the first time on Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer sourced from a new restoration. The image is nothing short of dazzling for a film that has rarely been given much respect over the years. This example of film preservation has brought a whole new life to the picture with a presentation that ranks among the top tier at a label known to be one of the best in the business. This black and white feature has nice, natural film grain throughout that provides a great amount of detail to the image. The presentation has a good amount of depth to it including in the shadows where there is no evidence of any black crush. Fine detail is very strong as you can see subtle details in the clothing and production design. Print damage is virtually nonexistent throughout the duration of the movie. Warner Archive has saved another piece of film history with this excellent release.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray release comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that sounds simply marvelous. The moody and deliberate delivery of the dialogue always comes through crystal clear. None of the sound effects or the effective score from Roy Webb ever overpowers the dialogue on this release. There are not many sequences that are kinetic here, but there are environmental details that are appropriately lively in the speakers. There does not appear to be any damage or age related wear to the track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles available on the disc for those who need it. Overall, this is an excellent audio presentation that suits the material really well.
Special Features
There are no special features included on this disc.
Final Thoughts
The Window is a top-tier suspenseful film noir that takes a classic fable and transforms it into something deadly and thrilling. The performance from young Bobby Driscoll is very strong alongside the remainder of the talented ensemble. Director Ted Tetzlaff may be more widely known for his skills as a cinematographer, but the talent he shows as a filmmaker here should cast no doubt on the well-rounded nature of his skills. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a truly outstanding A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. Those who have blown through all of the classic Hitchcock films may find a pleasing kinship with this creative offshoot. Recommended
The Window can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
