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In a time of bombastic blockbusters (and Reagan’s re-election), two auteurs defy the norms by releases violent films about sexual obsession, sparking a controversial mini-trend which one critic dubs “Vioporn.” Kathleen Turner, then also starring in a family-friendly blockbuster, plays a sex worker with a double life in Ken Russell’s Crimes of Passion. Brian DePalma, the most talked-about director of the moment, takes his tribute/critique of Hitchcock to the next level by casting Melanie Griffith – daughter of Hitchcock blonde Tippi Hedren – as a porn star in Body Double.
Melanie Griffith in Body Double, 1984
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Make My Day: Movie Culture in the Age of Reagan by J. Hoberman
Altered States by Ken Russell
Double DePalma by Susan Dworkin
Tippi by Tippi Hedren
A Paper Life by Tatum O’Neal
Brian de Palma’s Death Wish by Lynn Hirschberg, Esquire Magazine, January 1, 1984
Body Double' Is Creepy Crud By Rita Kempley, Washington Post, October 26, 1984,
Film: Depalma Evokes 'Vertigo' In Body Double by Vincent Canby, The New York Times, Oct. 26, 1984
Brian De Palma As Son Of Hitchcock by Paul Attanasio, Washington Post, November 4, 1984
On Brian De Palma-Crossing The Line Between Art and Pornography? by Nina Darnton, The New York Times, Nov. 18, 1984
The Fans Are Showing No Taste For Turkeys by Joe Baltake, Philadelphia Daily News, Nov 24, 1984
How Two Directors Confront 'Vioporn' by Jay Carr, Boston Globe, Nov 30, 1984
A Movie is a Work of Art: An Interview with Brian De Palma by Matt Zoller Seitz, June 09, 2016
Melanie Says ‘It’s No Big Deal’ The Indianapolis Star, April 29, 1975
Growing Up Too Fast? Daily News, April 1975
Melanie Griffith's Nightmare Has Ended by Michael Landon, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan 3, 1984
People Are Talking About: Movies: Body by Brian by Deborah Mason, Vogue, 174, Iss. 11, Nov 1, 1984
Noel Marshall’s “Roar”: Humans Were Harmed in the Making of This Film, by Richard Brody. April 22, 2020
Ratings Rile Studio Head, New York Magazine, Oct 1, 1984
Sex Films Without X Rating by Joe Baltake, Philadelphia Daily News, Oct 23, 1984
Her Brilliant Career by Christine Doudna, American Film, Vol. 10, Iss. 2, Nov 1, 1984
Mystery Woman: Kathleen Turner by Richard Schickel. Film Comment; New York Vol. 21, Iss. 2, Mar/Apr 1985
Interview with Brian De Palma by Marcia Pally, Film Comment, October 1984
The Many Lives of Kathleen Turner by Keaton Bell, Vogue Magazine, December 13, 2021
Kathleen Turner Meets Her Monster by Jesse Green, New York Times, March 20, 2005
Kathleen Turner: The Last Movie Star by Tim Appelo and Gregg Kilday, Entertainment Weekly, August 02, 1991
In Conversation: Kathleen Turner, Vulture, Aug 7, 2018
Kathleen Turner: ‘Decades after Body Heat I Am Still Referred to as a Sexual Icon’ by Ruth Huntman, The Guardian, Apr 14, 2018
Barry Sandler | Crimes Of Passion, by Ian White, Starburst Magazine, August 8, 2016
Bad Boys of Cinema Ken Russell, Barry Sandler Will Screen Cult Classic 'Crimes of Passion' by Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel, Mar 27, 2009
Don Johnson & Melanie Griffith At Home and In Love, US Magazine, November 1991
Fast Starter, Playboy, October 1976
The Dark Side of the Moon by Joe Queenan, Movieline Magazine, October 1990
'Psycho' Altered Ideas On Censorship, All Things Considered, June 18, 2010
De Palma, 2015, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1683048/
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Melanie Griffith and Craig Wasson in Body Double (1984)
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"Rumoi Night" - Kokura Station
"Pxl Cray" - The Fence
"Hutter" - Pglet
"The Killjoy Brothers" - Kittyhawk
"Divider" - Chris Zabriskie
"Pxl Htra" - The Fence
"Pxl Eventuat" - The Fence
"Single Still" - Vermouth
"Four Cluster" - Fornax
"Still Nite" - Pglet
"Tower of Mirrors" - TinyTiny Trio
"Valley VX" - Limoncello
"Kovd" - Fjell
"Vik Fence Haflak" - The Fence
"Trek VX" - Limoncello
"Readers Do You Read" - Chris Zabriskie
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Kathleen Turner as China Blue / Joanna Crane in Crimes of Passion, 1984