Director Ted Tetzlaff’s The Window is the story about nine year old Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll, Song of the South) who tells so many lies to his parents, that when something real actually happens to him, they don’t believe him, nearly causing Tommy his life. The tale of The Window is basically a ‘boy who cried wolf’ film.
On a hot summer night, Tommy decides to sleep outside on the fire escape and witnesses a murder through a window. Because Tommy is known to tell fibs to his parents Ed Woodry (Arthur Kennedy, Peyton Place) and Mary Woodry (Barbara Hale, The Clay Pigeon) they think he’s telling another lie. Tommy gets into more mischief including being kidnapped and nearly killed by the murderers Paul Kellesrson(Paul Stewart, Kiss Me Deadly) and his wife Jean Kellerson(Ruth Roman, Strangers on a Train) once they discover Tommy saw what they did. Tommy runs for his life as the killers pursue him in a harrowing chase scene.
The Window is an overlooked Film Noir with a great cast of veteran actors surrounding Bobby Driscoll. The acting and direction for the film is top-notch. The chase scene is suspenseful enough to get your blood boiling!
Warner Archive has given The Window an unlikely Blu-ray release much to the delight of fans of this movie. This is another wonderful release by Warner. The black and white image is crystal clear with bright whites and rich black levels. The film’s lighting is an important aspect of this Noir, and the picture quality reflects that. The grayscale is perfectly balanced. Close-ups of the characters faces are highly detailed. Interiors to the scenery are also rich in detail. Film grain appears throughout. No signs of DNR or artificial enhancements on their image. The back of the Blu-ray case does not indicate whether this was given a 4K or even a 2K scan, but the image looks so sharp that one would think they did give this release a brand-new scan.
The English DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track is also superb with the dialog, music and action sounds coming in clearly with hardly any hiss or crackling sounds. The only reason that there is any minor hissing is due to the elements. Roy Webb’s musical score is the strongest part of the audio, and even that is not all that overpowering. English SDH subtitles are offered for this release.
The Window has no extras, not even trailers.
Despite the lack of extras, Warner Archive’s release of The Window will be best known for the great audio and video quality. For those who have not had the opportunity to watch The Window, this is the best way to see and hear it. Highly recommended!
The Window
Director- Ted Tetzlaff
Cast- Barbara Hale, Bobby Driscoll, Arthur Kennedy
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Warner Archive / Warner Home Video
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-10/10/21