1986 Press Photo Windows Willis Shire Ashley Mathews

Caption: Andrea Glassen (ELIZABETH ASHLEY) attempts to assuage the fears of her friend, Emily Hollander(TALIA SHIRE), in "Windows," a United Artists release.Film thriller comes without the chillsFirst, a nice word about a pretty awful movie called "Windows." Cinematographer Gordon Willis ("Manhattan," "Annie Hall," the "Godfather") has once again produced a feast of visual imagery, one that includes some scenes of New York that are even more inspired than those he shot for Woody Allen.The bad news is Willis had more to do with "Windows" than simply photograph it. He also directed - his first attempt as a film boss - and the result is a suspense drama without suspense, a psychological thriller that doesn't thrill and a story that doesn't tell much of anything.His first mistake was agreeing to work with screenwriter Barry Siegel's script. It's like trying to sing with Edith Bunker's voice.Siegel, also making his debut, used very heavy hands in typing out a story about a psychopathic lesbian (Elizabeth Ashley) driven to murder out of lust for her mousy neighbor (Talia Shire). It is so plodding, so overwrought with dark psychological hints, and eventually, so full of holes that the question of credibility doesn't even come up.The movie opens with Shire, a lonely museum worker with a speech impediment, being raped at knife point while her cruel attacker calmly records her anguished cries on tape. Whatever suspense might have been worked into the script is quickly removed as we see, Ashley, Shire's consoling and apparently wealthy neighbor, taking delivery of the rape tape from the cab driver she hired for the job.The rest of the film is spent behind Willis' deftly observant camera as it looks through windows at Shire and her budding relationship with the detective (Joseph Cortese) assigned to her case, or at Ashley in a loft apartment across the way, panting and moaning as she watches the same scene through a telescope.There's not much question where this whole thing is headed. The only suspense is how many innocent people Ashley will hack up along the way.The story's faults abound, but the main one is its slapdash psychology. Although we spend several sessions with Ashley and her psychiatrist (Michael Lipton), we aren't given a clue as to what her problems are or why she is obsessed with Shire. Even when the impassive doctor determines she needs institutional care, he doesn't tell us why (patient-doctor privilege?).Under Willis' loose directorial grip, Ashley runs amok with her role, overacting with such certifiable craziness you wonder why the cops don't haul her off for questioning on looks alone. Shire so underplays her character you have to figure her detective beau is a little loony himself to be falling in love with her.It is to be hoped Willis' flirtation with a career change will end with "Windows." Hollywood can no more afford to lose a good cameraman than to make room for another bad director.