Rear Window (1954) ⟷ Body Double (1984) ⟷ Vertigo (1958) — structural triptych

Body Double in the middle, the two Hitchcock films De Palma fused on either side. Beats placed by film-minute. Connector lines mark structural correspondences across each pair; line style indicates the kind of correspondence. Rear Window's chassis drives the left half of the rhymes; Vertigo's chassis drives the right half.

Hover a beat box for the full beat description. Hover a connector line for the explanation of why those two beats are connected the way they are.

REAR WINDOW (1954) better/sufficient · 112 min the watcher's apartment BODY DOUBLE (1984) better/sufficient · 114 min De Palma's fusion VERTIGO (1958) worse/insufficient · 128 min the engineered trap INITIAL EQUILIBRIUM → COMMITMENT INITIAL APPROACH → MIDPOINT POST-MIDPOINT APPROACH → CLIMAX WIND-DOWN (no BD analogue) (no BD analogue) (no BD analogue) (no BD analogue) (no BD analogue) (no BD analogue) rw1[2m]Opening tracking shot — courtyard, broken camera, Jeff in cast rw3[8m]Stella's “Peeping Toms” lectureEquilibrium rw5[16m]Lisa Fremont — “Lisa, Carol, Fremont” rw7[22m]Jeff refuses the indoor magazine job rw9[32m]The scream — “Don't!” — across the rainy courtyardInciting rw10[37m]Three nighttime trips with the sample case in the rain rw14[50m]Jeff phones Lt. Doyle, names Lars ThorwaldCommit rw16[57m]Doyle's first report — Anna Thorwald alive at MerritsvilleEscal-1 rw20[72m]Three-person investigative team at the window rw21[77m]Doyle's final dismissal — “There is no case.”Midpoint rw23[83m]Dog killed; only Thorwald doesn't come to the window rw26[91m]Wedding ring deduction rw28[94m]Blackmail phone call lures Thorwald out rw30[98m]Lisa climbs the fire escape and enters Thorwald's apartment rw33[101m]Thorwald returns; struggle inside; Jeff calls Precinct 6Escal-2 rw34[102m]Ring signal; Thorwald sees the watching window rw36[107m]Silent phone call — antagonist has the watcher's address rw38[110m]Thorwald enters; flashbulb defenseClimax rw39[111m]Struggle at the window; Jeff falls; detectives catch him rw40[112m]Two casts, courtyard restored, Lisa reading two booksWind-Down b1[1m]Coffin freeze — Jake fails the Vampire's Kiss take b3[4m]Home — Carol in bed with another man b6[10m]Acting class — claustrophobia exercise; Sam intervenesEquilibrium b8[17m]Chemosphere telescope — “like clockwork, every night”Inciting b13[29m]“There she goes” — Jake pulls out behind GloriaCommit b14[32m]The mall — three-figure stalking sequence b15[48m]Tunnel — Jake's claustrophobia freezes the chaseEscal-1 b16[53m]Beach kiss — De Palma's 360° camera rotation b18[60m]Drill murder — Jake watches through the telescopeMidpoint b19[65m]McLean's interrogation — “a peeper… a sex offender” b20[70m]Late-night TV — Holly Body's commercial b23[75m]“I like to watch” — porn audition b26[82m]Bar with Holly — courtship pretext b28[87m]Chemosphere — Jake walks Holly through the truth b29[90m]Speakerphone — Holly: “That's him.”Escal-2 b32[95m]Holly grabbed off the highway by Sam-as-Indian b35[102m]Reservoir — Sam buries Jake alive b36[106m]Sky tunnels away — “I can help myself.”Climax b38[107m]Dog from the car kills Sam b40[110m]Vampire's Kiss shower — body-double process under creditsWind-Down v1[4m]Rooftop chase — patrolman dies, acrophobia is born v2[5m]Midge's apt — corset, step-stool, faintEquilibrium v3[11m]Elster's office — “follow my wife”Inciting v5[16m]Ernie's — the held gaze (no words)Commit v8[25m]Legion of Honor — Carlotta's portrait v14[43m]Fort Point — Madeleine in the bay; Scottie dives v18[60m]Cypress Point — embrace at the cliffEscal-1 v22[73m]Mission stable — kiss / “kiss me again” v23[76m]Bell tower — body falls past the windowMidpoint v24[78m]Inquest — coroner names Scottie's failure v26[85m]Sanitarium — Midge walks out for good v28[93m]Empire Hotel — Scottie finds Judy v29[100m]Judy's letter — audience learns the trick v33[112m]The salon — hair color v35[117m]Green-light kiss — Judy emerges as Madeleine v36[120m]Necklace — Scottie sees the claspEscal-2 v39[127m]Top of tower — nun appears, Judy fallsClimax v40[127m]Scottie at the trapdoor, looking downWind-Down homage — direct structural parallel parallel scene-type parallel framing, opposite outcome Hitchcock-only (no BD analogue) Equilibrium Inciting Commit Escal-1 Midpoint Escal-2 Climax Wind-Down