Physical Media Releases (Body Double) Body Double

Brian De Palma's (in Body Double, as director) Body Double has had a fragmented home video history spread across multiple labels and territories. Columbia/Sony held the rights but treated the film as catalog filler for years — bare-bones DVD in 1998, a manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray on burned BD-R media in 2016. The best editions have come from outside the US: Indicator's region-free Blu-ray with a 38-minute first-AD documentary, and Carlotta Films' French Ultra Collector edition with a 200-page production book. No release on any format has ever included an audio commentary.

RCA/Columbia issued VHS in 1985

RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video released Body Double on VHS in 1985 in both NTSC (US) and PAL (Europe) editions. The PAL release carried Dolby Surround audio. Columbia TriStar reissued the film on VHS in 1993. The German VHS was censored by approximately 55 seconds to secure a lower age rating. (vhscollector, wikipedia)

The 1998 DVD was bare-bones

Columbia TriStar Home Video released the first DVD in December 1998 with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 2.0 surround audio, and no special features. A pan-and-scan version was also available. The disc served for eight years before Sony replaced it. (wikipedia)

Sony's 2006 Special Edition DVD added the first featurettes

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a Special Edition DVD on October 3, 2006, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix and four featurettes totaling roughly 52 minutes:

  • "The Seduction" (17 min) — De Palma on conception and visual strategy
  • "The Setup" (17 min) — production and locations
  • "The Mystery" (12 min) — includes Melanie Griffith discussing the nude scenes
  • "The Controversy" (6 min) — the MPAA battle and critical backlash

These four featurettes, produced circa 2002, have been carried forward onto every subsequent release. No audio commentary was recorded. (wikipedia)

Twilight Time's 2013 Blu-ray was the first HD edition

Twilight Time released Body Double as a limited edition of 3,000 copies on August 13, 2013, through Screen Archives Entertainment. The BD-50 was region-free with a 1080p AVC encode averaging 35.99 Mbps at 1.85:1. Audio was DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 plus an isolated Pino Donaggio (in Body Double, as composer) score track in DTS-HD MA 2.0. The four Sony featurettes were carried over in standard definition. Liner notes by Julie Kirgo. The edition sold out and is now out of print. (blu-ray.com, dvdtalk)

Carlotta Films' 2015 French edition included a 200-page production book

Carlotta Films released an Ultra Collector Edition in France on December 2, 2015 — limited to 3,000 numbered copies. The three-disc set (Blu-ray + 2 DVDs) used Sony's 4K restoration for the 1080p transfer and included the original 2.0 mono track alongside the 5.1 remix. The centerpiece was a 200-page book, Double De Palma by Susan Dworkin, documenting the film's production with 50 unpublished photographs. Cover art by Jay Shaw (Mondo). (amazon.fr, hdnumerique)

Indicator's 2016 Limited Edition is the definitive Blu-ray

Indicator (Powerhouse Films) released Body Double as their second-ever Limited Edition on October 24, 2016 — 5,000 copies, region-free, dual format (BD-50 + DVD). The transfer used Sony's 4K restoration master at 1080p AVC averaging 34.79 Mbps. Audio offered three lossless tracks: DTS-HD MA 5.1, LPCM 2.0 (original stereo), and an isolated Donaggio score in LPCM 2.0. (blu-ray.com, powerhousefilms)

Indicator commissioned new material and assembled the richest extras package

  • "Pure Cinema" — interview with 1st AD Joe Napolitano (38 min, new) — the most detailed production account available on disc
  • Craig Wasson archival NBC interview by Bobbie Wygant (1984, 8 min)
  • The four Sony featurettes (SD)
  • Isolated score, image gallery, theatrical trailer
  • 40-page illustrated booklet with a new essay by Ashley Clark, a reprinted 1984 Film Comment interview with De Palma by Marcia Pally, and De Palma's personal guide to his favorite films from a May 1987 Film Comment article

Blu-ray.com gave the release 5.0/5 across video, audio, and extras. The Limited Edition went out of print in September 2017; a standard edition (same disc, minus booklet and DVD) followed in October 2017. (blu-ray.com)

Sony's 2016 Choice Collection Blu-ray used burned BD-R media

Two weeks before Indicator's release, Sony issued a Choice Collection manufacture-on-demand Blu-ray on October 4, 2016. The disc was a BD-R (burned, not pressed), Region A, with DTS-HD MA 5.1 and the four featurettes in SD. No original stereo track, no isolated score, no booklet. The BD-R media was widely criticized by collectors. (blu-ray.com)

Sony's 2024 4K UHD is the current reference edition

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a 40th Anniversary SteelBook 4K UHD + Blu-ray on September 24, 2024. The BD-100 carries a native 4K HEVC H.265 encode averaging 74.47 Mbps in Dolby Vision with HDR10 fallback. The scan source is described by reviewers as the original camera negative, though Sony has not officially confirmed this. (blu-ray.com, whysoblu)

The 4K disc includes the first Dolby Atmos mix

Audio on the 4K disc: Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 core), DTS-HD MA 5.1, DTS-HD MA 2.0, plus lossless dubs in German, Italian, and Spanish. This is the first Body Double release with an Atmos remix. (blu-ray.com)

New archival EPK interviews and the Frankie Goes to Hollywood video

The release added material new to home video:

  • EPK interviews with De Palma, Craig Wasson, and Melanie Griffith (archival, ~3-4 min each)
  • "Relax" music video by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (Body Double version, 4 min) — the version shot for the film, first time on disc. See The Frankie Goes to Hollywood Sequence.
  • Remastered theatrical trailer and still gallery
  • The four Sony featurettes (SD) on the included Blu-ray

The Indicator-exclusive extras — the Napolitano documentary, the Wygant interview, the isolated score, and the booklet materials — were not carried over. (blu-ray.com)

Blu-ray.com gave the 4K disc 5.0/5 across the board.

No release has ever included an audio commentary

This is the most significant gap in the film's home video history. None of the DVDs, Blu-rays, or the 4K UHD include commentary from De Palma or any collaborator. The closest equivalent is the four featurettes from 2002 and the Indicator booklet's reprinted Film Comment interviews.

Release history at a glance

Format Year Label Region Notes
VHS 1985 RCA/Columbia US/Europe First home video release
VHS 1993 Columbia TriStar US Reissue
DVD 1998 Columbia TriStar R1 Anamorphic 1.85:1, bare-bones
DVD (Special Edition) 2006 Sony Pictures R1 DD 5.1, four featurettes (~52 min)
Blu-ray (LE, 3,000) 2013 Twilight Time Region-free 1080p AVC, isolated score, OOP
Blu-ray (Ultra Collector) 2015 Carlotta Films France 4K restoration, 200-page book, 3,000 copies
Blu-ray (MOD) 2016 Sony Choice Collection Region A BD-R burned media
Blu-ray (LE, 5,000) 2016 Indicator Region-free 4K restoration, LPCM 2.0, Pure Cinema doc, booklet
Blu-ray (Standard) 2017 Indicator Region-free Same disc, minus booklet/DVD
Blu-ray (Mediabook) 2022 Koch Media Germany 4K remastered
4K UHD + Blu-ray 2024 Sony Pictures Region-free Native 4K, DV/HDR10, Atmos, FGTH video, SteelBook

Technical specifications — Sony 4K UHD (2024)

Spec Detail
Disc type BD-100 (4K) + BD-50 (Blu-ray)
Video codec HEVC H.265, 2160p
Average bitrate 74.47 Mbps
HDR Dolby Vision / HDR10
HDR10 peak brightness 2,242 nits
Aspect ratio 1.85:1
Audio Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 core), DTS-HD MA 5.1, DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles English SDH + 16 additional languages
Source 4K scan (reported as original camera negative)
Sources