The story of the fall of the career of Bobby Driscoll sort of puts a downer effect on all of his films. In the late 1940s and early 1950s Driscoll had a remarkably effective movie career, including the starring role in this classic film noir and roles in TREASURE ISLAND and LONG JOHN SILVER with Robert Newton, and the voice of PETER PAN in the Disney cartoon. His drug addiction and lonely death were a tragic waste of a talented actor.
THE WINDOW is one of those unexpected classic films that were made without vast publicity campaigns or expense, with a simple and good cast involved, and a good script. It also has a classic pedigree, going back to the fables of Aesop. It is a variant on the story of the boy that cried wolf.
Driscoll plays a lively little boy with a vivid imagination. His parents (Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale) are living in a lower class - working class district in a city. Kennedy has a job that takes him out of the house at night. In fact, this is a film that clings to the night.
Driscoll happens to tell a whopper of a lie, and it blows up in his face because it embarrasses his parents. So his reputation for telling the truth has been compromised. While sleeping on the fire estate of his home at night, he faces the apartment of Paul Stewart and his wife Ruth Roman. Stewart has a business associate over at his apartment, gets into a quarrel, and kills the associate. Unfortunately, Driscoll sees this - but equally unfortunate Stewart sees that Driscoll witnessed it.
So follows a long, involved cat and mouse game, with Stewart covering up traces of the murder (with Roman's assistance), and at the same time doing everything he can to dismiss Driscoll's claims of the murder as just his silly over-imagination again. As Kennedy and Hale are half-inclined to believe this, they too refuse to listen to Driscoll's arguments. But Stewart is also aware that at some point, somebody might just decide to double check Driscoll's stories, especially if he remains so insistent that he is not lying. So Stewart has to find the right moment to grab this annoying kid, and get rid of the only witness.
There are problems though. Driscoll's youth also means he is more energetic and physically adept than Stewart. Also, although Roman is helping her husband she is not really keen about killing a little boy. Finally there is also the fact that, although they strongly doubt Driscoll's story, Kennedy and Hale love their son, and think he's a troubled little boy. Soon Kennedy's actions are gumming up Stewart's planning as well.
Besides Driscoll's performance, Stewart gave one of his best villains in the film, being plausible on the surface, but as deadly in intentions as they come. Kennedy's father is a hard working man, struggling for a better life for his family, and tired of his son's tall tales. But at the right moment he does start wondering if he's been just too complacent about his son's "lying".
The conclusion is a tense and exciting fight between Stewart and Driscoll in a deserted building. It is a first rate conclusion to this fascinating and scary film which makes us wonder how seriously do we ever take our kids, and in what ways do we show it.
THE WINDOW is one of those unexpected classic films that were made without vast publicity campaigns or expense, with a simple and good cast involved, and a good script. It also has a classic pedigree, going back to the fables of Aesop. It is a variant on the story of the boy that cried wolf.
Driscoll plays a lively little boy with a vivid imagination. His parents (Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale) are living in a lower class - working class district in a city. Kennedy has a job that takes him out of the house at night. In fact, this is a film that clings to the night.
Driscoll happens to tell a whopper of a lie, and it blows up in his face because it embarrasses his parents. So his reputation for telling the truth has been compromised. While sleeping on the fire estate of his home at night, he faces the apartment of Paul Stewart and his wife Ruth Roman. Stewart has a business associate over at his apartment, gets into a quarrel, and kills the associate. Unfortunately, Driscoll sees this - but equally unfortunate Stewart sees that Driscoll witnessed it.
So follows a long, involved cat and mouse game, with Stewart covering up traces of the murder (with Roman's assistance), and at the same time doing everything he can to dismiss Driscoll's claims of the murder as just his silly over-imagination again. As Kennedy and Hale are half-inclined to believe this, they too refuse to listen to Driscoll's arguments. But Stewart is also aware that at some point, somebody might just decide to double check Driscoll's stories, especially if he remains so insistent that he is not lying. So Stewart has to find the right moment to grab this annoying kid, and get rid of the only witness.
There are problems though. Driscoll's youth also means he is more energetic and physically adept than Stewart. Also, although Roman is helping her husband she is not really keen about killing a little boy. Finally there is also the fact that, although they strongly doubt Driscoll's story, Kennedy and Hale love their son, and think he's a troubled little boy. Soon Kennedy's actions are gumming up Stewart's planning as well.
Besides Driscoll's performance, Stewart gave one of his best villains in the film, being plausible on the surface, but as deadly in intentions as they come. Kennedy's father is a hard working man, struggling for a better life for his family, and tired of his son's tall tales. But at the right moment he does start wondering if he's been just too complacent about his son's "lying".
The conclusion is a tense and exciting fight between Stewart and Driscoll in a deserted building. It is a first rate conclusion to this fascinating and scary film which makes us wonder how seriously do we ever take our kids, and in what ways do we show it.