MovieChat Forums > The Woman in the Window (1944) Discussion > !!! Spoiler !!! TWITW plot detail questi...

!!! Spoiler !!! TWITW plot detail questions

posted 19 years ago by Purschka
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I've just watched "The Woman in the Window" and I liked it except for the crap ending. Three questions:
When Prof. Wanley goes over the toll bridge with the corpse in his car there is a shot of a man lurking behind him indicating the corpse isn't dead at all. This is never explained. Can anybody help?
Second: In the end, when Wanley realizes it has all just been a dream he encounters the door boy and wonders if he's seen him before - because he was the blackmailer. But he hadn't seen the blackmailer, only Joan Bennet saw him!
Third: I've often read about two surprise twists at the end of the film but I can only think of one, i.e. that it's all just been a dream - what is the other one? Thanks a lot.

[–] daniel-propper 19 years ago

Dear Purschka,
I just watched "The Woman in the Window" on satellite television and, allthough not paying perfect attention to all details, I greatly enjoyed most of this movie. I hope I might be able to help you.
I also noticed the shot of the dead man with eyes opened when W. passes the toll bridge. But do eyes opened mean he is alive? He did not move and I considered him as dead in the car, but not as dead-looking to interest the toll man or other people eventually looking inside the car. Does this make sense?
As for W. recogizing the blackmailer after wakening up, I rather think that you just need to think a little bit; all of the movie, until then, was the dream of W. and, also his character in the dream did not meet with the blackmailer, he did know of him as he dreamt all of it. Quite simple!
J. Bennett is very beautiful in this one. And there is something in this movie that make you staying with it until the end. It is even disturbing and actually quite nightmarish.

[–] daniel-propper 19 years ago

Sorry, I did not see your third question until now.
I suppose that the surprise twist No. 1at the end is that the blackmailer gets shot and with the money and the murdered man's belongings on him will most certainly be regarded as the murderer by the police officials. This is a very surprising event for the female hero (Bennett) and Wanley, as things looked very bad indeed for both of them. Notice the subtle moment when the caracter played by Bennett desperately telephones W., who is dying self-poisoned, to tell him the good news. And then he wakes up from his night-mare (which finally could have ended happily - but did not !) and he is all awake and out of his dream just recognizing the individuals around him who "took part" in his dream. That is surprise twist No. 2, as I can understand it.

[–] eddizle 19 years ago

i loved the ending when he ran away from the women in the window at the end, great film

[–] Altho73 18 years ago

A point to remember is that if the blackmailer hadn't appeared (and been shot by the police), then Richard Wanley's goose would have been well and truly cooked. When he talked to the D.A and the Inspector at the crime scene he gave away sufficient information to have the inspector well and truly suspicious and I'm sure that if the blackmailer hadn't appeared the inspector would have dug until he'd finally found hard evidence that would have connected Wanley to Mazard's death.

[–] praxagora 15 years ago

"... there is a shot of a man lurking behind him indicating the corpse isn't dead at all..."

Um - your eyes do not automatically close when you die.
They showed his eyes open and staring, to indicate that he *was* dead.