Spielberg Sued For Imitating Hitchcock

Posted by Kevin Gustafson (kgustafson@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 11, 2008

Reuters reported this week that the owners of the short story that inspired Alfred Hitchock’s 1954 film Rear Window are suing Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks, its parent company Viacom Inc, and Universal Pictures. Sheldon Abend Revocable Trust holds the rights to “Murder From a Fixed Viewpoint,” a short story by Cornell Woolrich. They’re furious that Spielberg and Co didn’t buy the rights to adapt the story when making 2007’s Disturbia. Made for $20 million, the film dragged home $80 million in ticket sales.

Let’s compare the two movies. Rear Window stars Jimmy Stewart as a photographer who spends his time recuperating from a broken leg by spying on his neighbors. Disturbia stars Shia LaBeouf as a high school bad boy under house arrest who spies on his neighbors. Peering out their windows, both characters think they’ve witnessed a murder inside one neighbor’s home. Both have two friends who help investigate.

The people suing Spielberg and Co. may have a point. Disturbia is Rear Window for teenagers. As a true remake, it falls slightly short. The two films differ in that Rear Window leaves you wondering if Stewart’s character is paranoid by questioning every trivial action he sees happening. Only towards the end, do the clues add up. The newer Disturbia lacks any real doubt that LaBeouf’s neighbor is a serial killer who lures women home to kill them. The killer (David Morse) quickly knows he’s being watched. Its third act is a slasher-style gore fest.

How close is too close? This lawsuit brings up the question of what is the dividing line between paying homage and outright stealing. Does Disturbia deserve to be sued for not giving credit?

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AnotherBREAK

Why is this happening now? Didn't every one already know this was a re make? The only diff.
is that Rear window has artistic credibility. They pretty much said it is the same movie for
teens, but with a shittier ending.

Will C

I'm also wondering why it took so long for them to start a lawsuit. It is plainly obvious to anyone who has seen Rear Window that Disturbia borrows heavily from it, and changed it to be a film version of it for Teens.

What took so long? Did that trust assume they would get a credit in the film for it being based on the original story? Or did they assume they would get a pay out from the film?

Ashley Demma

Even On Demand gives the movie summary as "an updated Rear Window for a teen audience".

duh.

Cole Abaius

It's just happening now because the author finally netflixed Disturbia.

I'm not making that up. It's in his official statement. Officially.

Gavin

Movies copy movies all the time: Did the makers of Three Amigos sue the makers of Galaxy Quest for ripping them off? How about the makers of Fantastic Voyage and the great '80s movie Innerspace? How about the makers of Ghostbusters and then the makers of Evolution? (Oh wait, that was the same director... he was ripping himself off.)

I remember as a kid watching episodes of cartoons that were exactly the same as each other except they had different characters.

It makes you wonder where the line on plagiarism lies.

Spielberg Sued For Imitating Hitchcock

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