Rear Window ---- ****1/2 (out of 5) (1954)
Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr
Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter(s): John Michael Hayes
Released on: January 1, 1954
Reviewed on: March 6, 2004
Rated: PG - for violence and mature themes
Widely considered one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest directorial experiments and all-around outstanding film, REAR WINDOW is a one-of-a-kind suspense thriller. Hitchcock was known throughout his filming career to toy with many edgy ideas and engaging concepts that would result in some kind of tension in his vulnerable viewers. REAR WINDOW explores into the realm of voyeurism and, because of its usually untouched subject matter, we the viewers are (as with many of Hitchcock's other films) immediately swept up into the story.
REAR WINDOW stars James Stewart who brilliantly potrays L.B. Jefferies, a professional photographer that, because of an accident while shooting, broke his leg and is now stuck in a wheelchair and trapped within the confines of his stuffy Manhattan apartment. From his first encounter with his nurse, Stella, we see what this kind of isolation is doing to him. He comes off as frustrated, moody, and temperamental with those he interacts with. His girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, is also subject to a few of his tyrades and becomes impatient with Jefferies on whether they are going to get married or not. This helps us to identify with him on what being cooped up in a room can do to you, especially if you're someone who's used to traveling.
During the days when he is alone up in his apartment, Jefferies opens his shades and observes the lives of those around him, most of whom leave their windows wide open. His neighbors include Miss Torso, a ballerina that begins all of her mornings practicing her routine; Miss Lonelyhearts, an elderly woman seen as a widow that is prone to sadness and crying; others include a newlywed couple, an extroverted pianist, and an elderly couple that spend their nights sleeping out on the balcony. Upon viewing his neighbors for the first time, Jefferies is instantly wrapt up in their daily lives. He soon starts viewing them with his camera scopes and becomes obsessed with their day-to-day lifestyles. He turns into an unknown friend that develops a special bond with those he watches and amuses himself by getting to know them and constantly guessing where their actions will take them. Soon into his voyeuristic escapade, Jefferies sees a man named Lars Thorwald treat to his bed-ridden wife, who suddenly disappears one morning. Jefferies is convinced that he is the prime suspect to a murder and, after the police refuse to believe his story, he takes matters into his own hands and investigates the crime with his only tool: his camera lens.
REAR WINDOW's opening theme succeeds in intriguing us, and the film's execution from there only gets better. From the time the opening credits finish rolling, the rest of the film contains almost no music. Most would assume that this can only have a negative effect on the production but, on the contrary, the lack of background music actually bolsters up the film and intensifies the suspense. Some of the most shocking moments might have included some kind of sudden, jarring jump-out-and-scare-you tune, but REAR WINDOW has none of this, and the scariest scenes only leave us on the edge of our seats, engulfed in silent and terrified anticipation. I write this to hopefully get across one of the film's best working elements.
To summarize the reason why REAR WINDOW succeeds so well, I'll say that most of it is because the film's concept of voyeurism is one that engages most viewers in the movie's premise. Whether they admit or not, they won't deny afterwards that REAR WINDOW totally enveloped them in its seductively entrancing method of storytelling. All of the elements presented in the film are appealing and all of them work splendidly. This is an award-winning combination if you're searching for a film that will engage you and leave you branded with its imprint for months after the initial viewing.
<<<< Back To Contrabandit's Movie Reviews
