Hitchcock Thursdays: Following up on my Classic Movie Project, I made a list of ten Alfred Hitchcock movies I wanted to watch or rewatch. I’ll be posting reviews on Thursdays throughout the summer.
Title: Rear Window
Release Date: September 1, 1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Production Company: Patron, Inc.
Summary/Review:
If I played Jimmy Stewart’s part in Rear Window:
ME: I’ve been so bored, I’m just looking out the window watching my neighbors.
GRACE KELLY: I love you. I think we should get married.
ME: Wow! Really? Forget about the window! Let’s get married
(Roll credits)
Apart from my inability suspend disbelief that L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies (Stewart) is not interested in Lisa Fremont (Kelly), Rear Window is a fascinating motion picture. Built on a remarkable studio set, Jeff’s window looks out on a courtyard surrounded by New York City apartment buildings where his neighbors go about their daily lives. Many of the actors in this movie only appear in distant shots through windows which requires remarkable skill and timing (and ear pieces so they could get direction from Hitchcock). I’m also amazed by the ambient sound of city life in this movie, and even the soundtrack is built entirely of diegetic music.
The movie cycles through experimental, comical, and thrilling moments, but it is also contains dark undercurrents. The movie makes the audience conspirators in Jeff’s voyeurism as we look at his neighbors through the movie camera. It also needs to be said that Jeff is a jerk, and treats Lisa awfully. It’s no surprise that Hitchcock cast the beloved Jimmy Stewart in the role so we would care about him at all. While I wonder why Lisa would like Jeff in the first place, I am impressed in the way that Kelly maintains her dignity and demonstrates her value.
This movie confines the story to a single place, much like Lifeboat and Dial M for Murder, and makes that limitation a strength. There’s so much happening in this movie that will take repeated views to catch. I think this is among Hitchcock’s best works.
Rating: ****1/2
Panorama of the Mountains 
For Jeff that window is like a TV, he jumps from one program to another by looking at different windows! I agree with you, it takes repeated views to enjoy this movie to its full potential.
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