Rear Window (1954)

Rear Window (1954)

Alfred Hitchcock is one of cinema’s most important auteurs and every motion picture release with his name attached was a big event. The sharp-detailed director had two movies released in 1954. The first was the thrilling, perhaps a bit minor Dial M for Murder. His second film is the subject of this review, Rear Window. Rear Window is one of Hitchcock’s best, if not the best thrillers he has ever made. The story is simple enough, but the film envelopes you in a world of nonstop tension. I was biting my nails from start to finish, and that is habit that rarely comes out. Good job, Mr. Hitchcock!

The story, written by John Michael Hayes seems quite simple, but I love the complexity that is given to the film. Just like Hitchcock’s other 1954 feature, most of the film takes place in one location-the apartment of James Stewart’s character, L.B Jeffries. The one set based off Greenwich Village in New York City, that Hitchcock built on the set of Paramount studios is very elaborate and it really works well with the film. Did you know that he even created a drainage system that would allow the water used as rain to drain? One thing that Hitchcock excels at in each film of his is his excellent sense of detail.

L.B Jeffries aka Jeff (James Stewart) is confined to his apartment after his breaking his leg. He has two women coming to his apartment to take care him: his wisecracking nurse, Stella (Thelma Ritter) and his beautiful longtime girlfriend, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) who works as a fashion model. To save him from boredom, Jeff decides to spy on his neighbors with his binocular. There is Miss Lonely Hearts who cooks fancy dinners for imaginary guests and there is Miss Torso who entertains various males just to name some of the people he sees. One rainy night, he notices a neighbor named Thorwald (Raymond Burr) leaving a with a trunk three times and that his nagging and invalid wife is no longer present. That leaves Jeff suspicious of his neighbor and he believes a murder took place. Along with Stella, Lisa, and his police lieutenant friend Tom Doyle (Wendell Corey), Jeff begins to put the pieces together to find the truth.

When there is only location, you need great direction and great acting to make up for that closed location. We already know Hitchcock directed the hell out of the film, and he earned an Academy Award nomination. What about the acting? I can happily report that the acting is phenomenal. James Stewart really crushes it here, considering his character is immobilized the entire time. Pre-war, Jimmy Stewart was known for his comedies, westerns, and taking nice guy roles in general. After WW2 ended, he began taking more complex and darker roles. Hitchcock exploited that side of him not only with this film, but in 1958’s Vertigo as well. He does well with the coldness of his character. Grace Kelly, who appeared in Dial M for Murder, does well here. She is cool and elegant and is more than just the beautiful blonde. She also does some unexpecting stuff such as sneaking in the apartment of the suspect-and that scene is dripping with tension, I promise!

There is a lot that goes behind Hitchcock’s head. One idea he prominently displays here is the idea of voyeurism. The basic definition of voyeurism is taking pleasure in watching someone unobserved. The term can be used in a sexual way, or it could be used in a way that watching someone else’s pain relieves the watcher of his/her pain. Also, what about us viewers of the movie? Are we not taking pleasure or interest in watching the pain or emotions of these characters? Voyeurism is the central theme at play here. There are also themes that can be discussed regarding impotence of male figures and how women are just not supposed to be seen as beautiful, but how they can be regarded as puzzles or even threats. For such a simple story, there can be much to think about!

Rear Window is a Hitchcock masterpiece. It really thrills you from start to finish and I am not talking about any of those cheap thrills. The characters are built up so well that by the time we get to the payoff in the end, do we really care about that payoff? I mean that in a positive way! With only one set location, the use of diegetic (natural) sound outside the main titles, this really is a thriller to behold. I can’t be sure if this is my favorite Hitchcock film as there are so many masterpieces, but this is up there!

My Grade: A