We've become a nation of Peeping Toms

Nearly fifty years after its initial release, "Rear Window" remains one of the Master's best and most famous films. Only Hitchcock could devise a mystery seen entirely from the point of view of a man surveying the scenery from his apartment window and make it work so well.

Everybody's favourite everyman Jimmy Stewart plays L.B. Jeffries, a wheelchair bound newspaper photographer. Jeffries, or 'Jeff' as he is known to his friends, has been stuck in a cast for the past seven weeks after getting struck by a car during an assignment, breaking his leg in the process. With his leg in a cast and confined to a wheelchair to get around, Jeffries is left with nothing to do but to stay cooped up in his sweltering apartment.

Jeffries's nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter), a blunt no-nonsense woman stops by once a day to check up on Jeffrey, give him a massage, and dispense some unwanted advice on relationships. You see, Jeffries is seeing a pretty young woman named Lisa Freemont (Grace Kelly), a high fashion model who works for a fancy magazine. Lisa desperately wants Jeff to propose to her, something Jeffries is uncomfortable with committing to. Jeffries is afraid that his on-the-run type job may not mesh with Lisa's pampered high-fashion lifestyle. Lisa can't understand why Jeffries can't quit his job and get a position working for her own magazine. Stella considers such matters trivial nonsense and makes clear to Jeffries that he should marry the woman.

Lisa herself drops by just about every night to try to work on Jeff. Lisa tries to impress Jeffries with her stylish clothes, gossip from the workplace, and her cooking abilities. Jeffries however is put off by her obvious attempts to woo him. The evening usually ends with little ground gained on either side, yet with neither or them willing to break it off.

In an effort to ward off boredom, Jeffries takes to watching his neighbours' goings on through his apartment window. This is not difficult to do as Jeffries has a nice clear view across the courtyard to the apartment complex directly across from him. Jeffries can see right into people's apartments as they come and go and socialize.

Jeffries has even given each apartment resident nicknames. There's the Songwriter, a single pianist playing at his piano and wooing girls. There's Miss Torso the ballet dancer who, when not juggling wolves (or men if you prefer) enjoys performing in her undergarments, much to Jeffries' enjoyment. There's a young newlywed couple who pull down the blind in their apartment and rarely emerge (gee I wonder why?) There's a couple who sleep on the balcony and dote on their loveable dog. There's Miss Lonelyheart, a lonely single woman on an eternal futile quest to find 'Mr. Right'. And then there's Lars Thorwald, an unhappy salesman stuck tending to his invalid wife.

Besides being an escape from boredom, the drama in the apartments across the way also serve as a metaphor for Jeffries' dilemma. Should Jeffries marry Lisa? Will marriage condemn him to a life of nagging, resulting in a loss of freedom? Or will not marrying Lisa condemn him to a life of loneliness?

Jeffries' voyeuristic hobby takes on a dark tone one night when he hears what sounds like a scream coming from the apartment across from him, Thorwald's apartment. Afterwards Jeffries' witnesses Thorwald making a number of trips in and out of his apartment in the middle of the night.

The next morning Mrs. Thorwald is conspicuously missing from her apartment. And Mr. Thorwald is engaging in suspicious behaviour, collecting a bunch of knives and saws, wrapping them in newspaper, and getting a big trunk and tying it up tight with rope. What is Thorwald up to?

Jeffries doesn't have any doubts about what Thorwald is up to. To him it's obvious, Thorwald has murdered his invalid wife and is in the process of disposing of her body. Before long Jeffries has managed to convince both his girlfriend Lisa and his nurse Stella. Together, the threesome must try to gain enough evidence through observation to bring Thorwald in for murder.

Or is Thorwald a murderer? As we are to learn, it's difficult to make judgements based on observation from apartment windows. Sometimes all is not as it seems as the threesome soon learn. Then again, sometimes all is exactly what it seems.

"Rear Window" is a very clever film in the way Hitchcock deals with our morbid desire to gaze. As an apartment resident with a good view of the neighbourhood from my own window, I know how tempting it is to gaze and try to observe what's going on in other people's houses. We come to feel as if we know all the residents in the apartment complexes, despite the fact we have never even met them. I found it very amusing how Jeffries' girlfriend and nurse initially condemn Jeffries' little hobby, yet in the end find themselves drawn in to the seductive powers of voyeurism.

Hitchcock does a great job of creating the atmosphere in an inner city neighbourhood on a hot summer day. In these scenes Hitchcock emphasizes bright warm colours and lots of light to suggest heat, while night scenes emphasize cool colours and low-key lighting. I take it in the fifties there was no such thing as air conditioning which makes me wonder how people survived. There is little score to speak of, Hitchcock instead uses the naturalistic sounds of the city; cars, horns honking, children playing, and general background noise, all to great effect.

I enjoyed the clever moments of humour that Hitchcock always likes to insert in his films. Like how Stella bluntly debates how one would dispose of a body, right at the unfortunate moment Jeffries is trying to eat. Or how the male half of the young newlyweds emerges from behind the curtain from time to time looking increasingly exhausted, only to be called back by his insatiable wife.

It's also fun to see some of the development the characters go through. In the beginning Jeffries' writes Lisa off as too pampered to be his wife. Yet Lisa in the end proves herself to be much bolder and braver than Jeffries gives her credit for. It's Lisa who delivers Jeffries' note to Thorwald, nearly getting caught in the process. And it's Lisa who endangers her life when she sneaks into Thorwald's apartment to do some snooping. It's only at this point that Jeffries realizes how much he cares for Lisa.

Jimmy Stewart once again demonstrates why he is one of Hollywood's most loved actors. Stewart is quite likeable as Jeffries, a man who nevertheless is not without his faults. I like the way Stewart is able to show a bit of vulnerability, unlike the pumped-up male stars of today. I was rather disgusted with his treatment of Jeffries' girlfriend, though in the end he redeems himself.

Grace Kelly looks and acts spectacular as Jeffries' gorgeous girlfriend. I can't understand why any man could be hesitant to marry a woman like her. The filmmakers took advantage of Kelly's good looks by dressing her in many equally gorgeous outfits. Hitchcock was reportedly infatuated with her in real life, and it shows. Hitch's infatuation with Kelly was such that when she retired from film to get married, he would shape many subsequent actresses into her image (a la Vertigo). But none could match the real thing.

Wendell Corey also has a few standout scenes as Lt. Thomas J. Doyle, Jeffries' friend and old war buddy. It's to Thomas to whom Jeffries tries to alert to his suspicions, to which Doyle is scornful. Doyle acts rather amused and condescending towards his friend, making sly little remarks. He also enjoys leering at Miss Torso, despite the fact he is married.

The standout performance however is Raymond Burr as Lars Thorwald, the man who may or may not be a murderer. Although we only see him from a distance for most of the film, Burr nevertheless manages to make an impression. Thorwald certainly acts suspicious, avoiding socializing with his neighbours and a permanent scowl imbedded on his face. Thorwald is certainly a scary looking person, yet I found myself pitying him to an extent. Thorwald doesn't have the happiest of lives, with a demanding hypochondriac wife who makes him miserable. There's even a brief role-reversal shot towards the end where we see things from Thorwald's perspective. As Thorwald becomes aware that he is being monitored we watch as he becomes fearful and paranoid. As with "Psycho", Hitchcock forces us to empathize with the antagonist.

My only complaint with "Rear Window" is I had a hard time believing Thorwald would be so obvious, leaving the blinds open allowing voyeurs to watch from afar. I'd think a real killer would be a little more careful. One of the characters in fact points this out herself. Of course, if Thorwald had closed the blinds then there would be no film.

"Rear Window" is yet another superb thriller from the Master of Suspense. For best viewing, watch on a hot summer evening as an alternative to voyeuristically gazing in your neighbours apartment windows.