Movie Review of Rear Window (1954)

One of my goals for some time now has been to cover all the widely considered classics. Obviously these movies have been ubiquitously covered and talked about in the past so I’m going to change the format on classics a little. Please let me know if you have any feedback.

Classic in Question: Rear Window (1954)

Key Players

Director: Alfred Hitchcock (Oscar Nomination)
Screenplay: John Michael Hayes (Oscar Nomination)
Cinematography: Robert Burks (Oscar Nomination)
Sound Recording: Loren L. Ryder (Oscar Nomination)
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter

Historically Speaking

Alfred Hitchcock had already established himself at the forefront of the industry with Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, Rebecca, The 39 Steps, Notorious and Shadow of a Doubt. James Stewart had been nominated for 4 Oscars: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story (won Oscar), It’s a Wonderful Life and Harvey. They had worked together on Hitchcock’s lesser known Rope, and would later and more famously combine on The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo. Then there was Grace Kelly, also an Oscar winner two years earlier, and having worked with Hitchcock on Dial M for Murder.

Why is it a Classic?

* Four Oscar Nominations
* Ranked #48 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)
* Added to the United States National Film Registry in 1997
* Ranked #16 on IMDB – Average 8.8 (95,406 votes)

The Plot

L.B. Jeffries (Stewart) is a wheelchair bound journalistic photographer who has nothing better to do with his time than observe the comings and goings of the neighborhood apartment block from his rear window. I’m sure we all know somebody like that. The neighbors lives become his daily soap opera until one day he’s pretty sure that he has witnessed a murder. Between his girlfriend (Kelly), home nurse (Ritter) and old army buddy turned detective (Corey) he’s unable to convince anyone that he’s not just delusional from boredom.  

Andaryl’s View

We know the director, so we know that Jeffries is not crazy and murder is a strong possibility. But Hitchcock pulls out some exceptional tricks of suspense even when there’s nothing happening. It’s a frustrating game for Jeffries and it’s equally frustrating for us, since we only get to see what he sees. The suspense builds simultaneously from what we know and can’t convince everyone else of, and equally from the missing pieces that we don’t know. It’s Hitchcock’s bomb under the table theory in full evidence. If we see a bomb (or murder in this case) it kills the suspense. If we think there might be a bomb (or murder) but we’re not really sure, the possibilities are much greater.

His cast is exceptional. I always thought Stewart was a little bit of a simplistic nice guy in his early days but with his grey haired maturity in Rear Window plays a much more complex and psychological character. We have a clever parallel script between Stewart and Ms. Kelly, which allows the plot to parallel their evolving relationship. In the earlier part of the movie he seems indifferent to her, no doubt frustrated by his circumstance, but you get a feeling that his work (or lack of) is much more important than she is. The relationship develops spice as Kelly starts to develop her own curiosity in the plot across the courtyard. Grace Kelly is great in her own right but you have to think she’s a little too pretty and naïve to be running around playing detective. Thelma Witter is great in her brief moments, delivering several moments of dry cynicism.

The setting, which drives the story, is great. Hitchcock could have just opted for two sets, one for Stewart and one for the object of his interest. But he obviously wanted a bigger story than that, and effectively built a lifelike 31 apartment complex, most of which were fully furnished. As a result Jeffries gets to look into the lives of a dancer who likes to rehearse in her bra and panties (clearly neglecting sexual voyeurism would have been unrealistic), a lonely single woman who fantasizes about romantic candlelit dinners, a frustrated songwriter at a piano and the turmoils of several couples. They’re a collection of observations that cleverly and tacitly echo the musings of Jeffries. We also get a convenient alleyway, through which we see the outside world passing by. It’s a set that has great life and creates the story by itself. The photography is breathtaking too in its vivid Technicolor which was relatively new at that time.

Verdict

This is an indisputable classic that never loses any of its appeal. Hitchcock is the father of suspense and he achieves this to ingenious creative effect on Rear Window. His plots and premises will never be outdated. My only complaint is that the ending is a little weak and borders on compromising. This is something I’ve noted on several Hitchcock movies; that there seems to be a need for a big action-packed ending. Maybe those worked in the day, but have lost a little over the years. Otherwise Rear Window is a flawless movie.

Worth Noting

There are two notable remakes of this movie. 1998’s Rear Window starred Christopher Reeve. That one irritated me since it was an obvious marketing ploy to make something out of Christopher Reeve’s physical handicap. Then in 2007 Disturbia irritated me even more because it was an obvious remake of Rear Window but didn’t make mention of it. The producers of Disturbia are currently involved in a lawsuit with the estate of Cornell Woolrich, who wrote the short story upon which Rear Window was based.

Rating: 4 ½ Stars Essential Viewing