Rear Window Collectors Edition
Rear Window Collectors Edition
Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist’s imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder.
Photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart) is, in fact, a voyeur by trade, a professional photographer sidelined by an accident while on assignment. His immersion in the human drama (and comedy) visible from his window is a by-product of boredom, underlined by the disapproval of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and a wisecracking visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter). Yet when the invalid wife of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears, Jeff enlists the two women to help him to determine whether she’s really left town, as Thorwald insists, or been murdered.
Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto convincingly argues that the crime at the center of this mystery is the MacGuffin–a mere pretext–in a film that’s more interested in the implications of Jeff’s sentinel perspective. We actually learn more about the lives of the other neighbors (given generic names by Jeff, even as he’s drawn into their lives) he, and we, watch undetected than we do the putative murderer and his victim. Jeff’s evident fear of intimacy and commitment with the elegant, adoring Lisa provides the other vital thread to the script, one woven not only into the couple’s own relationship, but reflected and even commented upon through the various neighbors’ lives.
At minimum, Hitchcock’s skill at making us accomplices to Jeff’s spying, coupled with an ingenious escalation of suspense as the teasingly vague evidence coalesces into ominous proof, deliver a superb thriller spiked with droll humor, right up to its nail-biting, nightmarish climax. At deeper levels, however, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director’s brilliance as a visual storyteller. –Sam Sutherland
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars “We’ve Become a Race of Peeping Toms”
It’s summer in New York, but L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies (James Stewart) is trapped in his apartment with a severely broken leg. Aside from the daily visits from his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly), his only diversion is watching the people in the apartment complex out his back window. And since it is the middle of a horrid heat wave, everyone has their window open at all times.
Late one night, Jeff witness something funny going on across the way. The invalid wife in one of the apartments has vanished and the husband (Raymond Burr) is taking many trips out of the apartment carrying something in his suitcase. Jeff quickly assumes the wife was murdered. Enlisting Lisa and Stella’s help, he tries to prove it. But is he right? And can he prove it without leaving his own apartment?
I seem to have a weird relationship with Hitchcock. I don’t enjoy the movies everyone considers his masterpieces, but I do enjoy his lesser known films. In keeping with this tradition, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The beginning of the film was very slow as the many side stories were set up. Even once the main story got going, I still found it rather slow for my tastes. The ending, however, was exciting if a bit predictable. And the acting was great, bringing the characters to life.
I’m definitely going to keep watching Hitchcock’s films. But I’m going to explore all his films to see which ones I think are his best. I doubt that this one, while not his worst, will make the list of his best either.
5 Stars Stewart and Kelly have a date
Some years ago I had a hell of a time trying to get an old girlfriend to go see Rear Window. She had seen only one Hitchcock movie before, The Birds, and it freaked her out so much she vow to never again see one of his movies. I pleaded that Hitch only made one of those kinds of movies and this was certainly not one of them. She finally gave in but with much apprehension. We went to see the newly restored version at the Stanford, a terrific theater. She was quite attentive during the whole film and seemed to be taken in by the suspenseful elements. I digress, the movie we saw before this was Top Gun, her choice, which prompted me to take her to something of some substance. After leaving the movie, we walked down the avenue and I asked, “Well, what did you think of that?” and she thought for a second and replied “I think that was best movie I ever seen.”
You might want to consider this when looking for a good date movie.
5 Stars Nothing Not to Like Here
There are solid reasons why this is justifiably considered one of the greatest movies of all time.
The plot is intelligent, the characters well-developed, the actors top notch, Princess Grace is incredibly glamorous, the dialog is memorable and the social observations and commentary quite thought-provoking. It’s a visual and verbal treat at every level.
I do agree that the murder is not so much the main point of the movie (since we never actually see the murder and there’s no doubt as to whodunit), as it is the exercise in pseudo-voyeurism that Hitchcock provides. The viewer gets to take advantage of the neighborhood espionage of L.B. Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart). It should be pointed out that in 1954, television had fortunately not yet become the staple feature of American home life - which makes it understandable that a homebound individual in an urban neighborhood would unintentionally find himself watching real people instead.
If you’re looking for mindless, action-filled entertainment full of gratuitous sex, gadgetry and/or special effects, then it is true that you will probably not enjoy this movie. But that will be your loss.
5 Stars Grace and James at their best!
I watched both the Alfred Hitchcock movies “Rear Window” and “Torn Curtain” at about the same time. Though both of them are great movies, I think I like “Rear Window” a little bit better.
James Stewart is L.B. Jeffries, a photographer who injured his leg while on an assignment. While sitting in his wheelchair near the “rear window” in his room, he notices everything going on around him…including the disappearance of the invalid Mrs. Thorwald, who lives across the complex from him. He notices also, that Mr. Thorwald leaves quite a few times during the night. Jeffries soon starts to suspect Mr. Thorwald of murdering his wife and carrying away her body, and He refuses to believe the story that Mrs. Thorwald is away visiting relatives.
Grace Kelly is absolutely stunning as Lisa Freemont, Jeff’s glamorous girlfriend who soon becomes involved in helping him solve the murder. She was one of Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite actresses and he put her in another of his successful films, “Dial M For Murder,” the same year she made “Rear Window.”
This movie does show alot of scenes of the people around the apartment complex that don’t have anything to do with the story or the murder that can get old, but other than that I would say that this is one of Hitchcock’s most enjoyable films.
4 Stars A fantasic movie with okay extras.
The movie doesn’t need reviewing in my opinion. Everyone at least knows about it. It’s one of the greatest movies made. Not everyone loves it but most do, and should be on the shelf of anyone who likes classic movies. Not many reviewers comment on the extras. They are decent and are enjoyable enough to watch if you’re interested in film. I will say that the hero worship of Hitchcock is still going strong and colors the extra features. Hitchcock was VERY talented but was possibly more master of PR rather than suspense. He did know how to put together a good team, though. A look at the extras on Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One (I think this was the one) was much more interesting.
