Rear Window

Rear Window  is a film critics dream, it has everything a movie watcher could want. A beautiful set, A good mystery, phenomenal performances, and the kind of charm Hitchcock brings to all his movies. In my opinion, Hitchcock has never seemed more in control of a movie than Rear Window. It is a masterclass of suspense, and not to mention highly entertaining too.

  The protagonist of Rear Window, L. B. Jeffries( James Stewart) is a adventure photographer who works for a sort of Life-like magazine. After having sustained an accident on a race track, he is stuck in his apartment with nothing to do but look out the window and observe the workings of his neighborhood. He is trapped here, and we are trapped in his apartment with him, seeing as we never leave. Jeffries is occasionally visited by his insurance nurse Stella(Thelma Ritter) a sassy old school type of broad who can smell trouble from a mile away. And his girlfriend Lisa Freemont(Grace Kelly) who is a pampered uptown socialite who is hopelessly in love with Jeffries and will do anything for him.

  The set of Rear Window is the main star here. As Hitchcock, a master of making so much out of so little demonstrates. The set was built on one Paramount lot and is fully furnished. The people of the neighborhood are as interesting as the story. We have Ms.Torso a ballet dancer who only practices in her underwear, Ms. Lonelyhearts who is desperate on finding a man. The Songwriter who lives in the studio apartment and his constantly playing. The Newlywed couple right next to Jefferies who are happily in love, but constantly argue as the film goes on. An older couple on the floor opposite of Jefferies apartment who have the cutest little dog. And the main act of this show, Mr. & Mrs. Thorwald. Who become the subject of interest during the whole movie. The set is designed (under the clever excuse of a hot & humid summer in New York), so we can see everything without ever having to leave Jefferies apartment, like we are experiencing everything with him.

  As time passes by, Jefferies gets familiar with his neighborhood, as do we. We feel the anguish of Ms. Lonelyhearts. And the parties The Songwriter & Mrs. Torso give. This voyeurism leads Jefferies to the apartment of the Thorwalds.

  Mrs. Thorwald is constantly nagging Mr. Thorwald making life hell for him. On one night at 3 a.m Mr. Thorwald, with blinds closed mysteriously leaves the apartment with a suitcase 3 times, and the next day Mrs. Thorwald isn't there. Jefferies eventually begins piecing parts together (the saw & blade, the wife's jewelery, and the mysterious disapearance) that Thorwald killed his wife. And off goes the story. From now on, every thing Mr. Thorwald(Raymond Burr) does is a closely watched event. And we the audience as well as Jefferies are thirsting for the truth of what really happened to Ms. Thorwald.

   The performances of our 3 main actors, really get take this film to another level. Raymond Burr as the emotionally drained Mr. Thorwald plays his role all the way down to the final scene where he confronts Jefferies with a real sense of fear and suspense. James Stewart has an everyman appeal, but he is not a moralist, or a superhero, he is a man who likes to look. His role as a L.B. Jefferies suits him well here because he is someone we all can relate too. Grace Kelly as Lisa is cool and elegant, yet hopelessly in love with Jefferies. She tries to please him at every turn, surprising him with dinners and gifts, yet nothing seems to work. And there are some scenes where we see the hurt in her eyes. She would do anything for Jeff, even climbing into someones house and grabbing evidence. With her performance in Rear Window she joined the illustrious group of "Hitchcock blondes." These women are classy, graceful, elegant and give each Hitchcock film the feminine touch it needs, and that is exactly what Kelly does here. The love story in Rear Window is just as entertaining as the suspense story.

  The costumes designed by Edith Head give a sense of class to the movie. You can tell it is rooted deep in the hearts of the 50s just by the way people dress. From Stella's nurse dress to Lisa's long flowing dresses and high fashion designs. Everything that has to do with the clothing makes this story seem elegant, and not only looks nice but seems to make this story like a play. The costumes elevate this story from a seemingly simple plot to a full on production of cinematic theater

  The music fits exactly into the story and the period. The opening theme of the movie sets the mood on the 50s New York neighborhood. Hit songs from the time like "Mona Lisa" & "Thats Amore" are nice touches and add some deeper meaning to the subplots the neighborhood residents, including the love story of Jeff and Lisa. The addition of the songwriter and the canned sounds of the city, make this film more of like a play instead of a movie. Everything that the music does, is intentional to set a mood. Or to give some insight into the hearts of the people we are watching. We feel even more for Ms. Lonelyhearts because of the music going on in the background. Overall, the music is superb and guides us through all the events of the neighborhood with a sense of control.

  The suspense scenes in Rear Window, are some of Hitchcock's greatest works. Creating situations and letting Lisa and Stella wonder in them, while Jefferies is helpless. We are helpless too, because we feel for these characters and do not want to see them get hurt. The great thing about watching this movie is that you don't know what is going to happen next. Hitchcock explained once the differences between suspense and surprise, he said that "surprise is a bomb blowing up under a table." The surprise is great only for a few moments but quickly dissipates into a meaningless action. Suspense is knowing there is a bomb under the table, but not knowing when its going to blow up." And Hitchcock illustrates this principal in Rear Window in the scene when Lisa is sneaking into Mr. Thorwalds apartment. We know Mr. Thorwald is coming home but we never know when. The suspense slowly builds into a great climax that sticks with us the whole movie. Its like a roller coaster ride for the mind.

  People view Rear Window as two things. A great mystery story with plenty of action, romance, and suspense. And to others a sick, depraved, story of voyeurism and of meddling into peoples affairs when you're not supposed to be there. But no matter how people look at it, they cannot deny that Hitchcock was in full form here, and everything was executed to perfection. The performances of our characters, to the ambient music and natural neighborhood sounds, to the clothes and little touches of the 50s, and the beautiful set that encompasses all of this. They all come together to make this story seem larger than life. The suspense is so beautifully captured, it makes Rear Window in a special league of its own, far above any slasher or horror film that was out at that time. No matter what people may argue about this film, we cannot deny that Rear Window is one of Hitchcocks greatest efforts and one of the finest films ever printed to celluloid.