Rear Window (A or 4/4 stars)
One of the most engrossing studies of voyeurism unfolds in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' - for me, the auteur's finest masterpiece. 'RW' is part romance, part drama, part dark comedy, & part thriller. It plays as a guilty pleasure; comparing us, the viewers, to the lead character ... a voyeur who sits in the dark judging what he sees. And the film also says something about the nature of marriage (who longs for it, who's happy in it, miserable in it, & who's scared of it).
The movie, based on a story by Cornell Woolrich & scripted by John Michael Hayes, is as follows: Photojournalist L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is wheelchair-bound in his sweltering Greenwich Village apartment due to a broken leg & is frequently visited by his Upper East Side longtime girlfriend, ex-fashion model Lisa Fremont (luminous Grace Kelly); who is disappointed that, after a lengthy courtship, she simply can't talk him into marriage. His lame excuse is that he's a workaholic & isn't up for the jet-setter life that she lives. He also believes that he wants someone more 'grounded' & less 'perfect' than she is.
So to relieve his agitations & utter boredom, Jeff gazes out his window to spy on his neighbors (such as an amorous newlywed couple, a misanthropic musical composer, an art sculptress, a couple who sleep on their fire escape at night to escape the heat, a sexy looking blonde dancer he calls "Miss Torso", and a forlorn spinster who entertains imaginary guests he calls "Miss Lonely Heart") with a pair of binoculars & later with a high-scope camera.
Because it's nearly 100 degrees out, these neighbors have their windows open & their blinds up. As Jeff's weeks of confinement drudge on, his fascination with his neighbors turns into an acute obsession. One rainy night, across from the courtyard of his apartment, Jeff notices a costume jewelry salesman named Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) leaving his own apartment 3 times with a filled briefcase & that his argumentative, invalid wife is no longer in their bedroom.
Though he did not see any murder, Jeff expects foul play. He calls police lieutenant Tom Doyle (Wendell Corey) to 'check things out'. But Doyle comes up with nothin'. Stella (Thelma Ritter), Jeff's wisecracking home health nurse, & Jeff's girlfriend Lisa believe him, become nearly as obsessed with this scenario and, in the end, try to help Jeff discover the truth. Restricted in his wheelchair, Jeff can only watch through his rear window in horror as Lisa puts herself in harm's way by further investigating Thorwald's apartment & he is helpless to rescue her. A dynamite climax ensues.
One of the great tricks that Hitchcock is able to pull over us is: as we watch this film and as we watch James Stewart watching the goings-on of his neighbors ... we ALSO become engaged in their personal stories. i.e., what exactly are the newlyweds doing behind their curtains? Why is the musical composer thrashing about his room? Who will "Miss Torso" bring home tonight? How come "Miss Lonely Heart" has that bottle of pills on her table? And what is in that massive trunk that Mr. Thorwald has in his bedroom? We become as voyeuristic as James Stewart. What does that say about us?
Hitchcock also distorts what we (and James Stewart) see, in a way. We don't see Mr. Thorwald murder his wife (if he did, at all). We see curious happenings in the middle of the night. And we never see Mrs. Thorwald again. The post-murder is presented in such a way that, we (or James Stewart) cannot be 100% positive that a murder occurred, at all. Is the character of Jeff hallucinating, tired, or letting coincidences pile up in his mind?
James Stewart is superb; primarily because he is wheelchair-bound the entire time. This forces him to act with only his darting eyes & quivering voice. The nuances he brings are great. Stewart is typically known for his mild-mannered heroes. And yet, here, Stewart stretches his talents, playing Jeff as an impatient, mal-tempered man. He's frustrated; frustrated with being cooped-up, frustrated with his relationship, frustrated with the police. And yet, thanks to Stewart, we like him anyway. Grace Kelly is the perfect yin to Stewart's yang. She's beautiful, bright, optimistic, & forgiving of Jeff's moods. I loved Thelma Ritter as the delightfully cranky home health nurse who also gets pulled into Jeff's ideas about a potential murder across the courtyard. And Raymond Burr makes for a creepy possible killer.
'Rear Window' is simply a Great film with a capital G. Hitchcock makes the most of his artificial Greenwich Village setting (amazingly conceived & executed by set director Hal Pereira) to stage what becomes this unique, suspenseful, murder mystery story that questions our morals as voyeurs. All of the elements - script, performances, camerawork, music and, of course, the impeccable direction - blend to create one fantastic entertainment. And as mentioned above, the brilliance of the film is that, in addition to keeping us viewers on the edge of our seats ... it involves us in the lives of all these curious characters. 'Rear Window' is a true classic.
The movie, based on a story by Cornell Woolrich & scripted by John Michael Hayes, is as follows: Photojournalist L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is wheelchair-bound in his sweltering Greenwich Village apartment due to a broken leg & is frequently visited by his Upper East Side longtime girlfriend, ex-fashion model Lisa Fremont (luminous Grace Kelly); who is disappointed that, after a lengthy courtship, she simply can't talk him into marriage. His lame excuse is that he's a workaholic & isn't up for the jet-setter life that she lives. He also believes that he wants someone more 'grounded' & less 'perfect' than she is.
So to relieve his agitations & utter boredom, Jeff gazes out his window to spy on his neighbors (such as an amorous newlywed couple, a misanthropic musical composer, an art sculptress, a couple who sleep on their fire escape at night to escape the heat, a sexy looking blonde dancer he calls "Miss Torso", and a forlorn spinster who entertains imaginary guests he calls "Miss Lonely Heart") with a pair of binoculars & later with a high-scope camera.
Because it's nearly 100 degrees out, these neighbors have their windows open & their blinds up. As Jeff's weeks of confinement drudge on, his fascination with his neighbors turns into an acute obsession. One rainy night, across from the courtyard of his apartment, Jeff notices a costume jewelry salesman named Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) leaving his own apartment 3 times with a filled briefcase & that his argumentative, invalid wife is no longer in their bedroom.
Though he did not see any murder, Jeff expects foul play. He calls police lieutenant Tom Doyle (Wendell Corey) to 'check things out'. But Doyle comes up with nothin'. Stella (Thelma Ritter), Jeff's wisecracking home health nurse, & Jeff's girlfriend Lisa believe him, become nearly as obsessed with this scenario and, in the end, try to help Jeff discover the truth. Restricted in his wheelchair, Jeff can only watch through his rear window in horror as Lisa puts herself in harm's way by further investigating Thorwald's apartment & he is helpless to rescue her. A dynamite climax ensues.
One of the great tricks that Hitchcock is able to pull over us is: as we watch this film and as we watch James Stewart watching the goings-on of his neighbors ... we ALSO become engaged in their personal stories. i.e., what exactly are the newlyweds doing behind their curtains? Why is the musical composer thrashing about his room? Who will "Miss Torso" bring home tonight? How come "Miss Lonely Heart" has that bottle of pills on her table? And what is in that massive trunk that Mr. Thorwald has in his bedroom? We become as voyeuristic as James Stewart. What does that say about us?
Hitchcock also distorts what we (and James Stewart) see, in a way. We don't see Mr. Thorwald murder his wife (if he did, at all). We see curious happenings in the middle of the night. And we never see Mrs. Thorwald again. The post-murder is presented in such a way that, we (or James Stewart) cannot be 100% positive that a murder occurred, at all. Is the character of Jeff hallucinating, tired, or letting coincidences pile up in his mind?
James Stewart is superb; primarily because he is wheelchair-bound the entire time. This forces him to act with only his darting eyes & quivering voice. The nuances he brings are great. Stewart is typically known for his mild-mannered heroes. And yet, here, Stewart stretches his talents, playing Jeff as an impatient, mal-tempered man. He's frustrated; frustrated with being cooped-up, frustrated with his relationship, frustrated with the police. And yet, thanks to Stewart, we like him anyway. Grace Kelly is the perfect yin to Stewart's yang. She's beautiful, bright, optimistic, & forgiving of Jeff's moods. I loved Thelma Ritter as the delightfully cranky home health nurse who also gets pulled into Jeff's ideas about a potential murder across the courtyard. And Raymond Burr makes for a creepy possible killer.
'Rear Window' is simply a Great film with a capital G. Hitchcock makes the most of his artificial Greenwich Village setting (amazingly conceived & executed by set director Hal Pereira) to stage what becomes this unique, suspenseful, murder mystery story that questions our morals as voyeurs. All of the elements - script, performances, camerawork, music and, of course, the impeccable direction - blend to create one fantastic entertainment. And as mentioned above, the brilliance of the film is that, in addition to keeping us viewers on the edge of our seats ... it involves us in the lives of all these curious characters. 'Rear Window' is a true classic.