For some, Rear Window is Hitchcock’s leading legacy. For others, it is merely one of his better films. Regardless, Rear Window is an intense exercise in suspense and an ardent observation of Hitchcock’s sterling talent. With a jam-packed plot and enough voyeurism to muster up concentrated feelings of privacy violation, Rear Window is a “must-experience” rather than a “must-see.” L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) is a magazine photographer who has been confined to a wheelchair while recuperating from a broken leg. With a set of large windows and a telephoto lens, Jeffries is inclined to watch over his neighborhood’s happenings. Several apartments are visible, yet one specific tenant catches Jeffries’ eye.
Through a series of unrelated events, Jeffries becomes convinced that Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), a traveling jewelry salesman, murdered and then dismembered his wife. As the clues continue to pile, Jeffries’ love interest, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly), who at first is a skeptic, quickly becomes his sleuthing partner. From there, the mystery and the romance simultaneously fuse in a memorable twenty-minute climax.
The surprising thing about Rear Window is that, more than anything, the seemingly-minute details remain vivid — for instance, a glowing cigar from afar and the playful meanderings of the ivory-tickling neighbor. Likewise, the film’s idiosyncratic characters stand out just as much as the stellar leads. Every character in the script finds a way to nudge their persona into the back of your mind and force you to recall them at a later date.
Grace Kelly plays her part with grace and charm. She is a strikingly beautiful, insanely seductive, and immensely talented actress. James Stewart proves why he is one of the finest actors to emerge from the thirties. Between this performance and his work in Vertigo, Hitchcock was arguably capable of bringing out his best.
Article comments
1 - Howard Dratch
Rear Winddow is only one of the master's better movies -- except when I am watching it. Then it is everything you say: "... it is an elixir designed to combat any ounce of ennui. It is suspenseful, masterful, and artful."
Grace Kelly, as usual, acts as if she is a warm-blooded princess. She ended up that way.
You forgot kudos to Thelma Ritter who breaks scenes with wit and comedy and mean ole Raymond Burr who dominates the back of the courtyard with his broad beam and some Hitchcock magic that brings his evil from afar.
Every tiny thing is carefully staged by the master.