Rear Window (1954)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly.

In a Nutshell: A wheelchair-confined photographer suspects his neighbor of murder.

You may have to excuse the sheer joy in this review; it’s been a very long time since I’ve been so taken with a movie like this. Without getting into comparisons to other Hitchcock works (or Disturbia, which I have yet to see and will probably never see), the true beauty of this movie lies in its simplicity. There are no plot detours beyond the initial setup, a feat given its modest running time. Hitchcock cleverly limits himself, shooting only from within the apartment of injured photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies (James Stewart). There is a small scene at the end that departs from this, but throughout Rear Window, we only see, hear and interact with whatever and whoever can be seen from his apartment window. It’s very claustrophobic and incredibly effective in drawing us into Jefferies’ mind. Hitchcock never glorifies Jefferies’ voyeurism and accusations, keeping any notion of his activities as “noble” at arm’s length. However Stewart’s character is so honest in his pursuit that it becomes our obsession as well.

But the whole film could not have been about Stewart spying on his neighbors, so Hitchcock is able to add interest with Grace Kelly as Stewart’s fiancée, Lisa Fremont. Like most of Hitchcock’s Blondes, she is not merely eye candy or plot diversion. Jefferies craves the dangerous and unknown and while finds Lisa to be a nice girl, he is worried he will bore of her. Lisa is written as the perfect fiancé; a woman who dresses wonderfully and spoils her man with food and drink. We (and Hitchcock) know he’s a fool for trying to turn her away, and Lisa is justly hurt. But having been drawn into the lifestyle that ignites Jefferies’ passion, we can only look on and feel sympathy at her regrettable troubles (the murder plot does end up creating an excitement that strengths their relationship).

To sum up, Rear Window is a first class thriller. Hitchcock firmly establishes its tight atmosphere and never lets up or settles for cheap surprises. The characters that enter into Jefferies’ apartment are vividly drawn and add clarity to Jefferies’ actions (these include his caustic nurse, and skeptical detective friend who treat Jefferies’ seemingly implausible claims like real people, never dismissing him to create plot contrivances). Towards the end, Jefferies sends Lisa and his nurse to investigate the neighbor’s house. But we, like Jefferies, are only able to watch, unable to warn of the coming danger and feeling the paralyzing weight. Both Jefferies and the audience keep on waiting for it all to happen, making Rear Window a tense, perfect plotted thriller without a wasted scene or line of dialogue. Movie perfection.