Day 83: July 22nd, 2010

Rear Window



So Simple and Yet So Effective.

Bart Simpson breaks his leg when the family gets a new swimming pool. He is stuck in his room with a cast on his leg and he is bored out of his mind....oops wrong synopsis. Sub Jimmy Stewart for Bart Simpson and you have your story of Rear Window. L.B. 'Jeff' Jeffries suspects his neighbour has killed his own wife and tries to solve the mystery while stuck in his wheelchair. The premise is pretty simple, yet Hitchcock gives us something more with this film, he gives us exactly what our society craves voyeurism. Even to this day we can't go by without thinking or wanting or actually trying to peak into the lives of others.

Rear Window marks my fourth Hitchcock film I've seen, yet it sneaks into my favourite spot. Is it boring for someone to say that one of the more popular Hitchcock films is currently his favourite? I don't care, I know a good film when I see one and Rear Window is just that. More than 50 years later this film manages to still be relevant today and hold up successfully well in the suspense department. The recent Shia LaBeouf remake Distrubia, while a good thriller, suffers from the technology syndrome. Years from now the film will be dated with that ankle bracelet technology holding Shia in, just like the giant cell phone Zack Morris carries with him everywhere. Rear Window doesn't feel dated and this is credited to Hitchcock and his attention to detail.

I absolutely love, adore and cherish the art direction in this film. How beautiful is the set design? Knowing that they used the basement as part of the set design only heightens my enjoyment of it. The second floor of the apartments was actually the stage floor. Stunning in my opinion. The opening scene giving us a glimpse into the lives of the people who live in the apartments around Stewart is marvelous. We never go into their lives, we just see it from Stewarts (and our) viewpoint. We never leave his room, save for the ending and a scene that involves the death of a dog. Those close ups of the people listening to the lady yelling seem out of place because we immediately jump out of Stewart's room and into the open area. It's alarmingly jarring and seems out of place for no apparent reason.

Hitchcock ones again proves us that a good story (he most certainly had his hand in crafting the story) trumps everything else. How suspenseful can a film be when our hero never leaves his room, hell he never really leaves his wheelchair. Hitchcock manages to pull it off gracefully. It's nice to see where films today get their inspiration from. When the lights in the hallway go out at Stewart's apartment, I thought of No Country For Old Men. Hitchcock truly was the master of suspense.

Grace Kelly is absolutely stunning. I never really cared for the looks of the actresses of the old 50's or 60's. None of them caught my eye, Grace Kelly think is the first one to do so. I don't even think Marilyn Monroe did. Her introduction shot is graceful and most certainly memorable. I can't finish this review without mentioning Thelma Ritter. She was hilarious and everything she did felt so natural. I absolutely loved her character.

Rear Window is more suspenseful today than most thrillers that come to theatres. The little glimpses into the lives of the people around the setting is what really drew me in though, the song writer, Miss Torso, Miss Hearing Aid, and the balcony couple. These are nice little addition from the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

8.5/10