Best of the best...

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2002)

Based on Cornell Woolrich's brilliant short story "It Had To Be Murder" (as fine an example of the form as exists; read it and judge for yourself), REAR WINDOW also happens to be my favorite Hitchcock film. Who but "Hitch" himself could've taken a wheelchair-bound leading man and crafted such an unforgettable tale of suspense? While the voting members of "The Academy" never saw fit to bestow upon him a "Best Director" award, Alfred Hitchcock was the kind of filmmaker who could make even an act of voyeurism compelling cinema. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly rate mention here, as well, but it's the sheer genius of one of the greatest directors who ever lived that makes REAR WINDOW the classic it is.