Bored amateur sleuth witnesses crime across courtyard

Rating: 6/10 (10 October 2004)

Hitchcock's favorite leading man, Jimmy Stewart, wheelchair bound and bored, does what every guy in this situation would do: He grabs a pair of binoculars and "explores" the apartment windows across the yard. Of course he eventually gets an eye-full of funny business in one of the windows (someone murdered a woman and then disposed of the body by burrying it in the yard). Love interest Grace Kelly, totally keeping her cool, aides the handicapped amateur sluth in his quest to bring the murderer to justice. Also part of the fun is Thelma Ritter in one of her 6 career Oscar-nominated performances.
This "thriller" is certainly predictable, limping by on a bit of nail-biting tension and several "almost caught by the bad guy" scenes. Otherwise it's just not up to Hitchcock's usual best. To anyone just discovering The Master of Mahem, I can highly recommend "Frenzy", "The 39 Steps" and the dark comedy "The Trouble With Harry", assuming that everyone starts (and has already seen) "Psycho". If you are new to "Rear Window", there are many better ways to spend 2 hours of your life (that you'll never get back).
As a big fan of "The Master", I find this to be his weakest work. He offers the beautiful, ultra-glamorous Grace Kelly (soon to be Princess of Monacco) and a visibly much older, favorite leading man Jimmy Stewart, further perpetuating the chronic "older man, gorgeous young woman" love story that endured Barrymore/Garbo, Bogey/Bacall, Gable/Monroe and the likes. What is (and ever was) wrong with a 50 year old man dating a woman his own age? Stop the "Daddy" stuff, it's no longer cute.