A Timeless Film

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2018)

When first looking at this movie, I believed it would be a long hour and 52 minutes. I was wrong. Hitchcock, being a true artist of film, somehow spun the tale of a murder mystery all without ever having James Stewart get up from out of his chair. The film was masterfully created and seems to blow by with the exception of the suspenseful moments which seem to prolong the film much longer than it actually is.
Hitchcock's greatest ability throughout the film was his utilization of "Mise en Scene." From the beginning of the film, Hitchcock's use of Mise en Scene can be seen and admired. By the way he introduces the "neighborhood" with all the apartments just looking like they belong where they do, as do the people who occupy them. Hitchcock's not only has perfect placement of the antagonist's apartment, but his use of Mise en Scene inside said apartment makes it even better. He perfectly positions everything right from the beginning of the film, so that it can be used later on. The beds in the apartment can be clearly seen through Stewart's window as can the main family room. Hitchcock made sure that there were just enough objects and such in the foreground and background, that it could be a realistic apartment, but also makes sure that there are not to many items and such as to not drive the attention of the viewer elsewhere.
Another great thing that Hitchcock did was he consistently used a somewhat low angle when showing Stewart in his chair. It is an interesting thought as to why he would do that because a lower angle generally means that the viewer should be looking at the character as if they have power. A crippled journalist is the last person anybody expects to have power... right? Hitchcock most likely proceeded to film in the manner because he wanted us to believe the path that Stewart was following. He wanted the viewer to unquestionably believe in Stewarts murder theory and in order to do that, he used the low angle to make it seem like this crippled journalist was someone that we, the viewers, should respect and listen to. A figure of authority per say.
When this film came out, I wouldn't have necessarily categorized this as an experimental film, but it did challenge a lot of beliefs from the time. What one of the main focuses of the film is voyeurism. In the beginning, the film slightly challenges voyeurism when the insurance nurse says that "the nation has become one of peeping toms," but by the end of the film, she's sneaking into the antagonist's property and rooting through their stuff. If Hitchcock wanted to criticize voyeurism, the antagonist Thorwald, would have turned out innocent and Stewart would have just been a peeping Tom. In this case, it showed that voyeurism has its rewards as Thorwald was found guilty.
It is truly interesting to see how Hitchcock evolved from this film to his next few. In this film Rear Window, It is a murder mystery with a dash or romance. Most of the action happens behind closed blinds except for the scene were Stewarts girlfriend or fiancé almost got caught by Thorwald and the scene were Thorwald actually comes up to Stewart's room. This is a much different approach from Hitchcock's movie Psycho, where the whole point of the movie is for the viewer to know that someone is about to get murdered by they are powerless to help the person. It is interesting to see his evolution as a director.