Thrilling and timeless

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2018)

I admit before watching Rear Window, I had never watched an Alfred Hitchcock film. As a first time watcher, I now know why his work is given so much praise. Rear Window is a story about a photographer who is stuck in a wheelchair after breaking one of his legs. The photographer watches his neighbors from his rear window, and suspects that one of his neighbors has murdered his ill wife. The camera was used to represent the eyes of L.B. Jefferies, and was shot through his point of view. Jefferies spent a large amount of time watching his neighbors out of his window, so when he looked out the window, the camera presented an image from his point of view, watching the neighbors through their windows, but at a distance. When Jefferies used binoculars or his camera, the view of the windows was significantly closer. When the scene was focused around Jefferies, the viewer could only see what was in his immediate vicinity. For example, the scene where Lars Thorwald enters Jefferies' apartment, the camera is a mid-body shot of Thorwald. At this point Jefferies is seated in his wheelchair, on the other side of the room. The viewer is watching from the perspective of Jefferies. This style of cinematography is far less omniscient than other styles. The film feels grounded, and from the point of view of a single person; the viewer does not feel like they are looking in, but looking out from Jefferies' eyes. This style of cinematography kept the viewer's knowledge limited to that of L.B. Jefferies, leading the viewer to be more thoughtful, and makes Jefferies revelations about Lars Thorwald more thrilling.
As well as shooting through the eyes of Jefferies, Hitchcock also applies mise-en-scene excellently in all of his shots. The scenes that look out of L.B. Jefferies' window all use mise-en-scene; the many windows are populated with people and objects, are not overly crowded, and the viewer's eyes are drawn to the most important part of the frame. Another example of mise-en-scene, was when Lars Thorwald entered Jefferies' apartment. The lights in the apartment were out, and the view was focused on Thorwald, he looked large and intimidating, and his surroundings were masked in shadow, invoking a sense of fear in the viewer. Other scenes, like the very last one of the film, showing the repainting of the walls in the Thorwald apartment, and the rest of the neighborhood invoked a sense of happiness, joy and relief through the expressions of the neighbors and the light, which was much brighter than the rest of the film.
Although the film was wonderfully shot, I do feel that the start of the film was very slow, and I believe that introducing the conflict earlier could have solved this problem. I also felt that the conflict between L.B. Jefferies, and his girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, who was portrayed by Grace Kelly, were not necessary. Initially, Jefferies' inability to commit to Lisa seems to be the conflict of the film, however these issues disappear as soon as suspicions arise that Lars Thorwald murdered his wife, and after that conflict is resolved, there is no mention of the commitment issues faced by Jefferies' initially. If Lisa and Jefferies did not have relationship issues, the film still would have ended the same way, and would have better pacing.
Above all else, the film was cast incredibly well. James Stewart is an excellent fit for L.B. Jefferies. Having watched many of James Stewart's other films, I am not drawn back to other characters he has portrayed, I think only of Jefferies. James Steward also has fantastic chemistry with other members of the cast. Grace Kelly was also very convincing. Through watching the film, I also came to dislike Wendell Corey's character, Detective Doyle, who throughout the film disputes Jefferies' claims of a crime taking place, due to my investment in the L.B. Jefferies as a character.
Rear Window kept me on the edge of my seat while viewing. Initially, I expected the film to have a theme explaining the dangers of spying, instructing viewers to mind their own business, however, as the film progresses, the Hitchcock seems to tell viewers that they must keep an eye on their surrounding, and watch for the unusual. Rear Window deserves the utmost praise for its astounding cinematography, and point of view, which keeps the film interesting, and makes up for the issues with pacing.