Possibly my favorite movie of the 50's.

Rating: 9/10 (2 May 2010)

I love a good suspense-thriller, and Rear Window is one of the best classic examples of the genre. It's excellently paced, and balances tension and levity. There's no doubt that it holds up well 50+ years after its creation.
Grace Kelly is my favorite of Alfred Hitchcock's leading ladies, and her pairing with Jimmy Stewart really pushes Rear Window over top. For a movie with so few main characters, it was absolutely essential that the two leads have chemistry and be capable actors, and their were few other people at that time who satisfied both those requirements more than these two.
Limiting the story to what the protagonists can see from their apartment window was an intentional creative constraint that helped Hitchcock to fully develop the themes of the movie. I never knew that such a singular point of view could offer such a riveting and interesting experience. I don't exactly consider Rear Window to be the "best" Hitchcock movie, but it is my favorite that I've seen so far.