Looking Through the Rear Window

Rating: 7/10 (30 September 2013)

Hitchcock was a master of his craft- everyone is aware of that- and his ideas revolutionized and popularized the thriller genre, one of my personal favorites. Skimming through his rich filmography, every addition is fueled by unmatched suspense. This is no different with one of Hitchcock's highly-acclaimed classics, Read Window. The film promises so much potential with its opening act in which the camera is technically the first participant and onlooker as it manages to give us a considerable amount of backstory without any verbal language in its first five minutes or so. It carefully observes a fascinating environment/setting- one in which every neighbor's life is visible through their open windows. The way the set was built and is in appearance is simply genius and (almost) never was the set of a film as crucial to its story and themes as it is here.
Right from the get-go, you witness an underlying theme in that this picture conveys the isolated and individualistic nature of neighborhoods in our current world. No one seems to be interested in their neighbors besides Jeff (and he even mentions this in one of his clever lines) so much so that they aren't even concerned about what they're actually partaking in those rooms of theirs; the neighbors are never aware anyways. However, on the opposite side, it can be argued that people in current society are frankly too obsessed with another's conversation or activities. Apparently, we stick our noses in everyone's business, and it can be argued on a political scale as well. We do, in fact, watch our foreign neighbors far too closely with invasive binoculars, and in this manner, Jeff could actually be perceived as the villain of Rear Window in a way. In sum, there are countless perspectives one can judge this film from, occasionally conflicting with one another due to their opposing scopes.
Anyways, I can't place my eye on the exact reason, but actors were so much more capable of delivering with a charming character back in those days because the audience immediately recognizes the charisma of the film's protagonist as he daringly speaks out with clever, hilarious, and/or downright convincingly serious lines. His lovable personality is loud and clear with the story's development, and eventually, it's met with the beauty of Grace Kelly's character (Lisa). On a side note, as the intriguing plot progressed, the whole idea undoubtedly reminded me of Disturbia (2007).
Moving on, albeit its heavily suspenseful and compelling nature, there were some faults I happened to identify. First of all, did the entire case really mean that much to Jeff to the point where he just couldn't bring himself to yell out when Lisa, his future wife, was endangered by Mr. Thorwald's intimidating and threatening presence? There was a sense of awkwardness in that I was viewing this curious fellow experiencing anxiety with visible sweat pouring down his face though he still continues to watch on as his love nears possible death.
In addition, the result of this riveting mystery felt somewhat anticlimactic, and this slightly stemmed from the expectations one usually possesses upon viewing a Hitchcock film for there is usually a twist that shocks and awes the audience towards its end. We never got that from Rear Window as everything was exactly as it seemed. It could've been the main point of the feature, but still, I predicted the garden being the burial spot of the poor woman in the movie's first hour. And if the message of the film was that everything is truly as it seems, then why did another theme intrude the ending where you see a short, fat lover show up at the breathlessly gorgeous model's apartment? There and then, it seemed as if not everything is what it seems; so, already you have two contradictory (possible) themes on your plate. Which one was Hitchcock's actual intention? After all is said and done, Rear Window is a fantastic thriller with a not-as-satisfying end result, but it definitely impressed me the way most Hitchcock films have already. (North by Northwest is definitely next on my list.)