Rear Window

Rating: 9/10 (26 October 2016)

My years-long quest to see everything Alfred Hitchcock has ever made finally lead me, albeit far too late, to Rear Window. Hitchcock's 1954 feature starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly has been revered and countlessly referenced in the 62 years since its release. The film in which a wheelchair bound photographer with nothing better to do than look out the window of his New York apartment at his various neighbors becomes convinced that one of them has committed a murder. Bringing together a brilliant display of the various lives that make up a neighborhood and how each human effects the other, Rear Window was a long overdue treat.
After injuring himself on a photo shoot, L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart) is wheelchair-bound with a broken leg. Since Jeff is single, for the most part abhorring the idea of marriage, the only interaction he enjoys throughout his long days are the visits of his caretaker, an occasional guest, and his girlfriend Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly). In order to help the time pass as he recovers, Jeff has taken a liking to watching his neighbors from his large apartment window. Living varied lives, each with their own schedules and idiosyncrasies, Jeff becomes entranced learning more about their lives behind his binoculars. Among his watching, Jeff notices a traveling salesman with a bed-ridden wife at home. He watches him take care of his wife and begins to learn his schedule. One day, Jeff notices that salesman's wife has disappeared and his schedule has drastically changed. The collection of oddities has Jeff convinced that his neighbor has killed his wife. Jeff is so convinced that he shares this belief with his girlfriend and caretaker, who initially dismiss him, then go on to help him. With no proof, the threesome hatches a plan to implicate the neighbor with murder by entering his apartment, even if it costs them their lives.
Now I understand why I like the film Disturbia so much. I saw the 2007 version of Rear Window first, and was stunned that I liked it so much, being as I am no fan of Shia LaBeouf's; after seeing Rear Window, however, I can appreciate my liking of Disturbia more as it is basically a remake of the Hitchcock classic. I was initially disappointed to see that Rear Window was a color film, for some reason I thought I remembered that it was in black and white, but I got over it quickly when I first saw Jimmy Stewart; really, is he in anything that's not completely splendid? I really enjoy watching films by British directors, as I love the emphasis on dialogue within the films. Rear Window, had a wonderful emphasis on dialogue and the three principles delivered the lines quite well. There was a great deal of fun effects throughout this film, including the fun way Hitch filmed through the lenses of Jeff's camera and binoculars. Rear Window is a fantastic example of a distinction Hitch himself was sure to make; he made suspense pictures, not mysteries. It really doesn't matter to the film whether or not the man actually killed his wife, what is paramount, however, is the quest endured by the actors to find out whether or not Jeff's neighbor is a murderer. Another gripping suspense from the ultimate master in the genre, it is easy to see why Rear Window is the classic it has become.