Voyuerism, anyone?

Rating: Null/10 (2 March 2003)

Spoilers heirin!
Rear Window is one of my top five favorite films of all time. Everything about it is great, from the acting to the camera-angles to the setting itself. I stumbled upon this film about ten years ago or so. I was in Florida with my mom and she decided that we should rent it and watch it together. We were both huge fans of Hitchcock's and since I'd never seen this one before, she promised me that I was in for a treat. After that first viewing, I became hooked and like to try and watch it whatever chance I get. Even if you've seen it more than once, there are still so many different things and pieces of the puzzle that you can pick up on.

As you probably already know by now, Rear Window is the story of an aspiring news photographer (played by James Stewart) who is sidelined in his Greenwich Village apartment one hot, steamy summer by a broken leg. The rear window of his apartment looks out upon the backyard of his building and the buildings surrounding it. Stewart's character starts watching his neighbors going about their everyday business and it is only a matter of time until he is convinced that one of them is a cold-blooded murderer. He enlists the help of his glamourous socialite girlfriend (played by Grace Kelly), the insurance company nurse hired to watch over him (played by Thelma Ritter), and his best friend the detective (played by Wendall Corey), who is a bit skeptical as to Stewart's reasoning at the beginning but then gets sucked into it like everyone else by the ending of the film. I don't want to give anything away because half the fun of seeing this film for the first time is never knowing just what's going to happen next. Rear Window is a film that you really must watch carefully, and study it frame by frame if you ever get the chance. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
My rating: 4 stars