Tell me what you saw and what you think it means

Rating: 10/10 (15 February 2016)

What makes Rear Window a masterpiece? Well, it's got one of the best directors of all time, one of the most likable leads, one of the most beautiful ladies... but even these first-rate ingredients don't always result in greatness, so there must be more. I would say it's about *richness*: there is a lot going on beneath the surface.
Still, the surface itself is flawless. The mystery plot about Jeff (James Stewart), photographer with a broken leg who spies a murderous neighbor, can't be improved upon. The script is a masterclass in visual storytelling, set-ups and pay-offs; see how Jeff's profession provides the reason of his condition, a tool to investigate the case and a defense during the climax.
Even potentially slow moments crackle. The back-story between Jeff and his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) is delivered with acerbic wit in a conversation with nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter). The "why don't they just go to the police" moment, which Hitchcock usually dreaded (he famously told Truffaut his characters don't go to the police because "it's dull"), flows by thanks to the quirky banter between Jeff and his detective friend Doyle (Wendell Corey).
Beneath this, there are several layers of subtext. The first is about marriage. Lisa wants to marry Jeff, but he is reluctant, regarding her as too snobbish and sophisticated. Everything Jeff sees from his window is about relationships (or lack thereof): the attractive ballerina with her suitors; the older, lonely woman; the bachelor struggling with his work; the newlyweds who spend all their time in bed; the mature couple with a dog as surrogate son. And, of course, Thorwald (Raymond Burr) killing his wife, which acts as a double catalyst: at first, it taps into Jeff's unconscious fears about failed relationships; then, it becomes a reason of bonding between him and Lisa, as she proves surprisingly good at boys' games. How does she finally entice Jeff? She sneaks into Thorwald's apartment and retrieves a piece of evidence... a wedding ring.
Rear Window is known to be about voyeurism, but I would say it's also about *spectatorship*. Stuck in his chair, Jeff follows from his window the unfolding events, much like us viewers staring at the screen. He is unable to interact directly with the "outside world", so he sends others (Stella, Doyle, but mostly Lisa) to do the dirty work; however, he is nearly powerless to defend them... and himself, when threat creeps into his own secluded universe.
10/10 for one of cinema's greatest classics.