Great thriller

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2005)

Alfred Hitchcock is without a doubt the king of suspense. I have been a fan of his for many years, so I knew I had to see this movie. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS ********
Jimmy Stewart is great as LB Jefferies, the cranky photographer who's wheelchair bound in his apartment with a broken leg. To pass the time, he begins playing Peeping Tom on his neighbors. Good thing there are some interesting characters around. There's the gorgeous ballerina, who loves prancing around in her undergarments, the party hardy pianist, the couple that sleeps on their fire escape (I love when it rains on them) and the volatile salesman with a bed stricken wife. Things get even more interesting when Jefferies starts to think the salesman has murdered his wife. He's going in and out of his place on a cold, rainy night, and the wife is no longer in bed, where did she go?
Jefferies asks for the assistance of friend and former Air Force buddy Detective Doyle (Wendell Corey), who unfortunately, thinks he's crazy. Not to worry. Even though he won't fully commit to her, Jefferies is able to enlist his beautiful, sociable, and all around perfect girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) to do his dirty work. Being the fearless type, she's willing to take more risks than Jefferies imagines, a move that almost gets her killed and lands her in jail. Of course, Jefferies soon puts his own life at risk, which leads to the one action sequence in the movie (which is kind of cheesy and dated).
One thing that was unique about Rear Window is that the whole film was shot in the same location, from Stewart's apartment. Hitchcock, not only good with suspense, is also able to do some fascinating camera work. Those shots of Stewart holding his camera are innovative and show how talented he was. I have to say, I don't think movies like this could be made anymore, for it isn't action packed. The mood slowly builds up until you have the final confrontation. No high speed chases, explosions, anything of that nature, just old fashioned suspense. The acting by Stewart and Kelly is wonderful and they had a great on screen relationship, even if Stewart's character is oblivious to the idea of love (how could you be if you had a woman like Grace Kelly)?
If you're a person that loves blood and guts, plot twists, fast paced action, then do not see this movie. Many from Generation X and Y (which I am a part of) would be bored by this flick, but if you appreciate good film making and suspense, go see it, and you'll understand why Hitchcock gets so many accolades to this very day.