The Epitome of Hitchcock

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 1999)

Alfred Hitchcock reached the epitome of his career with a clever little thriller named "Rear Window" (1954), about a temporarily disabled photographer (played by James Stewart) who is convinced he saw one of his apartment neighbors commit a murder. I shall not reveal anything else; you really should see this one for yourself.
I've been trying to come up with a list of the ten greatest Hitchcock films, but I haven't been happy with one yet. For sure, though, I can tell you my numbers one, two, three, four, and ten. "Rear Window" is his best, his epitome; "Vertigo" is his second; "Psycho" is his third and most purely entertaining work; "Rebecca" is his fourth best picture; and I'm pretty sure my ten spot is going to remain with "Rope," Hitchcock's great experimental, ten minute shots film. Not Rated. 113 minutes. 10 out of 10.