REAR WINDOW REVIEW

Rating: 9/10 (14 September 2018)

Elijah 8/20/18
Rear Window Review
If there is one director whose work will remain timeless and watchable in generations to come, it is Mr. Alfred Hitchcock. From the chilling story about a lowly man who's a little too obsessed with his mom (Psycho), to the story of a man struggling with his fear of heights (Vertigo), Mr. Hitchcock is a director that has earned respect and recognition from critics and fans all the way up until he sadly passed in 1980. But whenever I think about his films, there is always one that immediately comes to mind, Rear Window. If you haven't seen the film, then I recommend you to stop reading now, as I'm going to spoil everything that happens, but I URGE you to watch it if you haven't. With all that being said, let's get on with the review.
The first thing you'll notice when the movie starts is how incredible the set design is. The panning camera shot showing all the people in this tiny apartment complex, from the rich musician, to the lonely women on the bottom floor, it really sets the tone of "coziness". We are then introduced to the film's main character, L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies, and we see that he's injured and so he's stuck in his apartment to spy on the neighbors, because this is 1954 and there wasn't really much to do back then.
Now the basic story is that Jeff is injured and bored so he's spying on neighbors and eventually he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors, named Lars Thorwald, has murdered his wife. On the outset that sounds like every other thriller out there, but what makes Rear Window different is two specific things.
First is that we never actually see any murder happen or even know if something did happen and it seems like the whole movie every character is telling him that nothing is wrong and that he's just bored or overly suspicious. We also realize very early on that Jeff is a pretty cynical person. We hear the conversation between him and his nurse where he says he doesn't want to marry his girlfriend Lisa Fremont, because she's too sophisticated or rich for him. The entire movie you are convinced that Thorwald didn't murder his wife and that Jeff is just bored and skeptical. That's why the eventual reveal that Thorwald did murder his wife is actually surprising! Because you watch the whole movie expecting the twist to be that he didn't murder his wife and Jeff is just way too suspicious and needs more sleep. But the twist is there is no twist! Which is actually genius because it preys on the fact that you usually expect a film like this to have a twist.
The second thing that separates this film from other thriller films, is that the entire film takes place in his apartment. No really the ENTIRE film takes place in one apartment with Jeff and there isn't a single scene that breaks this. Even when Lisa is sneaking into Thorwald's apartment later in the movie, it's still from Jeff's point of view. We hear about stuff that happens outside of the apartment, but these never shown. This gives the film a very unique vibe that I haven't seen replicated since.
These two attributes are the reasons why it has stood the test of time and is considered a classic. I haven't even mentioned the fantastic performances, particularly by James Stewart and Grace Kelly. The music by Franz Waxman is also soothing. What I like most about the music is that it only appears during character moments or scenes between Lisa and Jeff talking. There is no music whenever something intense or suspenseful is happening, which creates are very stressful atmosphere because it feels real.
In the end, Rear Window is one of those rare movies where it truly feels unique even over 50 years later. It's a movie that has and will be appreciated and enjoyed for years to come.
9.5/10