RW

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2018)

Rear Window
From an artistic perspective, I thought that this movie was very well done. The colors were vibrant but also showed the dullness that living in an urban environment can have. I also enjoyed the costumes and makeup of all the actors. I found that it reflected the time period well and accurately represented what a middle class person would dress and look like. I also enjoyed the sounds that were incorporated into the film. Throughout the film, birds could be heard or dogs barking and this gave a very open feel to the otherwise closed in feeling of being in a walled in apartment complex. Another very good aspect of the film was the quality of the actors. Throughout the movie, the actors do a very good job of "show don't tell." What I mean by this is that many scenes in the movie do not need the actors telling each other how they feel and it can be read on their faces. An example of this is when Grace comes to the realization that LB's theory that Lars killed his wife may have some truth behind it. You can see the change of expression on her face and without her even saying anything, the audience knows what she is thinking. The film had a very slow and relaxing feel at the beginning which I found interesting because it would be the opposite of what you might feel living in a downtown apartment. At the beginning of the film, the camera pans from apartment to apartment showing the daily lives of the people around LB. This gives us the feeling that we are actually looking through LB's eyes and feeling what he feels. I had a slight sense of loneliness when watching this because I felt that all of this was going on around me but I still felt distant and not a part of it all. I believe this is what Hitchcock was intending when filming this because it allows us to relate more to LB. During this scene, and in many other parts of the movie, it is as if LB is actually in a movie theater watching all of this unfold in front of him. In many scenes, such as the one where Grace breaks into Lars' house, LB must sit back helpless and watch it all take place as with the audience in the theater or the viewers at home. I found this very unique in that I have never experienced this perspective with any other movie I had seen. One thing about the film that can be seen as both a positive and a negative is the fact that there is a very long buildup from the beginning of the film to the climax. Although this can be seen as very important aspect of the story, I found it kind of boring at times and a little slow. There were times that I found myself spacing out and losing focus in the film. While I believe that a large portion of the film was slow, the last half hour of the movie had me on the edge of my seat. When Grace broke into the apartment and when Lars confronted LB were very well done. I felt the suspense that LB felt because we both felt that we were helpless and trapped in our seats.