I am disappointed

Rating: 6/10 (16 February 2005)

I've known Hitchcock is the great "master of suspense" for a long long time. I've heard "Rear Window" is supposed to be a terrifying movie since I was a kid. I've spent a lot of effort in finding a copy of this film (which is not readily available even in HMV). And now, I feel I've just watched a below average thriller.
I can easily name a dozen of thrillers that gave me more excitement than this one. Is it because I've expected too much? Is it because I already knew the plot outline before watching it? Is it because the movie was made over 50 years ago? Or is it because I've already seen other movies (such as What Lies Beneth) with scenes that makes people think there is a murderer moving his wife's dead body out of the house? If this is truly the Masterpiece of the Master of Suspense, then all the above reason shouldn't be sufficient to add up and cause such a great difference between my expectation and my feelings towards the movie. And I don't understand why, in legal point of view, the left behind wedding ring is any stronger proof than the left behind alligator handbag to issue a search warrant. Overall I have not felt much tension throughout the movie.
I do appreciate the little details portrayed in this movie, such as the dialogues between Stewart and Kelly, lives of miss Loneyheart and miss Torso, the couple living above the Thorwalds, etc. But the "suspense" part? Sorry Hitchcock, I must say it is way too weak to be the "Masterpiece of the Master of Suspense". And Mr. Hitchcock, I've pinched myself, I know I'm still alive (if you have really said what is being written on the back of the DVD case).