Hitchcock challenges the audience to put themselves in the picture.

Rating: 10/10 (21 February 2002)

The great thing about Rear Window, as others have probably pointed out much better than I can, is the fact that Hitchcock challenges the audience to look at themselves and make the decision of just how far are we, to some extent, the voyeur. We spend our entire lives watching other people's lives unfold before us on some kind of screen or other, and with the recent explosion in reality based TV shows, the lines between entertainment and exploitation are becoming increasingly blurred. And Rear Window is one of the few films of this cycle to actual make an interesting point. Hitchcock uses the environment of the protagonist L.B. Jeffries (his cramped apartment) and never allows us to leave, so we see the entire film evolve from our hero's eyes, helping us identify more. This is also an important devise, as it means that we the audience are only given privilege to the same information that Jeffries has. Hitchcock creates an atmosphere and a tension that lasts for ever, right up to the very last minute, never giving the audience an opportunity to breath, we're in the same position that James Stuart's character is in and for a moment, because Hitchcock has so expertly put us in that position we can suspend disbelief and almost feel what he is going through. If anyone ever has any doubts as to what a talented director Hitchcock was, then immediately point them in the direction of Rear Window. One of the greatest films ever made. 10/10