Quintessential Hitchcock

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2010)

Alfred Hitchcock is known as the "Master of Suspense". By now, this seems a cinematic cliché, but it is so very true. The man knew how to direct films that keep you riveted to your seat, wondering what will happen next to the characters he has presented to you. Rear Window is a prime example of this.
Rear Window is the story of L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart), a photographer who broke his leg while on assignment. While confined to his apartment in a wheelchair, he has three main links to the outside world: his nurse, Stella (Thelma Ritter); his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly); and his large rear window, which provides him a view of many goings-on in the surrounding apartment buildings. Jefferies comes to know a lot about the daily routines of these neighbors, and he becomes suspicious when one man begins to act in ways out of the ordinary.
In this film, the suspense is layered thickly. There were parts during which I sat with my mouth agape, wondering what would happen next to the characters investigating this potential crime. However, Hitchcock makes this more than simply a suspense film. There is *a lot* of character study here; we learn volumes about both the main characters and the neighbors that they view from the window. There is speculation on the nature and ethics of voyeurism, whether Jefferies, Lisa, and Stella really should be doing what they are doing. There is also a message about what a neighbor truly is, and how that sort of relationship has grown weaker in our modern world. (How much more so now, over 55 years after this movie's release?)
Rear Window is quintessential Hitchcock. Admittedly, I have not yet seen many of his films. (Other than this, I have only seen Rebecca and Psycho.) I think it's safe to say, however, that this film provides the same combination of elements that make his other films great: gripping suspense, characters we can really get to know, and thoughtful exploration of the things we humans do.