A classic

Rating: Null/10 (1 September 2001)

Synopsis: A newspaper photographer with a genius for catching the perfect shot, finds himself shackled to a wheelchair after his latest photographic shot has landed him there. Bored, he develops an instinct to naturally look over at the apartment complex that is within his view. His insurance nurse belittles him with questions about why he refuses to commit to marriage, with a beautiful woman faithfully at his side. But within his reach, he notices something peculiar about one of the tenants in his observation, and it's only a matter of time before he's convinced that tenant has committed murder.
The Review: Probably one of the best films Hitchcock will be remembered for. "Rear Window" is stylish in the sense that all the action takes place in one locale, an apartment. The performances are right on the money with frequent co-star Jimmy Stewart playing the unfortunate protagonist, and Grace Kelly as his doting girlfriend and Thelma Ritter as his nurse. Hitchcock develops the film a good hour and a half, setting it up with little subtle hints and surprises, but it's only in the last ten or fifteen minutes, that everything really kicks in. Hitchcock takes the audience out of text, and they are no longer made out to be the observant, but a participant in this film. Voted one of the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Thrills, "Rear Window" is an unnerving classic. Definitely a classic film.