Surprisingly captivating

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2004)

`Rear Window' is an incredible mix of things; mystery, life lessons as lived within the perimeters of various stages of life, and romance. James Stewart portrays Jeff, an ambitious photographer who is temporarily on a wheelchair due to a work related accident. He believes to have witnessed a crime as he watched his neighbors' lives through the rear window of his apartment. The cinematography of Hitchcock's film is deserving of recognition, because it was the largest inside set of the time. The film's setting is inside Jeff's apartment throughout the duration of it, with one exception. Yet every single apartment watched through the apartment's window is so incredibly detailed and thanks to the filming allows the audience to capture all that goes on inside the far off windows. Hitchcock does an amazing job at carefully choosing the stages of life in which every one of Jeff's neighbors is going through. One woman is your typical lone heart; he gives us an aspiring musician, a ballerina, a newlywed couple, as well as a look inside a troubled marriage's apartment. These don't just stand for their clearly stated definitions, but also in a certain way reflect what Jeff's life is like. As he gives marriage a serious thought. Grace Kelly is portraying Lisa Carol Fremont, the woman Jeff is seeing and who represents an opposite of Jeff's character. She is rich and holds a high social status, and also deeply desires a commitment to Jeff. The chemistry created between Lisa and Jeff is reflected very well by the actors. Jeff is almost blinded to see the perfect woman throwing herself at him. The pace Rear Window starts off with is steady, yet seems to drag at about the middle of the film, making it hard for the audience to follow, again towards the end its faster pace is picked up again. This is recovered by the choice of inspirational and dynamic music continually played in the background of the film. Hitchcock demonstrates his geniality and incredible talent by the making of Rear window