Suspense Done Absolutely Masterfully

Rating: 9/10 (7 February 2018)

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window is an excellent film and undoubtedly a cinematic classic that will stand the test of time. In the film the main character has broken his leg working as a photographer covering a racing event and getting hit by one of the cars. Trapped in his apartment his only source of entertainment is staring into the lives of his neighbors through his rear window, much to the chagrin of his doting nurse(Thelma Ritter). After spending so much time watching he begins to notice something is going on in the other apartment and begins to suspect his neighbor of murder.
Most of the film the characters and thus the audience is always doubting weather or not something sinister is actually occurring. Facts are scarce to go on and a peeping tom's gut feeling certainly won't hold up in court. At several points the other characters insist that nothing is unusual about it. The audience is made aware of the improbability constantly by the nurse and the girlfriend and even a detective that had an investigation put into effect. And yet there is just enough to go on to maintain that uncertainty. Just enough is off to keep the audience wondering, "Well yea,I'm sure that's not the case, but maybe..."
This potential murder is not the only thing for you to worry about though. Each and every one of the neighbors seems to have something going on that seems to raise concern. Hitchcock keeps the audience guessing by quickly reeling to other neighbors in distress all to further muddle the mystery of it all. Is it a murder mystery or is it a social commentary on the horrors of marriage? Or how about a love-lost emotional tragedy? Maybe the film is about depression overtaking what might have been an incredible music career. Even the struggles of Jeffries(James Stewart) and his girlfriend(Grace Kelly) are compelling and leave the audience wondering if that is the true crux of the film.
The film demonstrates just how incredible Hitchcock is at creating suspense. As the story unfolds little clues become to grow bigger and bigger until it is all but certain there is an incredibly dangerous man among their town. This is made all the more unsettling for the audience because so much of the film is shot in point of view. Jeffries frequently observes his neighbors using binoculars and his long lense camera. Each time he does so the shot cuts to what Jeffries is seeing. When he sees something disturbing, we see something disturbing. When he sees alarming signs we see alarming signs. When he sees a murder staring him down, realising he has been made out, we see the murderer staring us down.
However the film is not without its faults. And unfortunately the biggest fault is an unusual one to have. The movie is too good. Hitchcock is a master of his craft and manages to make such a compelling narrative with so an absurd amount of suspense leading up to the climax. It is a truly enthralling film to be sure. So captivatingly suspenseful in fact that it fails to produce a satisfying conclusion. After an hour and a half of such incredible build up it is almost inevitable that the ending would be less than what you would hope for. It is by no means a bad ending, and actually on paper it does indeed seem perfectly fitting. However lack of music cues, distracting changes in framerate and strange dialog that lets the air out at the time when it should be most gripping undercut what could have been a masterpiece.
Do not misconstrue this to mean that it is a bad film. Rear Window is indeed something to behold. While it is unfortunate that the end does not in my opinion manage to support the weight of the rest of the film, it does not detract the gravatias the rest of the movie produces. This is undoubtedly some of the best work film has to offer, faults and all.