Interesting social commentary wrapped up in Hitchcock's best film so far

Rating: 9/10 (6 August 2015)

Not having seen every film that Hitchcock made, and therefore not entirely qualified to analyze what makes a film "his," REAR WINDOW is definitely getting closer to what my idea of the ideal Hitchcock film is. Like his other pictures, it takes a simple premise and puts the audience through the wringer as to how it will turn out. Here, James Stewart plays L.B. Jefferies, a wheelchair-bound photojournalist who passes the time by looking at his neighbors through the rear window of his apartment. However, based on some things he sees, he begins to think that a murder may have been committed. Having just come off of ROPE, where the film was edited to appear as one single take, I noticed another technical challenge with this. The entire view the audience is given is from Jeff's apartment, which essentially forces us into his perspective. We see exactly what he sees, and know what he knows (with a few exceptions). In the hands of a weaker director, having basically only one fully developed character would have resulted in a very weak film, but Hitchcock makes it work somehow. It also doesn't hurt that James Stewart has a likable screen presence. And boy, is Grace Kelly easy on the eyes (and a talented actress, too)! However, what made the film so much more interesting was the social commentary that Hitchcock flirted with for part of the running time. Most of it is contained in some first-half conversations between Jeff and his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly). Although I could just be reading this onto the film, it seems like Jeff's apartment-bound snoop is a metaphor for society's growing passivity. This is kind of supported by the fact that he's averse to getting married, is content with the status quo, etc. This is in contrast to his girlfriend, who is more ambitious. It's almost tragically ironic that they end up bonding over a murder they think has been committed based on their limited point of view from Jeff's apartment. Also, given the interconnectedness that the internet provides, and the privacy concerns that come along with it, one could certainly read the ethics of surveillance onto the film as well. Even if that wasn't the intention (and Hitchcock's primary concern was entertainment), you can certainly see how the film was prescient in that regard. Just substitute the digital world for the apartment complex, where you think that you know people based on what they post on Facebook. If anything, you can take away that life is better experienced than merely observed. However, my only minor complaint has to do with the ending (again). Hitchcock is a master when it comes to building tension and suspense, but after so much cinematic foreplay there wasn't enough time to savor the release when it comes. I will say that Raymond Burr, even though you only got really one scene to appreciate his character up close, was quite menacing. There were also lots of cool little moments that you get to see as Jeff spies on his neighbors. And, I was able to catch Hitchcock's cameo this time! From my limited perspective of only having seen a handful of Hitchcock's films at this point, I can still safely say that this is the best so far. I also can't wait to dig further into to his filmography.