Review - Rear Window

Rating: 10/10 (23 October 2012)

As of right now, I have only seen three of Alfred Hitchcock's films: Psycho, Vertigo, and now Rear Window. I have to say, I already like the way Hitchcok creates suspense, and also his methods of storytelling and tampering with narrative elements. A number of people, including film critic James Berardinelli, consider Rear Window to be Hitchcock's best film. As of right now, I personally agree; I've only seen three of his films, but Rear Window is my favorite of the three.
Rear Window is appropriately named. The protagonist, L. B. Jefferies (James Stewart), is a professional photographer with a broken leg, and is therefore confined to his apartment in New York. He spends the time watching his neighbors from his rear window (see, I told you the film was appropriately named). Soon, however, he begins to suspect that one of his neighbors might have murdered his wife, and he becomes obsessed with this mystery, and eventually he even gets his girlfriend to help him investigate.
What I loved most about the film was the way the story is told. Just like Vertigo and Psycho, Rear Window has a strong and unmatched uniqueness and, even though elements of the film have almost certainly been used in films between then and now. What I really found interesting is the "restriction" of the film; except for a brief spot near the end, the film is entirely restricted to inside Jefferies's apartment and his view from his rear window. The events of the story that happen outside of the apartment are either only mentioned in the dialogue or seen from the window.
However, despite this restriction to voyeurism, it's actually somewhat interesting watching going-ons outside in the courtyard and through the windows of other people's apartments, even though we are watching these things from a distance instead of having the scenes be set in those actual areas. Even in real life, a lot can often be learned even just by watching, and it can be quite interesting. Also, the suspense in the film handled very well. And I should also point out that, like in Psycho and Vertigo, the the story is not entirely predictable; Hitchcock cleverly throws in some things that flout the audience's expectations.
In addition to all of this, the actors, especially James Stewart, put on good performances. They are likable and believable. Jefferies is a semi-interesting character, and his relationship with his girlfriend, Lisa, is handled pretty well. The other performances are good too. Overall, the performances in this movie are another factor that make the film great, and they are especially useful given the "containment" of the film's story.
Overall, I think Rear Window is a great movie, with interesting storytelling, good characters, good acting, and strong suspense, among other things. I would definitely recommend it to anybody interested in film.
My Rating: **** (out of ****) For more reviews, please visit my website: http://robertsreliablereviews.blogspot.com/