Brilliant

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 2008)

Rear Window (1954)
**** (out of 4)
Alfred Hitchcock's smart and sexy thriller remains one of the greatest of the genre. James Stewart plays a man confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg who spends all day and night spying on his neighbors. The biggest thing going in his life is his nervousness of his relationship with a rich woman (Grace Kelly) but that's about to change when he thinks one of his neighbors (Raymond Burr) has killed his wife. Here's another film that probably would have been a disaster had anyone else in the world directed but Hitchcock brings his normal brilliance to the film making it one of the greatest ever made. This film has countless layers so it's impossible to catch everything on one viewing, which is why I think the film gets even better with each new viewing. The way Hitchcock has Stewart spy on all the neighbors is something brilliant and we get to know and care for each of them, which pays off greatly towards the end of the film when we're worried about the "lonely lady" while forgetting to watch Kelly who has snuck into the neighbors home. I've read several reviews that says the film moves too slowly and perhaps this is true but on repeat viewings it's clear that Hitchcock is just setting a trap for the viewer, which leads to a really suspenseful ending. There's no question Stewart is a brilliant actor and while I haven't seen all of his film I might put this at the best performance of his career. Sure, he was brilliant in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life and various others but he has to do all his acting here in a wheelchair so his facial expressions, voice tones and other small items have to be used throughout the film. How deep of a character he's able to deliver is something not too many actors could do. Grace Kelly is great as well as is Thelma Ritter adds great comic support. Raymond Burr never gets mentioned but he's terrific in the film as well.