More Suspense Please(!)

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 1999)

This is the first Hitchcock film I've seen (odd, really - I do consider myself as something of a film buff...), and lo and behold: I was impressed.
The movie is slow to begin with, albeit interesting, and you don't really notice the suspense cranking up until the second death, at which point the movie suddenly goes into overdrive.
"Raymond Burr's coming back - get out of there now, Grace!"
I can't fault the direction. Splendid use of distance: the camera stays with long shots until Jeff gets out his binoculars, and the real close-ups only happen in the gripping (and inevitable) confrontation at the end.
Tremendous cast (esp. Thelma Ritter) rounds off a great film. See it. ... Philip