Great

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2018)

When watching 'Rear Window,' it was very prominent from the beginning that Alfred Hitchcock was a very talented director. He did a very good job at captivating the viewer and making them feel as if they were in the apartment instead of Jeffries. The way the film was shot made it seem like you were right there looking across at the other apartments instead of watching Jeffries do it. It was impressive that Hitchcock was able to build such a complex storyline with the main character stuck in his apartment the whole time. A good portion of the beginning of the movie is spent setting up all the different characters so that the viewer has a complete understanding of what is happening in the film. He portrays the smaller storylines in the film just as successfully as he does for the main one. They don't have a massive impact on the film but they force the viewers to become very observant and focus on more than one aspect of the film. We see the ups and down of the musician, the daily routine of the dancer and the artist on the bottom level as well as the main storyline with the salesman.
Hitchcock also did a very good job at incorporating many different genres into this film. This keeps it from being one sided and keeps the viewers entertained. There's the obvious mystery aspect of the film to start, which was the most prominent genre to viewers. The whole premise of the movie is Jeffries trying to solve the mystery of what is happening in the apartment across from him. Secondly, there is the thriller feel to the film. This is what keeps the viewers on their seats and guessing throughout the movie. We are finding out information at the same time Jeffries is, so the viewers are surprised by the same things he is. Thirdly, there is the romantic part of the film with Jeffries and Lisa. This is one of the genres that makes the movie so complex. Along with the various other storylines in the movie there is relationship between Lisa and Jeffries that we see develop throughout the movie. Lastly, there is a somewhat light comedic feel to the movie at some parts. The majority is not even somewhat related to comedy but there are few scenes that have a lighter and more relaxed feel that makes the movie even better-rounded.
Lastly, Hitchcock did a very good job using mise-en-scene in this film. The detail that is in each scene of this movie is one of the main things that makes it so good. If you look in the background of each scene everything is perfect in comparison to the character that it is with. For example, in Jeffries' apartment if you look in the background it isn't just any normal apartment. You can see various items that correspond with his career as a photographer that make you view his apartment as a whole along with Jeffries, not as two separate parts of the film. Hitchcock also did a very good job with mise-en-scene when it came to the apartments across from Jeffries. Each separate apartment is like a completely different lifestyle. You see the people all around the salesman's apartment living their everyday lives as if nothing's wrong throughout the movie. He doesn't just dial in on that one apartment for the rest of the movie once we find out something isn't right, the apartment becomes the main focus, but not the only focus. We still throughout the movie see the other characters going about their business.