Rear Window
Tags: murder

Plot synopsis:
After breaking his leg photographing a racetrack accident, a professional photographer, the adventurous L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies (James Stewart), is confined to a wheelchair in his Greenwich Village apartment to recuperate. His rear window looks out onto a courtyard and several other apartments. During a powerful heat wave, he watches his neighbors, who keep their windows open to stay cool.
He observes a flamboyant dancer he nicknames "Miss Torso"; a single middle-aged woman he calls "Miss Lonelyhearts"; a talented, single, middle-aged composer-pianist; several married couples; a female sculptor; and Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), a traveling jewelry salesman with a bedridden wife.
Jeff's sophisticated, beautiful socialite girlfriend, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly), visits him regularly, as does his insurance company's nurse, Stella (Thelma Ritter). Stella wants Jeff to settle down and marry Lisa, but Jeff is reluctant.
One night during a thunderstorm Jeff hears a woman scream "Don't!" and then the sound of breaking glass. Later he is awakened by thunder and observes Thorwald leaving his apartment. Thorwald makes repeated late-night trips carrying his sample case. The next morning Jeff notices that Thorwald's wife is gone, and then sees Thorwald cleaning a large knife and handsaw. Later, Thorwald ties a large trunk with heavy rope and has moving men haul it away. Jeff discusses all this with Lisa and with Stella.
Jeff becomes convinced that Thorwald has murdered his wife. Jeff explains this to his friend Tom Doyle (Wendell Corey), a New York City Police detective, and asks him to do some research. Doyle finds nothing suspicious; apparently Mrs. Thorwald is upstate, and picked up the trunk herself.
Soon after, a neighbor's dog is found dead, its neck broken. The owner yells out into the courtyard, "You don't know the meaning of the word 'neighbors'! Neighbors like each other, speak to each other, care if anybody lives or dies! But none of you do!" All the neighbors run to their windows to see what is happening, except for Thorwald, whose cigar can be seen glowing as he sits quietly in his dark apartment.
Certain that Thorwald is also guilty of killing the dog, Jeff asks Lisa to slip an accusatory note under his door, so Jeff can watch his reaction when he reads it. Then, as a pretext to get Thorwald out of his apartment, Jeff telephones him and arranges a meeting at a bar. He believes Thorwald buried something incriminating in the courtyard flower bed and killed the dog to stop it digging there, so when Thorwald leaves, Lisa and Stella dig up the flowers; they find nothing.
Much to Jeff's amazement and admiration, Lisa then climbs the fire escape to Thorwald's apartment and clambers in through an open window. When Thorwald returns and grabs Lisa, Jeff calls the police, who arrive in time to save her by arresting her. Jeff sees Lisa has her hands behind her back, wiggling her finger with Mrs. Thorwald's wedding ring on it. Thorwald notices this, and realizing that she is signaling to someone, he sees Jeff across the courtyard.
Jeff phones Doyle and leaves an urgent message. Stella heads for the police station to post bail for Lisa. When his phone rings, Jeff assumes it is Doyle, and says that the suspect has left the apartment. When no one answers, Jeff realizes that Thorwald himself had called, and is heading over to confront him. When Thorwald enters, Jeff repeatedly sets off his camera flashbulbs, temporarily blinding him. However, Thorwald grabs Jeff and manages to push him out of the open window, as Jeff is yelling for help. Police officers enter the apartment as he falls to the ground; other officers have run over to break his fall. Thorwald confesses to the police soon afterward.
A few days later, the heat has lifted, and Jeff rests peacefully in his wheelchair, now with casts on both legs. The lonely neighbor is chatting with the pianist in his apartment, the dancer's lover returns home from the army, the couple whose dog was killed have a new dog, and the newly married couple are bickering.
Lisa reclines on the daybed in Jeff's apartment, wearing jeans and apparently reading a book titled Beyond the High Himalayas. As soon as Jeff falls asleep, Lisa puts the book down and happily opens a fashion magazine.

Review: The romantic relationship is far steamier, and the climactic scene is utterly original and totally terrifying.In this new version, the mystery story has been "streamlined" to allow more time for techno razzle-dazzle and detailed presentation of the challenges faced by the disabled every day.
The cause is worthy, but the shotgun marriage of movie-of-the-week message with murder-mystery drama serves neither facet of the film very well.There are a few effective scenes, and the actors make the most of the feeble script.
Darryl Hannah, alas, does little with less; a star willing to take on a Grace Kelley role deserves more support from her producers!If you'd like to support people with spinal cord injuries and see a good thriller, write a check to Christopher Reeves' foundation, then rent Hitch's masterpiece..
Robert Forster ought to have known better, he is a superb actor and is just about the only character in this movie one can recognise as being bothered.
Leave well alone when it comes to attempting to remake the classic movies, I admired Christopher Reeve for his heroic struggle against adversity, he will be remembered for doing many better things than this.
As terrific an actor Christopher Reeves is, I think he bit off more than he could chew when he tried to re-make the character played by Jimmy Stewart, one of the greatest rated actors in motion picture history.
I admire the attempts of these people, however, when one ventures to remake a Hitchcock classic like Rear Window, one should stay closer to the original story line.
The only justifiable reason that I can see for remaking a film, is if the original had potential, but was in the hands of the wrong director.
In the case of 'Rear Window', Alfred Hitchcock's original version was close to perfection.
Christopher Reeve plays the lead character, who is not a photographer but an architect, and has been pompously renamed Jason Kemp.
The best part of the film is Christopher Reeve, who does stand out from a cast with little substance.
Thelma Ritter's character of an insurance nurse in Alfred Hitchcock's version, has more spark than the two medical assistants in this film put together.
of course it wasn't really good either but Hitchcock remakes are always so bad, and can never equal his original work.
This movie pretty much messed up the whole concept of the original "Rear Window", which was excellent..
They destroyed what was a good story line.Christopher Reeve plays on everyone's sympathy because he was paralyzed.
While I admire Christopher Reeve's attempt to return to the screen in his paralyzed condition, I feel his acting ability is definitely restrained.
I mean, sure, nobody expected Christopher Reeves, of all people, to top Jimmy Stewart's performance in the original, but pairing him up with Daryl Hannah was a brilliant move right up there with allowing Joel Schumacher near the Batman franchise more than once.
I was never really a fan of the "Superman" movies he made,but Christopher Reeve was magnificent in "Rear Window" I just wish I would have taped this one, to show others that had apparently and unfortunately missed..
Updated version of the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic "Rear Window" with Christopher Reeves as quadriplegic Jason Kemp who unknowingly spies upon a violent domestic dispute by his neighbors across the yard that possibly later escalated to murder.
Better then average made-for-TV thriller that turned out to be actor Chris Reeves' last, and most personal, movie role.
The ending of "Rear Window" is a bit of a let-down but at the same time more intriguing then that of the 1954 version of the movie by leaving it, the ending,up in the air and to the imagination of the viewers.Chris Reeves was playing himself in the movie "Rear Window" as he was a real victim of a spinal-cord injury, that he suffered from a raiding accident on May 27, 1995, that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life until he passed away just days after his 52th birthday.
Modern remake of "Rear Window" in which the lead character (Christopher Reeve) is paralyzed and lives in a high-tech home filled with assistive technology.This film gets a lot of criticism because it is not Hitchcock.
And you have to admire that someone wanted to give Christopher Reeve a starring role when his ability became so slim.The "hacking" a guy's computer when he's one room over is a little silly, because you know...
We unwillingly tempted to compare these two films and the interpretations of each cast.I really can not compare the two directions because I think that Alfred Hitchcock is the master of such a movies.
Regarding to cast now James Stewart was really better than Christopher Reeve and Grace Kelly than Daryl Hannah.
The old version is better, if you see this movie at the end you will think that you saw a quite movie not to say boring, but if you see the old "Rear Window" when it finished you will think that was a really great movie, that's the main difference of these two movies...If you want to see this movie really do not waste your time, just see the original....
Now I know many people have a love affair with Hitch, but I must admit I never found Rear Window to be a classic like some of his others, the idea came from creating a movie on a single set.
Rear Window is a really good movie.
This movie has got some good suspense too, and the part where the blond girl lights a match and stares at Christopher Reeve is really creepy.
Rear Window (1998) ** (out of 4) After a car accident a man (Christopher Reeve) is left paralyzed and begins killing time by spying on his neighbors when he thinks he hears one of them murdered.
There's some interesting aspects to this remake of the Hitchcock classic but at the end of the day there are just way too many problems for the film to really work.
Reeve is very good in the part, although it took me some time to get involved with the film because the early scenes of him in rehab and dealing with being paralyzed where rather depressing to watch.
But, sometimes, there are magical exceptions, when a movie transcends its make-believe content to show a truth in all its purity.This is the case here with the exceptional performance of Christopher Reeves: he didn't play the tetraplegic because he WAS tetraplegic.Did people ever wonder what this difficult state implies and all the efforts and dedication Mr. Reeves had to reach for his job.
Fortunately, Mr. Reeves will later win the SAG award.And for those who pay attention to the direction, the director's choice to actually shoot literally the title of the movie (at least, a third of the movie has the rear window for setting) is a good bet.Finally, it is not a movie that you will watch over and over, but it deserves at least ONE TIME and you won't ever forget it (like Mr. Reeves)..
It was great to see Christopher Reeve again and I hope to see more of him in film roles.
The original, of course, is a Hitchcock classic, and this remake is a great made-for-tv adaptation.
Christopher Reeves is superb, as usual, and the movie has plenty of suspenseful moments.
While nobody expected this to be anywhere near as good as Hitchcock's classic, I found the film surprisingly engrossing.
Rear Window the remake is a good film that has a good cast which includes Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah, Robert Forster, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Anne Twomey, Ritchie Coaster, Allison Mackie, Ali Marsh, Julie Barker, Maggie Kiley, and Peter Giles.
If you like Christopher Reeve, Daryl Hannah, Robert Forster, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Anne Twomey, Ritchie Coaster, the rest of the cast in the film, Remakes, Thrillers, Dramas, Crime Myster, and interesting Action films then I strongly recommend you to see this film today!.
If you CAN'T get past the fact that it's a remake of a Hitchcock film, then let's say that you've seen the original - like me.
'Young' audiences who watch Jimmy Stewart films are not going to turn their noses up at one that happens to have been remade with Christopher Reeve.
Of course it's very difficult - maybe even some kind of sacrilege - to do a remake of an Alfred Hitchcock film.
In my opinion, this 1998 TV remake of "Rear Window" doesn't need to hide behind the original version, as it's well done and shows as a nearly completely paralyzed Christopher Reeves three years after his shocking accident in a very strong performance.Many things appear similar to the original version - Reeves watched the opposite house front and all the different people behind the windows - a gay couple (not featured in the original 1954 version), an attractive single women, a busy author and the villain - this time not a harmlessly-looking and silent older men like in the original, but a violent weirdo artist with an alcohol-addicted girlfriend.
He believes to have watched (or heard) a cruel murder and wants to find out the bloody secret that has happened in his neighbor's flat.Reeves gives his performance a more tragical aspect as James Stewart in the fifties version - while Stewart, a well-known sports photographer who is bound to the wheelchair with a broken leg - just does his "job" by watching other people, Reeves is completely paralyzed and can only satisfy his longings for feelings, love and even sex by going to cybersex chat rooms and watching other people's lives and sex through a digital cam.The ending is directed with more suspense than the original version with a long a thrilling showdown between Reeves and the villain.
The supporting actors are also very good, with Ritchie Coster and Allison Walkie as killing couple and Robert Forster as cop (funnily, he played in another Hitchcock remake - Psycho - the same year).A good Hitchcock remake and an outstanding TV production with a great Christopher Reeves, which is great fun to watch again and again..
Bleckner kept the suspense going with Reeve's vulnerable character, and Daryll Hannah was great in the Grace Kelly role.
Christopher Reeve is no Jimmy Stewart, and although Darryl Hannah is no Grace Kelly, I did like her performance, it was subtle and sincere.
The movie really inspired me because Christopher Reeves got in an accident and that caused him to be paralyzed but that didn't stop him from doing everyday things.
At the end of the movie Christopher Reeves falls madly in love with his partner helping him out to solve the case.
Christopher Reeves is a good example for all of us because he shows us that anybody can be anything they want to be.
This movie is probably also one of the best movies because it pays to have a cute actor like Christopher Reeves playing the part of the guy who spies on people..
They gave writing credit to the original story, novel, and play authors that inspired Hitchcock's movies, but they were essentially just remakes, or in the case of one, a copy.
I do not recommend the remake of "Rear Window", but I must admit that it exceeded my low expectations and for the first two-thirds of the film, I was enjoying mild entertainment until the third act, when the film shot itself in the foot, fell flat on its face, and did not get back up again.The plot is basically the same as the original 1954 film with a few minor changes to the characters.
In the original, the protagonist of the film was a photographer played by James Stewart confined to a wheelchair by an accident.
In the remake, the protagonist is a quadriplegic played by real-life quadriplegic Christopher Reeve, who made this movie shortly after his horse-riding accident that left him disabled for the rest of his life.
Save for a few other changes, the plot and basic unfolding of the story is the same, with Reeve looking out the window at his neighbors across the courtyard and becoming interested and suspicious when the wife of an abusive man (Ritchie Coaster) disappears mysteriously.First of all, let me hand out my praises to Christopher Reeve for his terrific performance.
I also felt the music by David Shire was very good; it reminded me a lot of James Horner's magnificent score from "Braveheart" (1994).Unfortunately, the movie also does have its flaws and when the third act of the film comes into play, that's when it really begins to suffer.
Robert Forster (who was also in the dismal 1998 remake of "Psycho" (1960), plays the detective who's helping the voyeur trying to solve what appears to be a murder case, but he doesn't have the same presence and charisma that came out of the detective played by Wendell Corey in Hitchcock's film.
And it was at this point that I really lost interest, for I felt I'd seen it before a million times, and even if I hadn't, I still doubt I would have been able to stay interested.My bottom line advice is the same for the two other 1998 remakes of Hitchcock's legendary films: rent the original.
If you want a truly great mystery/suspense-thriller, stick with the master of suspense in the original "Rear Window" (1954).
I definitely recommend seeing that one first and, if you're interested like I was, check out the remake with Christopher Reeve and you may or may not be totally disappointed.
The film has a certain amount of novelty value due to the presence of Reeve but outside of that it is hard to ignore how inferior it is to the Hitchcock original.
As such this remake isn't actually that good because it lacks tension, character and originality.
It isn't terrible of course, because it is reasonably engaging but, aside from the novelty value, I can't see why anyone would chose to watch this in place of the original.Reeve is pretty good in the lead role.
We feel this is a movie of our times.In terms of the film's action, I think the scene in which the killer gets in the house of the main character is stronger and more powerful in this one than in Hitchcock's, though the scene of the woman in the killer's house being caught is much much better in the original, this one is not half as thrilling.
well alright, it's a good movie, but it's a remake.
It had a high level of suspense, good dialoge, intriguing story, and it was one of far too few movies featuring disabled people.
Christopher Reeve's return to acting was awesome, and he delivered one of his best performances ever!
At first, I asked myself, "How on Earth will Reeve act with so many things wrong with him?"  Then I thought, "I have no hands, I can do anything I put my mind to it and so can any other disabled human being here on Earth."  The next night, I saw Rear Window.
The actors, Daryl Hannah & Christopher Reeve & Robert Forester are not from any series on T.V.
And, for the most part, I knew Christopher Reeve could do this, but what he did last night in Rear Window was very VERY VERY inspiring to me and when it comes on again, I hope many of you will watch it because it is an amazing movie with an inspiring man, Christopher Reeve..
I have never seen the original Hitchcock version of this movie, but it couldn't have been better than this.
Christopher Reeves performance was only accentuated by the fact that he really is confined to his wheelchair and that many of the problems he faced in his everyday life are true problems.
Beside the brilliant performance by Miss Hannah and Mr Reeve, most of the supporting stars has been performing well too.The story should has more suspense, more heart pounding scene so that to make this thriller a better one to be seen..
As much as I hated this movie I will say that it did have some good acting from Christopher Reeve and Darel Hannah.
We watch his breathing difficulties from the breathing machine...Reeve was seen as the man, who was not acting all the time...
This remake's worth a look, although of course it's not as good as the Hitchcock original.
This remake of Hitchcock's classic tale can't equal the master's work, but is a suspenseful and interesting little movie with plenty of thrills for the modern audience.
A real-life disabled Christopher Reeve (as a result of a fall from his horse) takes the lead role originally played by Jimmy Stewart, and manages to create a warm and sympathetic character despite the fact he's a voyeur who enjoys watching the private antics of the people living opposite him.
Like Reeve's character, the film manages to hook you into getting involved with the machinations of the people we only witness through the glass.
Otherwise, REAR WINDOW is an agreeable watch even if not up to the level of the original classic..
As is par for the course with remakes of classic films like Hitchcock's "Rear Window", this made for television effort is not a shadow on the original.This particular re-working has updated the original premise to the modern era, and Christopher Reeve's bed-ridden voyeur is afforded the luxury of video surveillance and computer technology.
I knew this wasn't going be better than the original Sir Alfred Hitchcock/James Stewart version, but it is certainly a good attempt at remaking a classic.
Basically architect Jason Kemp (Golden Globe nominated Christopher Reeve) has a car accident, ending with him being paralysed, and after getting out of hospital he is placed in a wheelchair, and back in his large apartment.
From a dark and frightening film we shift in this remake to a plain action film with a cripple as the main character who is beautifully rendered by Christopher Reeve, but that is not enough to make a great film.