Rear Window (1954)

Written by John Michael Hayes

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

1998 List Ranking: 42

2007 List Ranking: 48

Looking back, I can’t recall the moment when I became a “Hitchcock Fan”. I probably first really became aware of him around the time that the awful Psycho remake was being released in the ‘90’s (mostly because there was a TON of hoopla surrounding it), but I don’t remember when I actively started watching (and generally enjoying) his films. I do know that, for a brief period, I was devouring his filmography, seeing some great films (Psycho, Rope, The Birds (which I should have hated)) and seeing some not-so-great ones (Frenzy, Foreign Correspondent, or, probably controversially, North by Northwest come to mind). This film, Rear Window, was one that I watched in that time, so seeing it again on this list was something I rather enjoyed.

Grace Kelly and James Stewart

Rear Window stars James Stewart (in like his 100th appearance on this list) as L. B. Jefferies, a man confined to a wheelchair due to a broken leg. Unable to do anything, he spends his days watching his various neighbors in the courtyard through his (and their) windows. He’s 100% a peeping tom, but the film just glides right past that to get to the plot: Jefferies becomes convinced that a neighbor across the way (Raymond Burr) has murdered his wife and has disposed of her body. With very little evidence to back himself up, Jefferies must convince his potential girlfriend (played by Grace Kelly) and his detective friend that something foul is afoot.

James Stewart and his graying hair

I’m running out of ways to describe Stewart’s acting, and if memory serves me correctly, this isn’t even the last film on this list that he’s in. He doesn’t bring anything new to the film, other than me being a little shocked at just how old he looks, especially compared with the last time we saw him, in 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life, only 8 years before this film’s release. It might have something to do with this being the first film on this list (featuring Stewart, at least) in color, but there was something rather sad about the whole thing…I could wax poetic about the passage of time and how the old guard has to, at some point, step aside for the new crew to come in, but perhaps I’ll save that for another time.

The glamorous Grace Kelly

I am pleased to say, however, that Grace Kelly’s acting ability has improved significantly since we last saw her in 1952’s High Noon. That’s not to say that she’s amazing in this film, either, but I did enjoy her much more, and she’s given a lot more to do here as well. The sequence in which she, against Stewart’s wishes, sneaks into Burr’s apartment is great fun to watch. Likewise, Burr is effectively suspicious throughout the film, and his climatic encounter with Stewart, while suffering from some bizarre editing choices, begins with some nice and suspenseful work from both actors.

Suspense is obviously Hitchcock’s forte, and he handles it pretty well here, once the film really gets going. There isn’t a lot of suspenseful moments in the first half of the film; indeed, it isn’t until Stewart and Kelly begin to interact with Burr (such as leaving him notes) that the suspense begins to creep up. The rest of the film that precedes that point is still entertaining, but there is little of suspenseful value; it’s more about Stewart beginning to have his suspicions and then trying to convince everyone else (and us) of them.

…busted.

However, once Kelly decides to take it upon herself to enter Burr’s apartment (by climbing a balcony, no less), the film really starts to crank up the suspense. As Stewart (and, again, us) frantically watches both her and for a sign of Burr returning, she searches the apartment for clues. Burr, of course, returns, and the suspense is kicked up another notch as she is discovered. Perhaps the most chilling moment of the sequence is when, after noticing that Kelly is signaling to Stewart across the way, Burr looks up directly into the camera to see Stewart for the first time. Hitchcock is able to make the audience themselves feel busted, and it’s a testament to his craft and abilities to put us on the edge of our seats.

There is another element to the suspense of the scene that the film adds in, and that is the apparent preparing for suicide by the neighbor under Burr, whom Stewart names Miss Lonelyhearts. Her story is just one of the many that fill the courtyard’s windows, and it’s great fun to see the different plots play out throughout the film. They’re all wrapped up a little too neatly for my taste, but the disparate stories do help the film feel more alive; each one its own little microcosm.

I honestly can’t recall what I felt about Rear Window the first time I saw it, but watching it with a more critical eye now, I would say that I enjoy it. It’s not the most suspenseful of Hitchcock’s films, but it has a great premise and is elevated by great leading performances and a style that still holds up today.

FINAL GRADE: A-