Posted by It has been a hot minute since I did so, but it is time to revisit another golden oldie. Under the microscope this time is Rear Window, the second Alfred Hitchcock film I have reviewed and it has an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and an immaculate 100% on metacritic. Sometimes you get the feeling that classics are highly rated because of their name or reputation, in this case though Rear Window’s vaunted status is thoroughly deserved.
Hitchcock favourite James Stewart is L.B. Jefferies, a photographer who is stuck in his apartment after breaking his leg. Wheelchair bound in his flat during the stifling heat of a New York summer, and with little else to do he entertains himself by peering through his neighbours windows and making their business his business. Jeff’s curiosity is piqued by strange goings on in the flat opposite, and he gets drawn deeper and deeper into the mysterious happenings. Despite the skepticism and protestations of nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) he conjures up outlandish, deadly and paranoid solutions. Is he on to something or has all that time cooped up inside got to him?
This is the perfectly paced thriller, as you are shown Jeff’s new found fondness for snooping. The camera lingers a little too long, capturing the sense of voyeurism and the illicit thrill it brings. Their lives on show for your titillation, bringing to mind The Truman Show and many a trashy reality show. It slowly but surely draws you in and achieves the age old trick of making you think one thing, only to throw a curveball at you. The acting is top notch, James Stewart is his evergreen self. Thelma Ritter plays a rather brusque nurse with plenty of motherly pearls of wisdom and Grace Kelly, the doting and rather put upon girlfriend.
This 1954 flick still stands up today, it is a taut thriller with great pacing, lots of suspense and a simple but brilliantly executed plot – yet another example of the masterful Hitchcock at work.
9/10
Lofty Music and Film 