Old School for the New School: Rear Window (1954)
Posted by Craig Kessler on August 26, 2010 at 2:30 am
A film review by Kyle Patterson
Rear Window (1954)
Notable cast members: Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter
Oscars: Best Director – Alfred Hitchcock (nominated)
Confined to his wheelchair in the middle of a hot New York summer, freelance photographer, L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries (Stewart), transforms his courtyard into an amusement park of sorts from his four-story rear window. The stars of this free-of-charge voyeur show include one “Miss Lonelyhearts”, one sunbathing sculptress, one shapely dancer, one aspiring songwriter, and one pair of newlyweds who seem to be the only ones who utilize the window shades available to them… and rightly so! Oh, and I almost forgot the mysterious salesman, Mr. Thornwald. Mr. Thornwald is only known by name because he is the most interesting, or should I say, suspicious of the lot. Jeffries is accused of exaggeration by his nurse (Ritter), his girlfriend (Kelly), as well as his friend in the police force when he begins to suspect something is seriously awry at the Thornwald residence, namely that there is no more Mrs. Thornwald. Could she be in one of Mr. Thornwald’s large suitcases or perhaps underneath a bed of plants in the courtyard? Jeffries certainly aims to find out and he has all the time in the world to do so through the long lens on his Kodak camera. But has Jeffries bitten off a little more than he can chew by orchestrating an investigation and putting the people he loves in the path of Thornwald all from the seat of his wheelchair? Hitchcock answers this question for us with his vintage style of storytelling that only he can portray. Rear Window is a star of stars in the Hitchcock catalogue and will surely captivate the viewer like few suspense films can even in today’s age of filmmaking.
Best Line: Ritter: “The New York State sentence for a Peeping Tom is six months in the workhouse, and they got no windows in the workhouse.”
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Rear Window packs more suspense and intelligent plotline into its running time than any movie poor pandering Hollywood has made in 40 years. Stewart, in his post WWII-maturing stage, turns in one of his best performances. Watching Grace Kelly enter the room will suck all the oxygen off of the planet once you get an eyeful of her in her “casual” outfit. Why did Thelma Ritter never win an Oscar? Another “must-see” offered by this sage reviewer from the Old School.
Not only one of the most suspenseful, genius, gripping stories ever put on film, it is also one of the most incredibly photographed and beautiful movies to watch. The colors, the sweat, the costumes, the courtyard setup, the swirling of the brandy glasses .. I could go on and on. Hitchcock does it like no other .. an incredible treasure of a director. Watch for the piano player/song writer in the garret and notice his friend! Pure cinematic and acting perfection. Definitely in this humble commentor’s opinion one of the 10 best movies ever made. This reviewer has incredible taste in film and has a keen knack for suggesting films that anyone of nearly any generation should and will enjoy. Bravo Kyle!
You are a super writer and superb critic, Kyle. What a well written and in depth review of a terrific movie. I remember it well when I was a lot younger.
i love when it starts raining and the couple that sleeps on the fire escape get all wet.
@Sir Cedric — she never won because she was robbed!!!
@Witty — who walks into the musician’s flat?
@Grandma Betty — How much did your cinema ticket cost?!?!
@Rufus — definitely one of the best parts haha.
Thanks guys!
Kyle … he is standing by the songwriter’s piano listening .. guess who?
Very nice…. my Hitchcock movie by a long shot! Excellent!
“favorite” Hitchcock movie I meant to type… woops!