REAR WINDOW

Cole's Rating: ★★★★

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Year: 1954

Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

MPAA Rating: PG

        In director Alfred Hitchcock’s second color film, James Stewart—who clearly is Hitchcock’s favorite actor seeing as he starred in more of his films than anybody else—stars as a photojournalist who lives in an apartment complex with people branching from widows to ballet dancers to pianists. His careful observation with long camera lenses and binoculars leads him to believe that one of his neighbors might have murdered his wife! Who will believe him? Are his suspicions misleading? How will he prove it? All of these questions are carefully considered, and crafted expertly in what I consider what is among one of Hitchcock’s best films.

        And it’s no wonder why Hitchcock kept Stewart on board. He seems to have the ability to bring a irresistible sense of humor to everything that he’s in. There’s nothing funny about a man confined—trapped, you might say—in a small apartment with nothing to do but bore and spy. Somehow, thanks to the wittily amusing dialogue and Stewart’s mere mentality, wonderful humor is the result. The amount is just right, though, and you never get overwhelmed with how much laughter is due; James Stewart can also make you nervous. His stage presence is so convincing and well done, that he can just about do anything; that includes pulling off a suspicious, nervous, and scared role. His performance tops off what I’d like to call the most exciting movie that I’ve seen in a year.

        The set design of this masterpiece is enough where standing alone, you’ll know that something great will come of it. With Disturbia, the modern film that brought the story back to life (not that it was ever dead), the set design is just an ordinary set design. However, viewers nowadays will be more terrified of the suspected murderer there than in Rear Window. That’s just because of the sick people we have in this world to this day, though. Something else that draws comparison in my mind is David Fincher’s Zodiac. Both films create a difficult situation for the victim (or in this case, spy/investigator) that’s difficult because they both require solid evidence. Both of these films craft a situation that excites you as viewers. And most importantly, both films are nothing short of masterpieces, and each are one of the best movies of their decade.

        Something else to marvel at here, as there is in most of Hitchcock’s movies, is the originality. I caught wind of the recent release titled The Heat being a comedic buddy-cop movie. For that reason alone (not even talking about the fact that it’s bad), I will not see it because I’ve already seen it: a little bit in Lethal Weapon, a little bit in Red, a whole lot in Bad Boys, and the rest in any Melissa McCarthy vehicle out there. With Rear Window, you get an inventive idea that surely revolutionized the genres mystery and thriller, or even film in general. From now on, when I watch a movie (particularly a mystery/thriller), I’ll be asking myself the following. Is James Stewart needed? Has this idea been used and reused already? What does the set design purport? And most importantly, would Hitchcock make this? If I can answer no, no, a lot, and yes to those questions, I’ve found myself a darn good piece of work. Speaking of Hitchcock himself, look for a surprise two-second cameo in the pianist’s apartment.

-Written by Cole Pollyea