Review of Rear Window (1954) by Elizabeth N — 24 Sep 2018
'Rear Window' is a masterclass in plotting, characters and dialogue. The premise is genius, and Hitchcock wrings every ounce of suspense he can from it. I particularly appreciated the decision to always show everything from the perspective of our central character - making us feel trapped and helpless in the same way he does, particularly in the final 20 minutes.
The movie looks fantastic and, for 1954, the direction is very sophisticated, and it's easy to see why the movie is held in such high regard. There are times where the pacing starts to suffer, but even then James Stewart's understated, enigmatic performance keeps you invested.
It's not just him though - the characterisation of all the cast, small part or large, is excellent; with particular note to Thelma Ritter's Stella, who stole every scene she was in. I think it would have worked better as a compact 90 minutes, but a really great thriller nonetheless.
This review of Rear Window (1954) was written by Elizabeth N on 24 Sep 2018.
Rear Window has generally received very positive reviews.
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