Review of Rear Window (1954) by Liam C — 30 Mar 2015

Alfred Hitchcock once again demonstrates his perfect skill, and once again doesn't win Best Director, with a film has an absolutely perfect build up as the tension gradually rises. Before that, we get to learn quite a lot about our lead characters and it feels very much like a real world setting as we get to know a little bit about the side characters and it really involves you in its setting as well. All of the side character additions, as well as the love story, were all Hitchcock's idea and that is a smart way to change it from its source as, once again, things that work in one medium may not work as well in another. The Script categories in the Oscar history were vastly different but given all the changes it would make sense in 'Original' screenplay, this is also Grace Kelly's first of 2 appearances in a film nominated in this category in the same year. It all seems to be a nice place to live at first but things are not as they appear and, honestly, a lot seems to happen at 3am in the morning in this neighbourhood. The script for this film really is great, it's memorable, littered with fantastic conversations and even has some black comedy thrown in. The cinematography was also excellent and very inventive, I liked how at the start it begins in Stewart's room, swings around the area and back into his room and it just does neat little things like that throughout, even if it did just randomly speed up a little bit at the end. The soundtrack was also very good, even if I found some of the music to be out of place at times; I'm aware it was the piano in someone's room that was being played but even so, right before the climatic confrontation with a paranoid Stewart talking on the phone, the sound of a jaunty piano in the background felt odd, even though the music did stop at the confrontation. It happened barely a few other times but the help of the very eerie sound effects did the job nicely. And I think I'd get annoyed living that close to someone who seemingly never stopped playing, but the film does lead up to a very good speech about 'being neighbourly'.

The acting was outstanding by everyone and seeing Stewart's increasing paranoia and obsession over the whole scenario was exciting to watch, seriously, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head because of how much I was focused on the screen. After the film was finished I realised how much I was glued to screen and my eyes hurt a little bit because of how much I was just staring at the screen. At the start of the film, I'll admit, I was rolling my eyes a little; he has one week left until he gets his cast off, he sees a couple in the window, he's a photographer and he has a friend that's a detective. Now that is all very coincidental but it never really played into the film in any kind of predictable way at all, not like I expected it to as this is Hitchcock we are talking about and all the excellent writing just makes flow very naturally. It is explained very early on that he broke his leg while he was on his job, so that makes sense and the film also has some funny pay off with some of them, like, the couple argues at the end of the film and something happens to Stewart's other leg. It's just that I'm so used to bad coincidences in modern films that I can't help but notice things like that and this was made by someone who really cared about their craft. This isn't really a problem with the film but why would everyone leave their windows open so much all the time? I understand it's hot but at least draw your blinds or your curtains or something, and it took someone about an hour for someone to finally do that and what was the deal with the couple that slept outside? There have been some theories I've read, some funny ones as well, and I know it's hot, but it does add another quirk to the neighbourhood. And I'm still surprised it took as long as it did for someone to finally notice that Stewart's character was looking out his window, he spent nearly every day just looking out his window and yet no one saw him? Again, he's a photographer so he probably does know a thing or two about being sneaky; his skills don't just go away because of a broken leg, besides running, of course and even then he moved back in his wheelchair very fast.

There was a scream in the film when I thought there would be and it was believeable, its short enough of a scream to where it is believable no one else heard it besides Stewart's character and even with the scream, I thought she might have gone to hospital or something, and even before things got increasingly suspicious, I don't think the characters considered that. I won't say the actors name as to not spoil who is behind it but his hair reminded me of Al Pacino from 'Godfather Part III' and Russell Crowe from 'Body of Lies' and he did do a very good job, especially at the end when we just see his eyes and I'd have liked it if Stewart asked him why he did what he did. I thought it'd just be Stewart by himself at the end with just his wife and he would have to do something about saving her by himself, but it seems like I've seen one too many parodies, which, in those, it's always a misunderstanding. I was wondering throughout the film if it was going to go in the direction to that parts of what was going on were just in the character's head. I did think that if his character was just a creep it'd make following him a harder thing to want to do but as the film went on he kind of did become more of an obsessive and even before then, the question of whether it is okay to look, even if just casually or to prove a crime, is right in the first place. Like any good film, it can be enjoyed on a basic level but there is also something much deeper hidden here for those who are honest enough and willing to look, because when we do look, we are just looking back at ourselves. It's scary how it's more relevant in this day and age than it has ever been before, it also deals with a few other themes but they are so carefully executed through excellent dialogue, I'll just leave it at that. After all was said and done the film did get under my skin and it stayed with me, the direction here is flawless and the mysterious imagery throughout, like the glow of a cigar in a pitch black room, or someone walking out in the rain in the middle of the night, or that terrifying moment when someone finally notices you're spying on them just really stuck with me. It's an excellent film that builds up the tension superbly, has excellent characters and smart themes with an underlying message.