Review of Rear Window (1954) by Johnny T — 06 Jun 2013

It's one of Alfred Hitchcock's inspired audience-participation films: watching it, you feel titillated, horrified, and, ultimately, purged. Just possibly the second most entertaining picture (after Psycho) ever made by Alfred Hitchcock.The deliciousness of watching the film as it's intended to be seen is that the big screen gives Rear Window back its claustrophobia. Don't resist the urge -- steal a peek at it now, and be reminded why Hitchcock is still without equal in the clammy thrills department. It's an astonishing visual and psychological coup. Hitchcock's brilliant satire of cramped city life and his masterly evocation of urban voyeurism suddenly generate primal fear and profound insight. 'Rear Window'. The master of suspense in perfect control of his craft, focusing the lens on a subject that has been taken to the extreme today, and will only go further; voyeurism. Stewart displays a formidable capacity for prurient interest and self-loathing, and everything Kelly does is "proper" yet enchantingly sexual; it's her most charged and charming performance ever.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).