Rear Window

A classic film from a classic film director. The VJA Film Society showed the 1954 mystery thriller film Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Thelma Ritter, the film takes place in New York City.

Photographer L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies has a broken leg and is confined to his apartment, so he occupies his time by spying on his neighbors. After he notices that, his neighbor, Lars Thorwald’s wife is missing he becomes suspicious due to previous events he witnessed. He believes Thorwald may be behind her disappearance, maybe even her murder. With no sufficient evidence to turn him in or justify a search warrant, he’s forced to keep spying with the help of his girlfriend Lisa Fremont and his nurse Stella, both of whom were originally against his spying. Can they find the evidence they need without getting killed or arrested? Did Lars Thorwald really kill his wife?

Alfred Hitchcock was known for creating several chilling movies back in the day, from drama to horror. But his most common work was thrillers. Jefferies is determined to prove that Thorwald is a murderer, even though it’s only a suspicion. This creates tension as the plot slowly unfolds. The film also takes an interesting look at the invasion of privacy as the whole story is built around this issue. The performances are believable and hold up to this day. The real prize of this experience is the mystery. There’s enough conflicting evidence for people to think that Thorwald could be innocent or the murderer. It is not an obvious mystery and will keep you guessing until the very end. However, there are a few minor flaws that must be considered.

Almost the entire movie takes place in one room. If you’re not a fan of being stuck in the same place for almost 2 hours, then this movie is not for you. There is also a very slow start to the movie, with nothing happening for a long period of time that could mean a possible walk out by some moviegoers. Most of the scenes aren’t very exciting, so people might feel like they are trapped in a 2-hour film with no way out. Basically, this is a story about being in one place and commenting about things you see for 112 minutes. For some people, that won’t matter and they’ll enjoy it because the pacing works really well to build the tension and mystery. Unless you’re a big film fan, you might find yourself not enjoying it, because it’s unlike films made nowadays that often contain loud, non-stop action.

Despite these minor flaws, this is still a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller that I do recommend, just be ready for a slow-paced ride made before CGI when great storytelling and talented actors carried a film.