My second-favorite Hitchcock flick--just behind Psycho. Some thoughts from my own review:
"In terms of cinematography, I'll call Rear Window Hitch's outright best worked. Paired with frequent DP Robert Burks, the duo produce a film cut that is a sight to behold on the big screen. Every scene is filled with interesting movement or visuals and not an ounce of any frame is wasted. Again, mind-boggling to think this was created in 1954.
About the only criticism I have of this film--dropping it from 10 stars to 9 --is that it might be 15-20 minutes too long. The build-up is superb and the climax is thrilling, but there is a period in the middle where both the character development and plot motion sag a bit. In a film otherwise so expertly constructed, this "sitting in neutral" is apparent.
But for the most part, that is mitigated by the relevance of the film's overall themes. Though originally constructed as commentary on tenement housing situations and their cramped quarters allowing for voyeurism, Jeffries' peering into other lives while neglecting his own is just as relevant in, say, the social media era. When Thelma Ritter says "we've become a race of peeping Toms--what people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change", it is a true punch to the gut. That, to me, is the reason why Rear Window can still play in theaters nearly three quarters of a century after its premiere."
That last paragraph was something I really noticed after seeing a theater screening of it just after the main portion of the pandemic had wound down.
Thanks again for reading and commenting! My readership numbers (never high) have taken a hit lately; no doubt because of all the depressing real-life stuff people are worried about.
That's an excellent observation about how the themes of the movie tie into today's internet/social media. I'm as guilty as anyone of spending half a morning doomscrolling when I could, you know, be an actual husband who interacts with his actual "right there in the same house" wife. I try to be aware of it and not do it; but it does happen.
In short: a hotel owner creates a crawlspace above his rooms to spy on unsuspecting patrons. Partially a sex thing, but perhaps more fascinatingly he'd simply watch people "existing", so to speak. Though obviously massively illegal and probably a little psychotic, his notes are the experience are grotesquely interesting. Because we all know that we act differently when being watched versus when we think we are alone.
My second-favorite Hitchcock flick--just behind Psycho. Some thoughts from my own review:
"In terms of cinematography, I'll call Rear Window Hitch's outright best worked. Paired with frequent DP Robert Burks, the duo produce a film cut that is a sight to behold on the big screen. Every scene is filled with interesting movement or visuals and not an ounce of any frame is wasted. Again, mind-boggling to think this was created in 1954.
About the only criticism I have of this film--dropping it from 10 stars to 9 --is that it might be 15-20 minutes too long. The build-up is superb and the climax is thrilling, but there is a period in the middle where both the character development and plot motion sag a bit. In a film otherwise so expertly constructed, this "sitting in neutral" is apparent.
But for the most part, that is mitigated by the relevance of the film's overall themes. Though originally constructed as commentary on tenement housing situations and their cramped quarters allowing for voyeurism, Jeffries' peering into other lives while neglecting his own is just as relevant in, say, the social media era. When Thelma Ritter says "we've become a race of peeping Toms--what people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change", it is a true punch to the gut. That, to me, is the reason why Rear Window can still play in theaters nearly three quarters of a century after its premiere."
That last paragraph was something I really noticed after seeing a theater screening of it just after the main portion of the pandemic had wound down.
Thanks again for reading and commenting! My readership numbers (never high) have taken a hit lately; no doubt because of all the depressing real-life stuff people are worried about.
That's an excellent observation about how the themes of the movie tie into today's internet/social media. I'm as guilty as anyone of spending half a morning doomscrolling when I could, you know, be an actual husband who interacts with his actual "right there in the same house" wife. I try to be aware of it and not do it; but it does happen.
I even like the quasi-remake of it for 2000s teen audiences: "Disturbia" (with Shia LaBeouf).
On the subject of voyeurism, this doc (based on a book) is fascinating: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7588790/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_voyeur
In short: a hotel owner creates a crawlspace above his rooms to spy on unsuspecting patrons. Partially a sex thing, but perhaps more fascinatingly he'd simply watch people "existing", so to speak. Though obviously massively illegal and probably a little psychotic, his notes are the experience are grotesquely interesting. Because we all know that we act differently when being watched versus when we think we are alone.