Classic: Rear Window
“It only takes one witness to spoil the perfect crime.”
Rear Window is possibly Hitchcock’s best film, and as far as suspense films go, it’s one of the best, if not the best to date.
Made back in 1954, it stars James Stewart as Jeff, a photographer recovering from a broken leg. Housebound, he resorts to spying on his neighbours across the street from his apartment with a pair of binoculars to pass the time. When he sees one of his neighbours acting suspicious, he spends his time trying and find out what they are up to.
He convinces his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) and his carer Stella (Thelma Ritter) that his neighbour has killed his bedridden wife. However, no-one else believes him, and when the suspect cottons on to Jeff’s spying, what follows is a blend of thrilling suspense and spellbinding direction. Not that the rest of the film isn’t.
Every part of this film is brilliant. Right from the off, you just know that this film will draw you in, which it does so. Every scene flows beautifully from one to the next, and Rear Window stands out as a true suspense film.
Grace Kelly stars as the woman trying desperately to convince James Stewart that she is right for him, whilst helping him solve the case.
I think what it does best is that it doesn’t follow the norm: rather than sacrificing an unrealistic atmosphere for entertainment value, Hitchcock takes a big risk, focusing on the portrayal of instinctive human characteristics and realism for suspense. Luckily, it pays off, and what you’re left with is, quite frankly, a cinematic masterpiece.
For me, it’s a benchmark for all suspense and thriller films. Even 55 years later, the film is gripping, entertaining and brilliant. It’s not a film that loses its touch over time, and it should be a film in every film lover’s collection.
It may not appeal to everybody, its twists and turns falling slightly short of what you’d expect to find in modern suspense, but personally, I prefer the suspense to build, as opposed to throwing lots of situations at you. Rear Window gives you unparalleled suspense, engrossing you in a gripping plotline that hits all the right spots, and overall Rear Window is pretty much as perfect a suspense film as you’re going to get.
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