Rear Window Movie Review

Rating:  9/10

**Please be ware of the spoilers in this review, please skip the spoilers part of this review (I have clearly annotated this in the review) if you haven't seen the movie. I don't want to spoil this classic to anyone.

Recently, I had a chance to watch the highly recommended classic “Rear Window”, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. They are suspenseful, creepy, and always keep you at the edge of your seat. I had high expectations going into this film after hearing a lot of praise about the movie.

It has a high IMDB rating, it is directed by Alfred Hitchcock, what I’m afraid of going into this movie is that I might not like it or I might not love it. I expect to not once feel bored while watching this movie and that by the end of the film, the film will surprise me with its twist or ending like other famous Hitchcock movies. I expect a masterpiece.

Rear Window is about a photographer, Jeff, who is stuck in a wheelchair in his apartment with nothing to do except spying on his neighbors. He becomes convinced that one of his neighbors murdered his own wife and starts investigating the incident from his rear window. It’s a very basic plot, and also a perfect one for a suspenseful movie.

The film starts out nice and slow, explaining the plot and introducing the characters. It was even at times too slow for me but I knew that the film would get more intense as the story progresses. And it did exactly that. The climax and falling action of this film are the most suspenseful parts of the movie. I was at the edge of my seat, rooting for the characters, and always curious how the film is going to turn out. This is exactly what I want in a Hitchcock film.

The music was also great in this movie. Thrilling scenes in movies these days need scary music to intensify the suspense of the scene. But not Hitchcock, Hitchcock has the ability to make a scene with acoustic or soft music and make the scene really suspenseful. The acting and direction alone are suspenseful enough and it only made the scene more gripping and thrilling with the piano song playing.  It was genius.

(SPOILERS START)

I was, however, a little bit disappointed with the ending of the film. I think the director could have explored the idea of messing with other people’s privacy at the end of the film. They talked about this matter once in this movie and not mentioned it ever again. I mean is it really ethical or moral to spy on other people’s lives? Like Jeff said, if someone is watching a man with binoculars spying on another man, it wouldn’t be ethical.

I get that by the end of the movie, Jeff had nothing to be sorry for. He was right, Mr. Thowald killed his own wife. But when it wasn’t really obvious that Mr. Thowald killed his wife, Jeff was just as convinced as he was at the end of the film. He had no evidence yet he was so sure. I think Hitchcock could have toyed with that idea about morality a little more in the film.

He didn’t have to throw a big explanation, but a conversation or two during the movie or at the end would be nice. When Jeff acted a little cocky to his friend Doyle at the end of the film, I didn’t buy it and it had no impact whatsoever on me.

Following the idea I mentioned above, the film would have had a much more impact on me if Mr. Thowald didn’t really kill his wife and Jeff is just interpreting things the way he wants it to be interpreted. The ending would have a much more impact on me. The characters in the film would change. But in this ending, none of the characters changed. For this reason, when the credits started rolling, it just gave me a MEH feeling.

Another problem I have with the film is that towards the end of the film, when Jeff and Thowald finally met for the first time, it wasn’t as suspenseful as it could have been. Thowald walking slowly and stopping every time Jeff flashes his camera, I didn’t really but that. Jeff screamed out for help and Thowald started attacking Jeff. And the police arrived in time just to save Jeff. I expect a little more from Alfred Hitchcock.

(SPOILERS END)

Don’t get me wrong, I still thing this film is really well made. It was well acted, directed, written, and choreographed. Hitchcock directed the heck out of this movie. The climax was really suspenseful, the fade ins and outs during the film were nice. And as I was watching the movie, I felt claustrophobic. The direction/choreograph of the film was perfect that I felt like I’m stuck with Jeff in his tiny apartment.

As for performances in this film, everyone was perfect. No one held the movie down. They all helped carry the film to perfection. James Stewart was great as Jeff. Grace Kelly was great as Lisa. And Thelma Ritter was great as Stella. The neighbors in the movie were a nice touch too. We never really got to know them, but by the end of the movie, you feel like you already know and met 

them.

The direction was great, the story was great, the acting was great. But I didn’t like this film as much as I thought I would. It left no impact on me. The first half of the film was a little too slow for me and the ending was a tad disappointing. The fact still stands, however. This movie is really well made. It is a masterfully crafted film. The plot is genius and the acting is phenomenal.

Does it deserve to be called a classic? Yes, definitely. The film is as close as good cinema you going to get. It didn’t need special effects to drive the film, it got the acting and plot to do that. I just wish I could like this film a little more than I do right now. Maybe it will improve upon a second viewing. I recommend this film to anyone who has passion and love for cinema. It’s a masterfully crafted film from a legendary director, Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is a classic and a masterpiece, please check this film out if you haven’t already.