#16 - REAR WINDOW
I'm not much on rear window ethics.
Rear Window
1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter
The first of two Hitchcock films coming in on my list is a true masterpiece. What to say about Rear Window that hasn't been said? It's a fantastic suspense film that truly takes its time to unfold. Unlike, say, North By Northwest that starts with a real bang, Rear Window is slow and lazy, just like the summer during which its set.
OK, let's talk about the setting first. James Stewart plays "Jeff" Jeffries, an action photographer who is homebound while a broken leg mends with only the view of his NYC apartment building for entertainment. Hitchcock built the entire tenement building on the backlots - after all, it's the ONLY set in the film, it had to be detailed and exacting. Some of the apartments in the building were even fully equipped with water and electricity. In order to make the set workable, Jeff's apartment, which was on the second or third floor in the movie but ACTUALLY on the ground floor of the backlot, ground had to be excavated below in order to give the sense of height.
As the summer drags on, Jeff, bored, starts to look out his windows more and more. He begins to get obsessed with the idea that his neighbor has murdered his wife. At first, his girlfriend and nurse scoff at the idea, but then they too are sucked in.
That's really it as far as plot is concerned. Very little "happens," per se, and yet this is one of the most suspenseful films I've seen, in part because it does not start off as a suspense film. It builds slowly, very very slowly. The suspense, furthermore, is not garnered from taught action sequences, but more from Jeff's growing obsession. Did he really see what he thinks he saw? Should we believe him?
That last question is what drives the film for me. Much as how Shakespeare does not divulge whether Hamlet's uncle actually killed his father until Act Four, Hitchcock does not tell us whether the neighbor is innocent or guilty until nearly the end of the film. By then, it almost isn't important - we've seen Jeff grow crazed with the notion, so much so that it becomes disturbing.
Because ultimately, this is a disturbing film. Voyeurism is the major thematic element - watching other people when they don't think they're being watched. It's a dark little secret that all of us hold onto - we all would love to spy on those around us. As a little girl, I used to peak my head out my bedroom window at night and watch the neighbor's house. I would watch and watch, but nothing much ever happened. I always secretly hoped I'd see... something. Hitchcock knew that we all feel this way, deep down inside. He made an entire movie about our inability to turn our eyes away from watching our neighbors. We react somewhat in disgust when Jeff starts obsessively watching, and yet we want to watch, too. In fact, are we not voyeurs, fascinated as we are with Jeff? We are watching him watching his neighbors. Hitchcock uncomfortably draws the association as well that we love movies because it gives us a chance to watch other people in a safe and non-confrontational way. Hitch knew we love to watch, and that's what Rear Window is really all about.
Grace Kelly is positively luminous in this film. Her character, Lisa, Jeff's girlfriend, is a fashion model hopelessly in love with her boyfriend. Wait, did I say "in love?" Perhaps I should have said "in lust," because my goodness, but Lisa cannot keep her hands off Jeff. Dare I say it, but Grace Kelly is positively horny in the film. She is desperate for her boyfriend's attentions, but he's more interested in watching his neighbors. She's distraught, but only until she becomes distracted by the neighbors as well. Hitch seems to be saying that even the nice girls like to watch.
I had an amazing experience watching Rear Window on a big screen. Having only ever seen it on a TV, it was an entirely different movie watching it in a theater. You could see every nook and cranny of the neighbors' apartments. The affect was to make you even MORE aware you (and Jeff) were watching other people. It was amazing, and I have to say that if you ever get a chance to see it on a big screen, take it.
Rear Window
1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter
The first of two Hitchcock films coming in on my list is a true masterpiece. What to say about Rear Window that hasn't been said? It's a fantastic suspense film that truly takes its time to unfold. Unlike, say, North By Northwest that starts with a real bang, Rear Window is slow and lazy, just like the summer during which its set.
OK, let's talk about the setting first. James Stewart plays "Jeff" Jeffries, an action photographer who is homebound while a broken leg mends with only the view of his NYC apartment building for entertainment. Hitchcock built the entire tenement building on the backlots - after all, it's the ONLY set in the film, it had to be detailed and exacting. Some of the apartments in the building were even fully equipped with water and electricity. In order to make the set workable, Jeff's apartment, which was on the second or third floor in the movie but ACTUALLY on the ground floor of the backlot, ground had to be excavated below in order to give the sense of height.
As the summer drags on, Jeff, bored, starts to look out his windows more and more. He begins to get obsessed with the idea that his neighbor has murdered his wife. At first, his girlfriend and nurse scoff at the idea, but then they too are sucked in.
That's really it as far as plot is concerned. Very little "happens," per se, and yet this is one of the most suspenseful films I've seen, in part because it does not start off as a suspense film. It builds slowly, very very slowly. The suspense, furthermore, is not garnered from taught action sequences, but more from Jeff's growing obsession. Did he really see what he thinks he saw? Should we believe him?
That last question is what drives the film for me. Much as how Shakespeare does not divulge whether Hamlet's uncle actually killed his father until Act Four, Hitchcock does not tell us whether the neighbor is innocent or guilty until nearly the end of the film. By then, it almost isn't important - we've seen Jeff grow crazed with the notion, so much so that it becomes disturbing.
Because ultimately, this is a disturbing film. Voyeurism is the major thematic element - watching other people when they don't think they're being watched. It's a dark little secret that all of us hold onto - we all would love to spy on those around us. As a little girl, I used to peak my head out my bedroom window at night and watch the neighbor's house. I would watch and watch, but nothing much ever happened. I always secretly hoped I'd see... something. Hitchcock knew that we all feel this way, deep down inside. He made an entire movie about our inability to turn our eyes away from watching our neighbors. We react somewhat in disgust when Jeff starts obsessively watching, and yet we want to watch, too. In fact, are we not voyeurs, fascinated as we are with Jeff? We are watching him watching his neighbors. Hitchcock uncomfortably draws the association as well that we love movies because it gives us a chance to watch other people in a safe and non-confrontational way. Hitch knew we love to watch, and that's what Rear Window is really all about.
Grace Kelly is positively luminous in this film. Her character, Lisa, Jeff's girlfriend, is a fashion model hopelessly in love with her boyfriend. Wait, did I say "in love?" Perhaps I should have said "in lust," because my goodness, but Lisa cannot keep her hands off Jeff. Dare I say it, but Grace Kelly is positively horny in the film. She is desperate for her boyfriend's attentions, but he's more interested in watching his neighbors. She's distraught, but only until she becomes distracted by the neighbors as well. Hitch seems to be saying that even the nice girls like to watch.
I had an amazing experience watching Rear Window on a big screen. Having only ever seen it on a TV, it was an entirely different movie watching it in a theater. You could see every nook and cranny of the neighbors' apartments. The affect was to make you even MORE aware you (and Jeff) were watching other people. It was amazing, and I have to say that if you ever get a chance to see it on a big screen, take it.