Rear Window
rated PG Universal/USA Films 114 minutes starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr based on the short story "It Had To Be Murder" by Cornell Woolrich written by John Michael Hayes directed by Alfred Hitchcock
A review by Akiva Gottlieb
"Rear Window" takes place almost entirely in one room, yet Sir Alfred Hitchcock envisioned it as "a purely cinematic film." It is his ambitious vision that transforms tricky source material into a timeless classic. To keep his vision intact, Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz have restored the film from its original negative, and this remastered version packs the same punch that the original did 5 decades ago.
Most of Hitchcock's films involve voyeurism, but "Rear Window" was perhaps his most overt film on the subject. "Rear Window" is effective because it portrays not only its protagonist as a voyeur, but the viewer as well.
The opening pan shot of the film tells us everything we need to know about L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) without wasting a line of dialogue. The man is a magazine photojournalist who became wheelchair-bound after a racetrack accident. His girlfriend, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly), is "perfect", yet L.B. is somehow afraid of commitment, and marriage plans have been put off. He spends his days solitarily confined in his Greenwich Village apartment, watching people's lives through his rear window.
We never really hear the neighbors speak, yet each one is a character. There is the ballet dancer who has to deal with a handful of men, the lonely woman who longs for affection, and the newlyweds who spend all day "indoors".
We accept Jefferies as a Peeping Tom perhaps because there is nothing better for him to do. However, this all changes when he witnesses what he believes may be a murder in an apartment across his courtyard. A strange man named Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr, who later on became TV's "Perry Mason") keeps returning to his apartment at late hours of the night carrying suspicious items. His sickly wife has not been seen for the past few days.
At first, Lisa thinks that L.B. has become paranoid from lack of sleep, and scolds his "rear-window ethics". But as new evidence brings her into the game, "Rear Window" begins to study the fine line between paranoia and suspicion.
Up until the film's final minutes, nothing about the "murder" is set in stone. Hitchcock lets the viewer watch the story unfold from Jefferies' point of view, so that at times the audience feels like a Peeping Tom. In this way, from the most uncinematic setup, Hitchcock answers the age-old question of "Why do we go to the movies?" The audience can sympathize with Jefferies because we know that we're the true voyeurs, and that "watching the neighbors" is a human instinct.
"Rear Window" is not one of Alfred Hitchcock's most exciting films, but it is definitely one of his tightest. It is his talkiest film, which isn't a problem thanks to John Michael Hayes' dialogue, which is witty, clever and very sharp. James Stewart and Grace Kelly showcase a chemistry that is rarely seen in films today, and all the neighbors do a superb job of silent acting.
"Rear Window" joins the ranks of "Lawrence Of Arabia", "Spartacus", "My Fair Lady" and Hitchcock's "Vertigo" as films that have been restored by the dynamic duo of Harris & Katz. They have done a fine job with this film, making it look as modern as possible, even with the fake Hollywood sets that in no way resemble New York City. However, I did notice a couple rough spots with the sound, and the final confrontation scene seems to be sped up. But it's a small price to pay to see this masterpiece back on the big screen.
In 1954 "Rear Window" was first released. Now it is 2000, and The Master Of Suspense is simply acknowledged as The Master. It is a tribute to his everlasting legacy that more than a century after his birth, he can still hold the viewer in the palm of his hand.
A
Akiva Gottlieb critical66@yahoo.com http://www.pictureshow.8m.com
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