If there was one filmmaker in the 1950's who could take such taboo subjects as voyeurism and dismemberment, and do so with a tongue in cheek, it was Alfred Hitchcock. REAR WINDOW is one of the best examples of his technical virtuosity, and would be one of his finest achievements. REAR WINDOW has been parodied many, many times over the years, my favorite being the Simpsons episode "Bart Of Darkness".
REAR WINDOW was based on a short story in a magazine, and Hitchcock hired John Michael Hayes to adapt it for a film. For Hayes, this was the start of a lucrative screenwriting career that would produce some of the most popular ~if not necessarily great~ movies of the next fifteen years. REAR WINDOW marked the Master's final collaboration with composer Franz Waxman before his fruitful association with Bernard Herrmann.
For an indoor oriented director like Hitch, REAR WINDOW provided plenty of production obstacles to overcome. He thrived on suspenseful dramas set within claustrophobic environments, and the bulk of his exacting camera movements would have to be shot from the protagonist's window. A huge soundstage was erected to represent the courtyard and apartments facing Jimmy Stewart's window. Special drainage would need to be constructed off-camera to accomodate the "rain" water which would occasionally be deployed as specified in the script. However, the biggest task for cameraman Robert Burks involved lighting the set, which would consume many watts of electricity.
When it came to the casting, Hitchcock only had Jimmy Stewart in mind to play L. B. (Jeff) Jeffries, having worked with him on ROPE six years earlier. For the part of Lisa Fremont, Hitch didn't have to go through Grace Kelly's agent to see if she was interested. He just simply asked Kelly when they were making DIAL M FOR MURDER together.
Jeff is an intrepid photojournalist whose daredevil dedication to his job has left him confined to a wheelchair in his small Greenwich apartment. With no television to alleviate his boredom, he takes to spying on the neighbors across the courtyard, getting to know them intimately without their knowledge.
For starters, we've got Miss Torso, a young beauty who practices dancing in her restrictive lodgings. There's also a frustrated composer going through songwriter's block (where Hitchcock makes his obligatory cameo); a young married couple christening their new abode as only honeymooners can; Miss Lonelyhearts, a desperately forlorn middle-aged spinster; a busybody neighbor; and an older couple with a terrier.
But the neighbor who piques Jeff's interest most of all is Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), a henpecked traveling salesman with a nagging invalid wife. Even without the binoculars ~or even a high-powered lens~ Jeff can see the tension between them as they bicker back and forth. She may be practically bedridden but she has enough strength to make her husband's life utterly miserable.
One late rainy night after everyone has gone to bed, the sleepless Jeff overhears what sounds to him like a woman's scream! The next morning, he notices that the blinds are drawn on the Thorwald bedroom window with no sign of the wife.... while the husband is cleaning knives and packing her belongings in a trunk. At least..... we're led to believe that it's her belongings!
Jeff's distant eavesdropping on Thorwald ~and the other neighbors for that matter~ has alarmed the two most important women in his life: his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and high society girlfriend Lisa. People always say that opposites attract and that's true with Jeff and Lisa. His profession has taken him all over the globe in numerous hot spots where he often has to make do with whatever food and accomodations are available. Lisa, on the other hand, is a rising star at the fashion magazine where she works. Because Jeff's incapacitation leaves him unable to dine with her at 21, she arranges for 21 to be brought to him.
Initially skeptical of her boyfriend's morbid suspicions, Lisa eventually comes around to his thinking when Thorwald's odd behavior stirs up her inner Nancy Drew. Stella soon finds herself drawn into the mystery as well. But Jeff's police lieutenant pal dismisses his theories as circumstantial without any hard evidence to prove foul play. And because of Jeff's confinement, Lisa and Stella will have to be his eyes and ears on the ground, which could put them in harm's way if they're not careful.
Hitchcock uses very little of Franz Waxman's music to set the mood for REAR WINDOW, but that certainly doesn't mean he's disregarding its importance. Because the movie centers on voyeurism and eavesdropping, most of the music we hear comes from the composer's apartment as he's struggling with his creative impasse. Popular tunes from the era are also featured in the background, from someone playing a Bing Crosby record, to party guests singing "Mona Lisa", to an instrumental version of "That's Amore". It's during the silences that Hitchcock really wrings out the tension, especially as REAR WINDOW moves towards its conclusion.
The whole cast is marvelous. Jimmy Stewart has one of his best roles as the likeable window peeper. Grace Kelly easily does the finest work of her brief screen career , far better than THE COUNTRY GIRL, which won her the Oscar that should have gone to Judy Garland (A STAR IS BORN). Anybody familiar with THE COUNTRY GIRL? I didn't think so.
As for Thelma Ritter, she'd stolen as many scenes in her movies as Rickey Henderson did bases, and the witty dialogue provided in REAR WINDOW puts her in a class of her own. Oh....and let's not overlook Raymond Burr either. Lars Thorwald was one of the last villains he portrayed before being immortalized in television as the definitive Perry Mason.
The Dvd for REAR WINDOW contains a making-of featurette that furnishes many fascinating details about the production. REAR WINDOW must have been a terrific date movie in its day; it certainly qualifies as one today, and is highly recommended for couples to watch on video or through a streaming service. 🔚
REAR WINDOW was based on a short story in a magazine, and Hitchcock hired John Michael Hayes to adapt it for a film. For Hayes, this was the start of a lucrative screenwriting career that would produce some of the most popular ~if not necessarily great~ movies of the next fifteen years. REAR WINDOW marked the Master's final collaboration with composer Franz Waxman before his fruitful association with Bernard Herrmann.
For an indoor oriented director like Hitch, REAR WINDOW provided plenty of production obstacles to overcome. He thrived on suspenseful dramas set within claustrophobic environments, and the bulk of his exacting camera movements would have to be shot from the protagonist's window. A huge soundstage was erected to represent the courtyard and apartments facing Jimmy Stewart's window. Special drainage would need to be constructed off-camera to accomodate the "rain" water which would occasionally be deployed as specified in the script. However, the biggest task for cameraman Robert Burks involved lighting the set, which would consume many watts of electricity.
When it came to the casting, Hitchcock only had Jimmy Stewart in mind to play L. B. (Jeff) Jeffries, having worked with him on ROPE six years earlier. For the part of Lisa Fremont, Hitch didn't have to go through Grace Kelly's agent to see if she was interested. He just simply asked Kelly when they were making DIAL M FOR MURDER together.
Jeff is an intrepid photojournalist whose daredevil dedication to his job has left him confined to a wheelchair in his small Greenwich apartment. With no television to alleviate his boredom, he takes to spying on the neighbors across the courtyard, getting to know them intimately without their knowledge.
For starters, we've got Miss Torso, a young beauty who practices dancing in her restrictive lodgings. There's also a frustrated composer going through songwriter's block (where Hitchcock makes his obligatory cameo); a young married couple christening their new abode as only honeymooners can; Miss Lonelyhearts, a desperately forlorn middle-aged spinster; a busybody neighbor; and an older couple with a terrier.
But the neighbor who piques Jeff's interest most of all is Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), a henpecked traveling salesman with a nagging invalid wife. Even without the binoculars ~or even a high-powered lens~ Jeff can see the tension between them as they bicker back and forth. She may be practically bedridden but she has enough strength to make her husband's life utterly miserable.
One late rainy night after everyone has gone to bed, the sleepless Jeff overhears what sounds to him like a woman's scream! The next morning, he notices that the blinds are drawn on the Thorwald bedroom window with no sign of the wife.... while the husband is cleaning knives and packing her belongings in a trunk. At least..... we're led to believe that it's her belongings!
Jeff's distant eavesdropping on Thorwald ~and the other neighbors for that matter~ has alarmed the two most important women in his life: his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and high society girlfriend Lisa. People always say that opposites attract and that's true with Jeff and Lisa. His profession has taken him all over the globe in numerous hot spots where he often has to make do with whatever food and accomodations are available. Lisa, on the other hand, is a rising star at the fashion magazine where she works. Because Jeff's incapacitation leaves him unable to dine with her at 21, she arranges for 21 to be brought to him.
Initially skeptical of her boyfriend's morbid suspicions, Lisa eventually comes around to his thinking when Thorwald's odd behavior stirs up her inner Nancy Drew. Stella soon finds herself drawn into the mystery as well. But Jeff's police lieutenant pal dismisses his theories as circumstantial without any hard evidence to prove foul play. And because of Jeff's confinement, Lisa and Stella will have to be his eyes and ears on the ground, which could put them in harm's way if they're not careful.
Hitchcock uses very little of Franz Waxman's music to set the mood for REAR WINDOW, but that certainly doesn't mean he's disregarding its importance. Because the movie centers on voyeurism and eavesdropping, most of the music we hear comes from the composer's apartment as he's struggling with his creative impasse. Popular tunes from the era are also featured in the background, from someone playing a Bing Crosby record, to party guests singing "Mona Lisa", to an instrumental version of "That's Amore". It's during the silences that Hitchcock really wrings out the tension, especially as REAR WINDOW moves towards its conclusion.
The whole cast is marvelous. Jimmy Stewart has one of his best roles as the likeable window peeper. Grace Kelly easily does the finest work of her brief screen career , far better than THE COUNTRY GIRL, which won her the Oscar that should have gone to Judy Garland (A STAR IS BORN). Anybody familiar with THE COUNTRY GIRL? I didn't think so.
As for Thelma Ritter, she'd stolen as many scenes in her movies as Rickey Henderson did bases, and the witty dialogue provided in REAR WINDOW puts her in a class of her own. Oh....and let's not overlook Raymond Burr either. Lars Thorwald was one of the last villains he portrayed before being immortalized in television as the definitive Perry Mason.
The Dvd for REAR WINDOW contains a making-of featurette that furnishes many fascinating details about the production. REAR WINDOW must have been a terrific date movie in its day; it certainly qualifies as one today, and is highly recommended for couples to watch on video or through a streaming service. 🔚