While Psycho is my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rear Window is a close second, and it is to my mind the classiest suspense movie he made. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly provide that classiness. Cool and brazen Grace, subtlely provoking Jimmy at every turn, knowing he is stuck helpless with a broken leg in a cast, while she cavorts about getting too close to the murderer, and enjoying his nervousness. The murderer is played by Ramond Burr in a strange role for him--but he is very scary. In a stroke of genius, Hitchcock provides us a cutaway view of the appartments across the way and the dramas going on inside of them. We start getting invested in the stories of the inhabitants. Thelma Ritter adds something to the movie that it could not do without. As Stewart's private duty nurse, her no-nonsence philosophies of life are very necessary for thorough scene development. I never get tired of watching this movie. Barbara Bel Geddes is also very good as Jimmy's secretary.

Some films show their age, and others do not. Despite its reputation as a classic of great filmmaking, Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window, unfortunately, shows its age far too much. No, it's certainly not a bad film, by any standard, and is a pretty good one, but it's not one of Hitchcock's best, much less a great film, nor deserving of any place in the Top 100 Films lists of the last few years. Technically, it deserves many plaudits, but what really fails is the screenplay, written originally by John Michael Hayes for a radio play, and adapted from a short story by Cornell Woolrich. Yes, one can suspend disbelief from night till day comes, but the whole idea that a man would murder his wife and cut up her body all in front of an open window is sheerly implausible, even back in the 1950s New York milieu the film takes place in. Even one of the film's characters, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) comments on that fact, but it's not with irony, which only highlights the film's greatest failing- its implausibility.
Now, there are genres where the suspension of disbelief is absolutely essential. For example, one of my favorite films from childhood, the original Planet Of The Apes (1968) requires a great suspension of disbelief, far more so than Rear Window does. After all, the Charlton Heston character, Colonel Taylor, a veteran trained astronaut and scientist, goes throughout the whole film not recognizing the sun and moon, the constellations, the unlikely evolutionary odds that humans and apes could evolve anywhere but Earth, and that the apes speak English, no less! It's not until he sees the wreck of the Statue Of Liberty that he realizes he's back on our world. I was four or five when I first saw the film, and knew it was Earth a minute or two after the astronauts arrived on the Planet Of The Apes. Perhaps too closely studying books on geology and science destroys a youthful ability to suspend disbelief, but the rest of the film was so brilliantly satirical that the implausibilities were minor solecisms. In short, there is no story unless we accept these liberties with common sense, including the fact that the astronauts could be frozen in suspended animation for two eons. It's an all or none proposition- accept, or walk out of the theater. Genres that depend on the implausible- like sci fi and horror, demand such of their audience, and once given it's foolish to quibble over things like time travel, faster than light speed, aliens, modern dinosaurs, ghosts, atomic age mutants, or the like....The plot is well known.... While not a great film overall, Rear Window is a technically great film. The camera work by cinematographer Robert Burks is first rate, and the film goes over many standard Hitchcock themes such as voyeurism- especially apt in this cyberworld of 24/7 voyeurism, marriage as a horror, and challenging technical restrictions, as in Lifeboat and Rope. There are many small moments in the film that work for effect- such as pure mise-en-scene shots of Jeff or the neighbors doing minor things unrelated to the main tale. And, there is some comedy, such as after Jeff is tossed out the window, and Thorwald is arrested, Stella comments to the cops, `I don't want any part of it', when asked about assisting in the search for Anna Thorwald's body. Still, none of the many pluses of the film are enough to lift the film up from a good, solid period piece, for Rear Window's reputation is based largely upon its claim to being a slice of `realism'. It's not. It's far closer to melodrama with its reliance on coincidences and implausibilities- not to mention the very sexism of the premise that a woman is so predictable that even her murder can be deduced by small deviances from that predictability, to propel the main action along. And melodrama, while it can often be great fun, is almost never great art. Rear Window is vastly overrated, and no exception that proves the rule. It is the rule, and that's a fact no amount of suspended disbelief can alter.

This film has become a cult film with time. Everything seems to be at that level though the situation and plot are rather light. What is important here is that Hitchcock transforms this back yard and garden surrounded by buildings all around and a highly voyeuristic microcosm into a complete vision of human society with all its dramas, and its pleasures and joys. To transform such a small microcosm entirely closed onto itself into a vision of the whole society we hardly get a couple of glimpses of through an alley opening onto the main street is marvelous and amazing. The second phenomenal fact is that the main actor is a wheelchair-ridden man with a severely broken leg in a cast. How can the whole world completely turn and whirl around that sole man? It is only possible because it is absolutely seen through the only eyes of this man or the eyes of the people standing next to him. There is only one instance when the point of vision is not his own eyes but a point outside in the yard-garden: at the end when he is being dropped from his window and then we get for a very short period of time the vision from the cops' eyes. This gives to that film such a personal dimension that it is nearly sickening: we have the impression of invading the privacy of that man. In fact what I have just said is false because he alternates what the man can see and close-up shots on him to show his personal reactions to what he has just seen. This constant alternating of voyeuristic sequences from the eyes of one man and close-up shots on his body language and language forces us into his own skin, body, bones. We are no longer voyeurs but ghosts in him seeing through his eyes. We are the direct witnesses of what he sees because we see it with him, through his own eyes and we start feeling the same emotions as he does. Of course everything is seen through the camera, but Hitchcock even uses some tools to emphasize the voyeuristic dimension and force us into it: a camera with a zooming lens that is so big that the camera becomes minuscule, or binoculars that are of course too big for the distance across the back yard and later the flash bulbs to force us not to see through the eyes of the murderer but to be seen through the eyes of the murderer. The last point I would like to insist on is that Hitchcock shows a murder but he is not interested in the murder per se but in the reactions of the witnesses, those who see everything and how they are blind to what they see. Then he builds up the slow recognition in their eyes, language and behavior, and then they become obsessive about it, to the point of becoming if not courageous at least unconscious of the risks they are taking or running. That too is remarkable and that nearly makes us get out of the simplistic voyeurism I have spoken of all along and climb into some kind of distantiation from the penned up impression of before, a distantiation that leads us to the idea that courage in a human society is often the result of a conviction that makes us blind to the danger or risk we are facing. Courage is the result of a lack of consciousness more than intensified consciousness. This is the human dimension Hitchcock always brought to his films. And that is kind of lost in our modern action films that do not have one single second now and then to just rest and digest what has happened before.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

Rear Window is considered by many Alfred Hitchcock's best movie. The story suited him well. A man confined to a wheelchair, watching things that may be innocent or murderous, a beautiful woman out of her element, in danger, with gradually building suspense that takes a potentially fatal turn as we watch helplessly with our immobilized protagonist, and a cliffhanger climax. The movie has been analyzed by very smart people looking for much more than that, deeper meanings and allusions, and some of their ideas are true, and some are fun. But it's the basic story elements, sharp dialogue, fine acting and the direction of a master that make it a great movie.

The immobilized man is "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart), a Life Magazine photographer who's laid up in his New York City apartment with a broken leg. Accustomed to an active life of adventure and world traveling, he's reduced to passing his time using binoculars and a telephoto lens to spy on the small world of neighbors across a small courtyard from his rear window. The beautiful woman is his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly), a high society woman whom he is avoiding marrying on the excuse that she isn't cut out for his rambling life of action and danger, and he doesn't want to settle down. As events across the way take a potentially sinister turn, the tables are turned as Lisa shows her grit in risky investigations while Jeff must remain passive. Raymond Burr (of Perry Mason fame) plays the suspect neighbor who may or may not have killed someone. Thelma Ritter is Jeff's house-call nurse who also gets involved.

Most of the film is presented from Jeff's powerless perspective, giving the suspense an extra edge. There are allusions to impotence and, through the lives of the neighbors, a range of romantic and marriage relationships mirroring the fears of many men and women, including our protagonists. Much has been made of the theme of voyeurism, the window as a representation of the movie screen and so on, though I think it's easy to make too much of that. Screenwriter John Michael Hayes and Hitchcock work in the usual Hitchcock cameo and humor, including a dog who "knew too much" (a reference to another Hitchcock film).

The new 2-disc Special Edition DVD looks to be an excellent set. It will include new special features:

-- audio commentary by John Fawell, author of Hitchcock's Rear Window: The Well-Made Film
-- Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of the Master
-- Hitchcock/Truffaut interview excerpts
-- Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock
-- Alfred Hitchcock Presents Mr. Blanchard's Secret
-- original theatrical trailer

There will also be features carried over from the 2001 Collector's Edition:

-- Rear Window Ethics: An Original Documentary (55 minutes)
-- A Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes (13 minutes on the Collector's Edition)
-- 1983 re-release trailer for Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Trouble With Harry, Rope, and Rear Window, narrated by James Stewart (6 minutes)
-- production photographs
-- production notes

There's no mention in the press release of the screenplay feature that was on the older DVD. It allowed you, using a DVD-ROM drive, to read the script while watching the movie, or to print out the script. (The script is available online now.)

The picture will be in the original 1.66:1 widescreen format, anamorphic, with the original mono sound.

No announcement for a Blu-ray edition yet.

I think that this is one of Hitchcock's most popular and entertaining films. I truly adore Jimmy Stewart, and his work with Hitchcock is just magical (Rope, Vertigo, and the Man Who Knew Too Much). Grace Kelly IS the Hitchcock blonde. Their dysfunctional relationship is believable and well acted. Thelma Ritter stands out, even among these two, to be a transcendent comic character.

The story itself is still so intriguing: a voyeur witnesses a crime, but has trouble convincing others because he is prying on his unsuspecting neighbors. I think reality t.v. proves just how much interest we all have in the lives of others. The timeless storyline is so well acted and cleverly presented; it is difficult NOT to like this film.

The DVD is quality, but it is obvious that the extensive reconstruction work used on Vertigo is not present here. All the extras make it a must have. For Hitchcock fans it is a must. So indulge your voyeuristic curiosities ... Highly recommended.

This movie is a great one to encapsulate what makes Hitchcock films great. His brand of storytelling is unique and for me very enjoyable. He always shows us the story from the subjective viewpoint of the actor and in this case, Jimmy Stewart, as the temporarily invalid photographer who out of boredom decides to take an interest in his neighbour's activities. In effect, he is watching many television screens aka windows outside his apartment that happen to be screening real-life soap operas.

I disagree that what he does amounts to voyeurism because he doesn't really watch continuously just to get gratuitous pleasure out of it but he really appears to be concerned about his neighbour's well-being. He tries to prevent the lonely one from committing suicide in addition to the main part of the story about his concern for the invalid woman who was killed by her husband. I thought the beautiful irony was that while everyone was critical of Stewart's character spying or peeping at his neighbours and yet his concern for them and his willingness to even put his life on the line to help them contrasts with that of the other neighbours who just didn't give a damn and who are supposed to be doing the right thing. The scene with the dead dog perfectly illustrates this as at one apartment, the party simply resumes as if nothing happened after the distraught owner's emotional outburst. I just loved the dramatic irony of how Stewart's character was really the good neighbour despite his peeping while the others were really bad neighbours minding their own business just like in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The screenplay was very well written and the witty and comical dialogue especially between Stewart's character and the masseuse was very amusing indeed. The acting wasn't brilliant but was good enough and I enjoyed the theme about the differences between man and woman and how their motivations are driven by different things and yet both are really trying to arrive at the same thing: happiness in a life together. The final scene with Grace Kelly and the magazine was especially telling and amusing for me.

The special features are quite good and I especially like the documentary "Rear Window Ethics: Remembering and Restoring a Hitchcock Classic." The only problem is with the dvd which sound quality wise isn't great and the picture quality despite being restored is quite poor with many imperfections on too many frames. This suggests to me that the original master must be very poorly preserved if this is the best that they could do. Here's hoping that with the advent of Blu-ray they will take the opportunity to have another try at improving both the picture and sound quality. For the latter a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround restored sound option would be much appreciated.

Not one of Hitchcock's absolute best but still a very good film; recommended but you may want to wait for a better restored version to be made available and to give this dvd version a miss.

Another great classic! Grace has such style and class. Jimmy Stewart is fantastic. Great rolls for both of them and great chemistry!

One of Hitch,s best movies, look hard to see Hitch in this film, a great performance of Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, hit all the emotional buttons, hummor, romance, suspence, one you can watch over with Thelma Ritter adding a brillant performance as Stewarts nurse.

It's summer in New York, but L. B. "Jeff" Jefferies (James Stewart) is trapped in his apartment with a severely broken leg. Aside from the daily visits from his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly), his only diversion is watching the people in the apartment complex out his back window. And since it is the middle of a horrid heat wave, everyone has their window open at all times.

Late one night, Jeff witness something funny going on across the way. The invalid wife in one of the apartments has vanished and the husband (Raymond Burr) is taking many trips out of the apartment carrying something in his suitcase. Jeff quickly assumes the wife was murdered. Enlisting Lisa and Stella's help, he tries to prove it. But is he right? And can he prove it without leaving his own apartment?

I seem to have a weird relationship with Hitchcock. I don't enjoy the movies everyone considers his masterpieces, but I do enjoy his lesser known films. In keeping with this tradition, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. The beginning of the film was very slow as the many side stories were set up. Even once the main story got going, I still found it rather slow for my tastes. The ending, however, was exciting if a bit predictable. And the acting was great, bringing the characters to life.

I'm definitely going to keep watching Hitchcock's films. But I'm going to explore all his films to see which ones I think are his best. I doubt that this one, while not his worst, will make the list of his best either.

Some years ago I had a hell of a time trying to get an old girlfriend to go see Rear Window. She had seen only one Hitchcock movie before, The Birds, and it freaked her out so much she vowed to never again see one of his movies. I pleaded that Hitch only made one of those kinds of movies and this was certainly not one of them. She finally gave in but with much apprehension. We went to see the newly restored version at the Stanford, a terrific theater. She was quite attentive during the whole film and seemed to be taken in by the suspenseful elements. I digress, the movie we saw before this was Top Gun, her choice, which prompted me to take her to something of some substance. After leaving the movie, we walked down the avenue and I asked, "Well, what did you think of that?" and she thought for a second and replied "I think that was best movie I ever seen."

You might want to consider this when looking for a good date movie.

There are solid reasons why this is justifiably considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

The plot is intelligent, the characters well-developed, the actors top notch, Princess Grace is incredibly glamorous, the dialog is memorable and the social observations and commentary quite thought-provoking. It's a visual and verbal treat at every level.

I do agree that the murder is not so much the main point of the movie (since we never actually see the murder and there's no doubt as to whodunit), as is the exercise in pseudo-voyeurism that Hitchcock provides. The viewer gets to take advantage of the neighborhood espionage of L.B. Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart). It should be pointed out that in 1954, television had fortunately not yet become the staple feature of American home life - which makes it understandable that a homebound individual in an urban neighborhood would unintentionally find himself watching real people instead.

If you're looking for mindless, action-filled entertainment full of gratuitous sex, gadgetry and/or special effects, then it is true that you will probably not enjoy this movie. But that will be your loss.

I watched both the Alfred Hitchcock movies "Rear Window" and "Torn Curtain" at about the same time. Though both of them are great movies, I think I like "Rear Window" a little bit better.
James Stewart is L.B. Jeffries, a photographer who injured his leg while on an assignment. While sitting in his wheelchair near the "rear window" in his room, he notices everything going on around him...including the disappearance of the invalid Mrs. Thorwald, who lives across the complex from him. He notices also, that Mr. Thorwald leaves quite a few times during the night. Jeffries soon starts to suspect Mr. Thorwald of murdering his wife and carrying away her body, and He refuses to believe the story that Mrs. Thorwald is away visiting relatives.
Grace Kelly is absolutely stunning as Lisa Freemont, Jeff's glamorous girlfriend who soon becomes involved in helping him solve the murder. She was one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actresses and he put her in another of his successful films, "Dial M For Murder," the same year she made "Rear Window."
This movie does show alot of scenes of the people around the apartment complex that don't have anything to do with the story or the murder that can get old, but other than that I would say that this is one of Hitchcock's most enjoyable films.

The movie doesn't need reviewing in my opinion. Everyone at least knows about it. It's one of the greatest movies made. Not everyone loves it but most do, and should be on the shelf of anyone who likes classic movies. Not many reviewers comment on the extras. They are decent and are enjoyable enough to watch if you're interested in film. I will say that the hero worship of Hitchcock is still going strong and colors the extra features. Hitchcock was VERY talented but was possibly more master of PR rather than suspense. He did know how to put together a good team, though. A look at the extras on Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One (I think this was the one) was much more interesting.

...But hardly a masterpiece. For that, try Torn Curtain (1966), or Hitch's last and best, Family Plot (1976).

Poor production values, including a set that does the film no favors, leave this one-trick pony limping badly out of the gate. Grace Kelly is game enough playing the socialite girlfriend of photographer L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart), but there's no real chemistry between the two leads (had Prince Rainier already proposed?). Worse yet, the two supporting players (Thelma Ritter as Jeffries' nurse, and Raymond Burr as the defense attorney accused of killing a dog) seem to be phoning it in.

Worst of all, this mystery movie has no real mystery. Stewart and Kelly suspect Burr has killed a dog--guess what? He did! I won't spoil what follows, except to say Burr's actions are beyond belief, given that he (at most) faced no more than a fine for cruelty to animals.

The "Miss Torso" character is the sole bright spot in this gloomy production, but alas, she has far too little screen time. The two stars are for her.

Released in 1954, REAR WINDOW was a major success with critics and public alike--and unlike some Hitchcock films, which were praised at the time but negatively re-evaluated, it has held up incredibly well over time.

Loosely suggested by several notorious crimes, the premise of REAR WINDOW is widely famous. Photographer L.B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) is confined to his New York apartment with a broken leg, alternately nursed and harrassed by his elegant girl friend Lisa (Grace Kelly) and pragmatic day nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter.) Annoyed and bored, he begins to watch his neighbors across the courtyard--and soon notices the activites of Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald (Raymond Burr and Irene Winston.) Their quarrels quite suddenly cease, Mrs. Thorwald is no longer visible, and Mr. Thorwald is unexpectedly given to taking packages out of the house. Is it murder?

The set for REAR WINDOW has long garnered a great deal of attention, and deservedly so: it is a meticulous sound stage re-creation of New York apartment buildings of the era, and with few exceptions both the camera work and sound effects are presented from Jefferies' point of view: we see what he sees and hear what he hears. In the process, we become as much of a peeping tom as Jefferies himself, a device that tends to make audiences increasingly squirm as the film progresses. At the same time, however, we are also privy to Jefferies' private life, most particularly his rocky relationship with Lisa, who wants marriage but whom Jefferies rejects as incompatible with his own lifestyle.

The performances here are extraordinary, with James Stewart cast against type as Jefferies and Grace Kelly sparkling as the high-fashion Lisa. But the real stunner is the supporting cast, which ranges from the truly remarkable Thelma Ritter to the host of players who are glimpsed from Jefferies' window as they go about their daily routines: the lonely lady, the musician, the newly married couple, the scultor, the woman with the dog--and, of course, "Miss Torso," a particularly voluptuous blonde who spends her time in what Lisa calls "a woman's hardest job: juggling wolves!"

This is Hitchcock working at the peak of his talents, working his themes of isolation, vulnerability, and most particularly voyerism to the nth degree. The script is tight, the cinematography is flawless, and the production designs are beyond perfection. Critics may argue which film can be regarded as Hitchcock's ultimate masterpiece, but even the most picky among them will place REAR WINDOW either at or very near the top slot--and so will you. Truly memorable and beautifully restored on this DVD release. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

When Alfred Hitchcock offered the lead role in this film to Jimmy Stewart in 1954, Stewart was reluctant:"Gee, that didn't seem like much of a part. But, Hitch could do that..create a good film out of next to nothing." So, Hitchcock paired Stewart with Grace Kelly (old enough to be his daughter) and came up with a gem. which seems to have faded a bit with time. Laid up with a broken leg, Stewart all but rejects his girlfriend, Kelly, preferring to snoop on the neighbors with a pair of binoculars. Just imagine a Matt Damon or a Leo DiCaprio pulling a stunt like this today with a Kate Winslet type, Anyway, Stewart"s reconnaissance missions eventually turn up what he's convinced is a wife murderer; the type that likes to dismember his victim. But our voyeur is having the darndest time convincing police officer Corey until... This is still a very good movie, well worth your time. But time does change one's perspective, especially after 53 years.

An excellent movie. A true classic. Very suspenseful. It's great to be able to watch these old movies. Grace Kelly was an amazing actress as well as the rest of the cast. A must see.

It has taken me a long time to get around to watching Rear Window. Perhaps the wait made me expect too much. Maybe this movie just suffers in my mind because I watched it not long after watching the masterful North By Northwest.

Whatever the case, I was left a little underwhelmed.

Jimmy Stewart is great, as usual. Grace Kelly is a knockout. I even like the nurse.

Yet this movie drags.

As I explained to my wife, who fell asleep a half hour in, not much happens. They sit around. They sit around some more.

They conjecture.

And then--boom. There is an ending. While this movie has all the stylish atmosphere you could want out of a Hitchcock movie, it does not rise the level of a Psycho, Vertigo, or North By Northwest.

Rear Window is worth watching. It has some very funny dialogue and a couple of iconic moments. I just don't recommend investing in your own copy unless you are a Hitchcock completist.

Rear window was taken from a short story entitled, "It had to be Murder" by Cornell Woolrich and adapted to the screen by John Michael Hayes (The Man Who Knew Too Much) & (To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)). To Catch a Thief was Hayes's second collaboration with Hitchcock after Rear Window.


What makes this particular thriller one of the all time greats in cinematic history is its simplicity, revealing human nature's tendency to voyeurism.

L. B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) is a photo journalist, forced to sit in his apartment because of a broken leg. He becomes extremely bored because his only contact to the outside world is his editor by phone, his nurse played with humour and charm, Stella (Thelma Ritter) and his stunning, rich girlfriend, Lisa Carole Fremont, (Grace Kelly) To alleviate his boredom, through the lens of his telescopic camera, he is able to spy on all his neighbours through his back window. It is through Jeffries eyes that the story is told as we get to know so many different characters with their interesting, mundane, sometimes lonely and murderous lives.

Jefferies girlfriend, Lisa, visits him frequently, and in one scene brings in a catered dinner of lobster and fine champagne, looking absolutely ravishing to get Jefferies to stop obsessing with his telescope and his spying. Despite her beauty and the brilliant food, Jefferies has a suspicion: one of his neighbours has killed his wife, chopped up her body, and disposes the evidence in several trips with a suitcase. This fixation turns obsessive and suddenly manic as the evidence mounts against the "husband" (Raymond Burr).

There are two story-telling devices that make a great thriller, mounting tension and the element of surprise. Rear Window has these qualities and much more.

For me the best aspect of this film is the stories within the main story. Through the eyes of Jefferies we become intimate with his neighbours and their various situations, some interesting, some plain evil, some mostly sad and terribly lonely. It's like the old adage: if you feel your life is a drag, look at other lives and miraculously, your problems are not that serious or sad.

I remember watching this film as a child and almost climbing the walls in fear at the end. Viewing the film so many years later, I didn't climb the walls but felt the same tension.

Rear Window has to be one of the great thrillers in the history of film.

An old dog professsional photographer temporarily bed ridden (due to an accident)(James Stewart). A junior socialite (Grace Kelly) looking to get hitched to old dog photographer. A back yard full of troubled `lonely crowd' urban neighbors in 1950's New York. Bring in a salesman (Raymond Burr) neighbor (could it be Willie Loman going off the edge) in an unhappy marriage. Add in the master suspense director Alfred Hitchcock and you have the making of a classic suspense thriller. The plot revolves around the clues picked up by Stewart as he, out of boredom or otherwise, hones in on the apartment across the way. By the time Stewart and crew are done old Raymond Burr is going to need more than Perry Mason to get out of this fix. A word on Grace Kelly. They say Prince Rainer of Monaco, her husband, a man not known for showing emotion openly cried when she died in that car accident long ago. Now I know why. Enough said.

This was the first Hitchock movie I ever saw and it's still my favorite. Grace Kelly is as gorgeous as ever in this movie. Thelma Ritter is a great sidekick to Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart, the Hitcock regular. Hitchock creates a great set of neighbors for Jimmy Stewart to watch.

I couldn't wait to see the ending the first time and I still love the final scenes. I could watch this over and over. The restored movie looks great.

Definitely one of Hitchock's best movies since you know the crime at the beginning and just wait for it's climax. Law & Order probably got some inspiration from this film (LOL).

This movie is my personal favorite Hitchcock, and my favorite movie. Its just one of those I could watch again and again.

Jimmy Stewart plays L.B. Jeffries, wheel chair bound photographer, the representation of the audience. He looks out into the world of his nieghbors, as if they were a movie being played for his amusment. The gorgeous Grace Kelly play's Lisa Freemont, Jeff's girlfriend, and the soul of the very movie, who also views the show, but is less detatched then Jeff. Thelma Ritter plays Stella, Jeff's nurse, who never has a problem fixing sandwich's with common scence spread on the bread.

As Jeff watchs his neighbors, he begins to notice something wrong in one of the apartments. A man named Thorwald, whos sittuation is the reverse of Jeff and Lisa's, might have killed his invalid wife and dumped her body. Thorwald is getting ready to go, and Jeff and Lisa have to prove a murder that no one else saw.

I didn't really care for this movie and I don't think it belongs in AFI's top 100 movies. The acting is definitely the best part of this movie. I mean you can't really go wrong with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. But It is not enough to make this a good movie in my opinion. I believe this movie is shot all from one room. The movie is mostly dialogue between Stewart and whomever is in his room at the time. During the times where there is no dialogue the camera is panning into the other windows of the courtyard. Stewart really doesn't have much evidence to go on but he is convinced one of his neighbors killed his own wife. The movie builds and builds until we find out he is right. There are no twists, He and his girlfriend are threatened twice but it's really not that threatening. I think it's a good idea but Hitchcock missed on this one.

Alfred Hitchock has one of the best and most enduring filmographies of all time. From early successses like The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps - Criterion Collection to his later years masterpieces like Vertigo (Collector's Edition), North By Northwest and Psycho (Collector's Edition), Hitchcock is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in history.

Rear Window is nothing short of a masterpiece. A movie set in and around the front window of a man in a wheelchair. This entire movie, from the shots inside and outside of the window, to the superb acting from James Stewart and Grace Kelly, to the use of only diegetic to set the mood. A wonderful movie.

One of the greatest of all times.

Must Have.

I also recommend: Strangers on a Train (Two-Disc Special Edition), Marnie, and Rope.

If anyone has not seen this movie let alone own it GO RENT IT NOW. But if you are a big movie buff and lover like I am YOU HAVE TO ADD IT TO YOUR COLLECTION. The story is a little perverted and weird but it get interesting. Grace Kelly once again looks gorgeous(she was alo in To Catch A Thief with Cary Grant)and I actually saw the real CHANEL black/white gown she wore at an exhibit. James Stewart was much better in this than Vertigo. I didn't like Vertigo so much. Do you notice how Hitchcock uses Blondes? Kim Novak(she was a natural brunette) was in Vertigo with Stewart. Raymond Burr was very good as the murdering husband. YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE AND OWN IT IN YOUR COLLECTION.

This film does a good job of creating a suspenseful atmosphere by making the audience the voyeur, however it was a little ridiculous at times. Anyone saying anything negative about a Hitchcock film is sure raise a few eyebrows because some people seem to feel everything he churned out was remarkable. This film was less than remarkable and if it didn't have the Hitchcock name on it, it would probably be rated lower.

Most of the problems that I had with Rear Window had nothing to do with Hitchcock though. In fact, I would say that the concept was better than the screenplay and, if anything, Hitchcock did a good job at making a fairly weak screenplay into a watchable movie.

POSSIBLE SPOILER

Most of the character's behavior was absurd at best. Maybe there were time/money constraints which prohibited a plausible ending but whatever the reason, the ending was ridiculous. If Jimmy Stewart knew that the suspected murderer Raymond Burr saw him, why would he tell the Nurse to go bail out Grace Kelly and leave him alone in a wheel chair? Why would he answer a phone (without knowing who's on the other end) and immediately start talking about the murderer? Because he thought it was his friend that he just got off of the phone with? Stupid. Obviously, people can be that stupid in real life but I guess I just expected more than that from this film. I also found Raymond Burr's desire to throw Jimmy Stewart out of the window retarded. Let's see, someone has "evidence" that I committed a murder so why don't I give them absolute evidence by throwing a man out of a window while the police are right outside. This made no sense whatsoever.

Direction = A-
Cinematography = A
Screenplay = C-
Overall Acting = B
Music Score = D

Overall a decent movie but hardly the classic that many seem to think it is.

Despite some fine acting by James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter, there were quite a few improbables in this story that unsuspended my suspension of my disbelief. The "characters", if you want to call them that, did things that no normal person in those circumstance would do, unless there was something wrong with the character which compelled this but which the audience was not privy to know.

I found the movie cluttered with many unrelated bits--scenes--that had neither plot nor character significance and which were just time wasters--they didn't advance the plot or suspense one mite. I found the music terrible, too jazzy and breezy for the suspense that was trying to be evoked--it did the very opposite.

Yes, there were some smart lines in the dialogue, especially Thelma's and Jimmy's, which you rarely get today. All in all the film was entertaining but hardly believable. Do not be fooled by the name Hitchcock--there are many better directors than he, director's whose work is far less contrived and manipulative--but the glamour and iconistic pizzazz of his name often blinds critics to his obvious flaws--flaws that they would and have condemned in other lesser known directors.

By the way, Vertigo is far better than this movie--I found it highly believable and recommend it.

This movie is interesting from the beginning, despite some slow banter between some of the characters. Jimmy Stewart's character is temporarily in a wheelchair with a broken leg, and Grace Kelly is his girlfriend. He spends a lot of time in his apartment watching the neighbors through their windows. He sees a woman dancing in her underwear throughout the film--very funny. He also sees something more sinister--a man who might've killed his wife. He tries to convince his friend, a cop or detective, to check it out, but he refuses. His girlfriend takes matters into her own hands, as does his therapist. Then he's discovered, and the man comes after him. The end is a nailbiter. I can tell you that this is definitely worth seeing again and again. The actors and their characters are likable, and despite a few slow parts, it's a good movie that makes people think--a quality which today's movies just don't have.

One of the most celebrated films in history, this classic takes its time, but once the tension starts building, it doesn't stop until the heart-pounding conclusion is upon you. A new peak for Hitchcock in blending the story of a crime that may have happened with the dark side of human obsession--in this case, voyeurism. The movie marks a high point for James Stewart, who would be remembered as Hitchcock's most human and vulnerable hero. And who can resist the bewitching Grace Kelly?

Alfred Hitchcock made approximately zero good movies in his life except maybe The Birds, which I liked a lot. But most of his movies, including and especially Rear Window are just two hours of people sitting around talking about suspenseful things. I know because they're old these movies are supposed to be so great, but you can't tell me that Rear Window is as exciting as a movie like Disturbia!!! I guess you can tell me that, but I don't plan to listen to you.

Here's what happens in Rear Window:




No, I didn't make a mistake in that paragraph. I was proving a point that nothing happens (by leaving a lot of blank space after the colon). It's a movie about Jimmy Stewart sitting in a wheelchair and watching real action happen through binoculars. Guess what, Alfred Hitchcock? Maybe it would have been a better movie if we had been watching whatever was going on in that other building and not wasted our time watching the guy who was watching all the cool stuff go down!

That would be like if Steven Spielberg decided to make E.T. a story about a scientist in a lab coat who does nothing for 2 hours and then at the end he gets to poke and prod a little alien fella for about a second. Hey, Steven Spielberg: thanks for not making that movie!!!

Anyway, Rear Window is not recommended for the young or the young at heart, but maybe for the young at brain.

Rear Window is the story of a photographer with a broken leg (Jimmy Stewart). He spends his time in his wheelchair confined to his room with little to do but spy on the neighbors. There is a ballerina star, a lonely middle-aged woman, and a married couple. He becomes very interested in the married couple when one day the invalid wife disappears and the husband begins acting strangely. The photographer includes his girlfriend (Grace Kelly), his nurse (Thelma Ritter), and a detective friend in his theory that the man murdered his wife.

When one thinks of Hitchcock, thoughts of crimes and plot twists come to mind. This film seems to be much more straightforward. It moves very slowly and none of the big events in the film seem all that major to the audience because most of them happen outside Stewart's apartment building. The most exciting part of the film is of course the ending, but even it is too little too late. If you have high expectations for this film as a constant thrill ride, see another film. You will certainly be disappointed.

This suspense yarn is quieter than many of Hitchcock's efforts, and the New York apartment life it depicts, along with how one recovers from a broken leg, operates a life as a free-lance photographer, and courts a fashion model girlfriend, are all quite changed from 50 years ago. If you must have the same tale updated, try the Christopher Reeve version from about ten years ago...it has charms of its own, but it isn't Hitchcock, and it does lack Jimmy and Grace (who is hot as a pistol despite keeping her clothes on.) In Hitchcock's version, the heroes are at least innocent, if not naive, and the bad guy is a killer, but not a psychopathic mass murderer who kills strangers for no reason. Worth seeing for the stars' performances in roles that give them little to do physically, and much to convey psychologically.

How can anyone not like Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly? There should be absolutely zero thats who!! I recently bought it on DVD and have never stopped watching it since. Everything is so perfect, the cast, the story, the direction, even the cinematography is striking. James Stewart as the protagonist L.B. Jefferies and Grace Kelly as his love interest Lisa Fremont were excellent together throughout the film along with the supporting characters. The story was a clever fresh execution displaying the whole mystery that needed to be solved from an apartment window. The movie is a film that should be watched while your laying down with your feet propped up at night when you have nothing else to do in that busy schedule. I have seen just about every Hitchcock film out there that were all very good, but my favorite is still Rear Window. Simply Amazing!

This 1954 film is taken from a short story by Cornell Woolrich. The opening shows apartment houses in Greenwich Village and the people who live there. It is 90F and people are sweating it out. [Crime goes up with the temperature.] L. B. Jeffries is a graying photographer laid up with a broken leg. His apartment overlooks the windows of other apartments, the adults there and in the courtyard. A woman comes over to give him a massage. His girl friend is from Park Avenue. The lighting in the apartments allows viewing into the rooms. Lisa Carol Fremont is quite well-dressed and brings along a fancy take-out meal. Lisa wants to domesticate LBJ, to get him to settle down and quite foreign travel. But LBJ loves his career as a news photographer (can he look into his future?). Lisa is an upper-class lady who is happy in her niche.

At night LBJ sees a man from across the courtyard making many trips at night carrying a suitcase. He views the apartment with binoculars, then with a long-lens SLR camera. At time you hear children, but see none. LBJ is more interested in the man across the courtyard than in luscious Lisa, and this upsets Lisa. What happened to Thorwald's wife? [Decomposition would be rapid in the 90F heat.] LBJ seems cranky from being stuck in his room for the past 7 weeks. Lisa says Mrs. Thorwald would not have left her favorite purse and jewelry behind. Lt. Tom Doyle warns against imagining things, he checked out the shipped trunk. [No search warrant needed?] The death of a pet dog is ominous. Only one person didn't come out to look!

The amateurs continue to snoop into Thorwald's life. They wonder if something was buried in the back yard. Lisa enters Thorwald's apartment, is found, but the police take her away. LBJ answers the phone without saying "hello" and talks too much. There is a suspenseful series of heavy footsteps (believable?), then Thorwald enters the room. Can flashbulbs stop a murderer? The police arrive in time.

The temperature drops to 70F. We see what happened to the others across the courtyard. The success of this film tells much about popular taste in those times. It is basically a short story that is padded out to make a long story. I would not rate it among the top Hitchcock films. "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "North by Northwest" were better remakes of earlier films. Such snooping about neighbors is a feature of small-town life, unlike the anonymity of a big city. But some could call this concerns of small-town life friendliness or caring. Before radio or TV.

I'm glad to see that overall, this film got 5 stars seeing that I am a huge Hitchcock buff and have seen all but a handful of his movies. But reading some of the other comments, it just goes to show that all movies are rated to our own opinions. My only disagreement(at least the one I care to share) is that this movie is not based on voyeurism in a good light necissarily, although I think we all have it in us to some extent. Speaking of propaganda-I really don't think ALL OF THE SPY CAMERAS EVERYWHERE are because of this movie.