Rear Window

It's easy to see why "Rear Window" is considered one of Hitchcock's timeless masterpieces. I enjoyed seeing this movie for the first time.

First, "Rear Window" is an interesting study in voyeurism.  Jeffries is watching his neighbors through his window during his recovery from an injury. He gets involved in their lives, and interested in their stories and interactions. As he watches them, he starts to develop feelings for and about them. This is illustrated well when we watch Miss Lonelyhearts greet an imaginary suitor. As she raises her glass, Jeff raises his in return. He speaks of the neighbors to his girlfriend Lisa as if they are old friends, when the truth is he doesn't know their names and has never been in the same room with them. In this way, Jeff is the ultimate voyeur. 

There's another more subtle reference to the theme of voyeurism in Jeff's profession. Jeffries is a photographer, and at least a part of what photographers do is to offer a glimpse into the lives of others. It's interesting that for at least part of the time he's watching the neighbors, he's doing it through his camera lens. In this way he's making a judgment about our protagonist, but also about all viewers of art -- and movie watchers.

The suspense in the film was built and sustained through camera angles and point of view. As the viewer starts to realize there are interesting things going on around the courtyard, we are drawn to the windows of the other apartments. As Jeff turns his head to the things in his own apartment or switches views, we are struck with wanting to manipulate the point of view. The audience wants him to "look up" and see what's going on. The fact that nearly the entire movie was filmed from Jeff's apartment greatly adds to the suspense and the feeling that you are there with him. That manipulation intensifies the fear at the end when Mr. Thorwald comes to the apartment.

The relationship between Jeff and Lisa is an interesting and complicated one. Their interactions were fun to watch, and their affection for each other was evident. The nurse, Stella, was a great character, with some of the best one-liners of the movie. It was interesting to me how much I came to like the characters of Miss Lonelyhearts, the married couple with the dog, and Miss Torso, without ever hearing them speak or seeing them up close. 

An interesting way that Hitchcock gave the movie verisimilitude was through sound. The sounds of cars honking, yelling, screaming, and all the background noise you would expect in a city scene were the main soundtrack of the film. The music that was played was only the music of the songwriter neighbor. That gave the film another dimension of "reality" that made you feel you were there with Jeff.

I love how not all the ends are tied up at the end. There's still an element of mystery about Jeff and Lisa's relationship, and the details of the murder aren't laid out. I personally enjoy when there are a few things from the story where I can still use my sense of imagination and decide what I think may have happened.