REAR WINDOW
US, 1954, 112 minutes, Colour.
James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr, Judith Evelyn, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Rear Window is considered one of the best of Hitchcock’s films. It came in the middle of the 1950s after he had spent the 1940s in making the transition from his filming in England (the 1920s and 1930s) to the United States. His first film in the United States, Rebecca, won the Oscar for best film. However, he was never nominated as director.
Hitchcock used James Stewart in four films: Rope, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo. He saw him as the quintessential American figure – though, beneath the charming and upright surface, with flaws. Here he is a voyeur, confined to his balcony, looking at the occupants of the apartments opposite him. He notices something suspicious – with Raymond Burr as an excellent villain.
While he has the support of the police, in the form of Wendell Corey, he is supported by his glamorous girlfriend, Grace Kelly at her most beautiful, and his wisecracking nurse, Thelma Ritter.
The film confines itself to the balcony, moves across to the apartments via binoculars (but without the hero actually photographing the murderer until he uses the camera to blind him when he threatens him at the end). Hitchcock is said to have commented that there would be no film had he taken photographs.
Along with Vertigo it is considered one of Hitchcock’s greatest films.
1. An entertaining Hitchcock film? His interests in crime, responsibility, guilt? His involving the audience with his central characters and their moral dilemmas? His style of suspense and humour? The star vehicle? The film has become a classic of the '50s - why?
2. The technical qualities of the film: the film confined to Jeff's room, the windows of the apartments opposite, the courtyard? Jeff's being fixed and the point of view with him? The camera's mobility via the lens? The rear window outlook on life? The highlighting of the apartment facade, the glimpse of the street, the skyline? The atmosphere of day and night? The fade-in, fade-out technique? Editing, pace? Tracking and panning shots for atmosphere and inquiry? The colour photography and its realism, artificiality?
3. The musical score, the popular songs? The use of popular Paramount songs of the time? The love song and its influence on 'Miss Lonely Hearts'? The use of the 'Mona Lisa' song? A '50s atmosphere?
4. The film's establishing a setting and the interests? The audience sharing Jeff’s response to his condition, confinement, the people he was watching? James Stewart as hero, his popularity, audiences easily identifying with him? His work as a photographer, reporter? An eye for the news? The film's invitation to us to be like him, to share his point of view, his spirit of inquiry? The question of drawing the line between spying, prying, voyeurism? Curiosity? His identifying all the characters and their dilemmas? Pathos, humour? The irony of a crime unfolding before his eyes? His limited contacts - phone? His boss? With Doyle? Sparring with Stella and their good humour? The talking with Lisa and the arguments? Stella's sensing of trouble - yet her participating in it?
5. The character of Jeff: James Stewart and his laconic easygoing style? The explanation of his background and accident? The photos in his apartment? His feeling cramped, his experience of danger? His long explanations, especially to Lisa, of his adventurous life - and his saying that Lisa would not be able to share them? The irony of his immobility and Lisa then becoming adventurous like him and doing the dangerous actions for him? His not wanting to settle and be perfect like Lisa? His hesitation in love commitment, marriage? His rapport with the people he was watching? Getting to know them over six weeks? Indication of his understanding in chatting with Stella? Their easy banter? His wariness of Lisa - and yet his response to her. kissing her, discussing, the meal? Their arguing and his telling her to shut up? Voyeurism as the result of boredom - our innate sense of curiosity, the comments about Peeping Toms? Law and privacy? Rear window ethics? The audience being accused of a similar kind of prying? The audience being made to be curious as well as feel somewhat guilty? The benign side of Jeff's prying - paternal interest, smile and humour, involvement?
6. The result of Peeping Tom observation becoming snooping? Curiosity becoming inquisitive? The focus on Thorwald? The audience trying to see what was happening - and the limitations of long shots from the rear window point of view? His reactions to his wife? Her cantankerous attitude? Her getting out of bed and spying on his phone calls? The blind down? Thorwald's suspicious journeys during the night - and the audience seeing, when Jeff didn't, his going out with a girl? His decision to act? His ringing Doyle and trying to get police action? Doyle's explanation of the lack of warrant and evidence? His involving Stella and Lisa? Telegrams etc. proving him wrong - but then Doyle giving him further leads to pursue the case? The growing tension? Thorwald and the dog in the garden? His tricking Thorwald with the note, getting him out of the apartment? Lisa's daring action, her being trapped in the apartment, her being assaulted - and his desperate phone call to the police, to Doyle? His answering the phone to Thorwald and giving himself away? The final confrontation and his using his camera and the flashbulbs for defence? The instrument of prying becoming the instrument of defence? The fight and the camera techniques., swirling and tracking, his falling out the window? His behaviour in his apartment as the equivalent of what he did professionally as a reporter?
7. The film's dialogue raising issues of the differences between snooping and curiosity, reporting and detection? Concocting stories, imagining things? Involvement, responsibility, action? The ghoulish aspects of the main actor's comments - in describing how Mrs Thorwald was got rid of etc? Hitchcock's delight in ghoulish touches?
8. The audience eager as Jeff was, anticipating his looking, looking with him? Identifying with Stella? The camera concentrating on the three looking, binoculars, hiding from Thorwald? The morbidity, even if it was correct?
9. Grace Kelly as Lisa and the comments on her perfection? Her beauty, fashion, sensuality, kisses, meal preparation, style? Her career? Her try to change Jeff? His saying she was not adventurous and her being as adventurous as he? Her watching, interest, delivering the letter, digging in the garden, taking the ring and signalling Jeff,, her being assaulted? The humour of the end and her getting her own way with Jeff settling down? The dominance of the American woman?
10. The humorous balance of Stella and her down-to-earth attitudes, her comments about General Motors and the Depression, her banter, involvement?
11. Doyle and the background of the war friendship, his detective work, his beginning to pry, especially on Miss Torso - and the reminder of his family? His pursuing the clues, his suspicions, proving Jeff wrong yet leading him on? His involvement at the end?
12. How well did the film build up suspense - the audience knowing what was going on but wondering what would happen? The Hitchcock touch?
13. How much did the audience know about Thorwald and his wife? Superficial judgments from a far view? Clues and distance? Looking more closely through binoculars? Not knowing exactly? Doyle's information about telegrams and trains? Judging Thorwald's actions and anxiety, the dog, the phone call, the attack on Lisa? His confrontation and bewilderment at Jeff's intervention?
14. The range of minor characters and their contribution to the film, entertainment, comment on human behaviour: Miss Lonely Hearts and her miming of receiving visitors, her drinking, her guest and his sexual assault and her fear, her attempted suicide, her listening to the music and meeting the composer? The composer and his desperation, Lisa's admiration for his song, the party and his success? Miss Torso and the humour of her gymnastics, her juggling wolves, the return of her husband? The married couple and their romance, the blind down, the blind up and their squabbling? The couple sleeping outside with the dog and the women’s condemnation of the people? The sculptress and her relaxing in her bathers etc.? The varieties of stories and the echoes of soap opera? The soap opera ending - but satisfying?
15. The experience of Hitchcock's cinema art in involving us in a prime story, but making us guilty of prying, participating in curious and dubious activities? Hitchcock as a master of black humour?
