Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: Rear Window (1954)
November 9th 2008 11:44
"Rear Window" is an absolute masterpiece in whatever era you look at it in. Under the brilliant directorship of Alfred Hitchcock and the fabulous cast including Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, Rear Window is a brilliant film. When a master can refine his art, it draws at people to witness it. And even though this film is shot in one set, it is so enthralling and gripping that you do not even notice.
From the very first scene, the film “Rear Window starts with the magnificent framing created by the window in Jeff’s (Jimmy Stewart) apartment. Through this window he can see out into the neighbourhood. He can see through the windows and see into other people’s lives. It seems to be the metaphorical window into everyone’s life.
Alfred Hitchcock is an amazing director. How difficult must it have been to shoot an entire film in from one set? It takes a true master to create a story in one place with the main character seated for the whole movie, while retaining interest and Hitchcock did it expertly. Using the window as the portal into the neighbourhood, he created a fantastic story that required the main character to only look out his window. The rest was done by other people in the frame created by the window. Orson Welles once said “A film is never really any good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.” This is an accurate way to describe Hitchcock’s directorial role in this film. It is as if he and the camera are one and the same in this film as the movement of the camera is free to move around seemingly at the whim of Jeff’s obsession with the possible murder of a neighbour’s wife.
The opening sequence after tracking through the windows, the camera pans across the courtyard and onto the tall buildings on the other side before momentarily pausing on a small building across the way. Then it zooms into Jeff’s apartment before cutting between the goings on in the neighbourhood. In this style of filming, the story is focused on the neighbourhood and Jeff’s curiosity with those people around him. When the story begins, everything seems to be fine. But, as in “Blow Up” nothing is as it seems. While everyone begins to think that Jeff is going a little crazy with all his free time to stare out the window when he starts talking of murder, Jeff knows that he is right and that his suspicions are just. He thinks he has seen the result of a murder.
In this film, Hitchcock enjoyed using several types of shots. Inside the apartment, he used mostly medium shots. This gave the audience a view of the expression of the characters as well as the body language. When looking out the window, he used the long shot. This gave you the view as if you were Jeff, giving you his perspective. Hitchcock used a very static camera and simple shots. He also uses the tracking shot when watching out the window watching the subject of his attention. The first shot, which was explained earlier, is an example of the developing shot, which Hitchcock used very well in this film to watch the whole scene. Also, in the scene when Lisa passes the note, that Jeff gave her, under Thorwald’s door, Hitchcock uses the long shot so we can see both Thorwald and Lisa in the same frame.
Watching through the windows of Jeff’s apartment, we only see what Jeff sees. The movie is done without much dialogue, which gives more meaning to the visuals. As he drifts in and out of consciousness during the first montage sequence of quick cuts and fades, he begins to get suspicious of the salesman across the way, who is constantly going in and out of his apartment, even though it was rain and three in the morning. It is a great film for expression as Jeff contemplates if he is doing the right thing and all the other characters - the ballerina, the salesman, and the rest of the neighbours - all have their particular moods. The salesman especially has the nervous look about him. “It’s a secret, private world you’re looking into out there. People do a lot of things in private they couldn’t possibly explain in public.” says Lt Doyle when rationally explaining what Jeff has been telling him.
"Rear Window" is technically one of the best movies I have seen and it is also a really interesting and enthralling film. It can drag slightly but it is a great film which has influenced a lot of pop culture, including TV shows such as The Simpsons. Such an important film deserves to be remembeed and respected. I'd give this film 4 out of 5.
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Comment by Mister Smith
Random Ramblings
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Crime in Books
A very good exposition of one of my favourite films. You obviously know more about the technicalities than I do. I disagree about the dragging but that may be an age thing. Also, I think it is really obvious that there is only one set, but it adds very much to the theatricality and to the claustrophobic feel.
Comment by Big Bird
As for the one set thing, i am astounded that any director could make a feature length movie in any era with one room and the a courtyard basically and make such an enthralling film. I agree with you on that point that it does add to the claustrophia and tension of the movie.
It is a great film though.