Rear Window (Spoilers!)

    

    The film, Rear Window, is an Alfred Hitchcock film starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly made in 1954. This film is about a man, LB Jefferies, who is a photographer bound to a wheeled chair in his apartment after he got in an accident at his last photography shoot. The viewer is also bound to Jeffries’ apartment as we follow him and his eyes as he is obsessed with looking out the window. The reasoning behind this obsession; is murder. Jeffries is certain one of his neighbors, Lars, has murdered his wife. He spectates his neighbor’s lives watching where they go, what they do, and who they have over. This then eventually leads to him discovering the murder which his girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, is also invested in. At the end of the film, Lisa breaks into Lars’ apartment when he comes in and starts hurting her. Jeffries calls the police and they come just in time. Lars gets away and sneaks off to Jeffries’ apartment where he then continues to hurt Jeffries and push him out the window. Although many doubted LB Jeffries, It turns out he was right and Lars did murder his wife. 

    I thought this was an excellent film that had me on the edge of my seat. This film had a lot of key characters, interesting camera shots, and a great ending. Throughout the film, we are bound to Jeffries' apartment, and can only see what he sees. Jeffries uses his binoculars and his camera to see outside his apartment, which is what we see. It is interesting to watch the neighbors through his telescope and watch them while they are most vulnerable. There are several characters in this film, although we are only ever in the room with three main characters. These characters, are Lisa, Stella, and Doyle. We only get to know these four characters, (Jeffries included) and only know what we are told about the other neighbors. For example, we know Miss Torso has many suitors but has yet to find her one true love. And Miss Lonleyheart has the opposite problem where she has nobody and wants someone. And of course, we know Larz and his suspected actions. We rely on Jeffries and the other main characters to tell us about the characters and we blindly have to listen to them without ever having an interaction with them. 

    I thought this film was great. It had a steady pace and the storyline had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I would definitely watch this again with friends and family and constantly look over awaiting their reactions. This movie was a great suspense and it is perfect for people who like crime thrillers, but not quite scary. I think it is for everyone even if you are not a fan of older films. There is something about this one that makes it so easy to watch and be involved with the story, just as the characters are.