Hitchcock Movie Review: Rear Window

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Welcome to our first Alfred Hitchcock movie review!

Today we are talking about Rear Window (1954) with James Stewart and Grace Kelly.

Hitchcock, was known as the “master of suspense” and liked to make the audience suffer as much as possible…he certainly earns his nickname in Rear Window, as the first 40 minutes are pretty painful to get through…but after that, the story begins to ramp up and you see why it’s such a classic.

It also has a super high rating on IMDB, an 8.4 at the time of writing this blog.

Rear Window Movie plot

Rear Window is unique in that the audience is limited to only seeing everything from the room that the main character (James Stewart) is in. He’s temporarily wheel-chair bound due to a broken leg from a photography accident that we don’t know the full details of.

As this is pre-Netflix days, his sole entertainment seems to be people-watching from his window that faces his apartment courtyard—and into his neighbor’s homes…I really wish quarantining at home was as entertaining out the back of my window as it is for him, minus the actual murder part, of course!

All he needs is a pair of binoculars for full-time entertainment. He has nicknames for all the neighbors, and when he spots one of the neighbors acting suspicious starts paying more attention to him. James Stewart suspects that one of the neighbors (played by Raymond Burr) killed his wife and disposed of her body piece by piece in a suitcase.

He loops his stylish love interest, (played by Grace Kelly) in on his suspicions and they try to figure out the plot together.

In true Hitchcock fashion the suspense gradually builds in the film to a climatic ending with Grace Kelly coming face-to-face with the murderer then the murderer finding out that James Stewart is on to him and coming for him.

Hitchcock based Rear Window loosely on the short story Rear Window by Cornell Woolrich, as well as got inspiration from 2 real-life grisly cases. Both cases involved men killing either their wife or mistress and cutting up their bodies to dispose of them.

The Set

Hitchcock went all out building the set, making it the largest indoor set at Paramount Studios. It took months of planning and construction, with 31 apartments, eight of which were completely furnished.

All the apartments in Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) building had electricity and running water…in other words, they actually be lived in.

The characters in Rear Window

James Stewart aka L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies

James Stewart plays a photographer—a bit of a snarky nomad—who enjoys adventure and traveling the world. He likes Grace Kelly, but thinks that she could never fit into his world. i.e. he likes spontaneity and messy adventure, she likes designer gowns.

We would really like to know the backstory behind how the two were supposed to meet, as they seem so opposite. I imagine he must’ve had to shoot her picture? Not sure how else their worlds would collide…

Back to Jeff’s character: He’s bored with present circumstances as he’s bound to his wheelchair – with a broken leg for the entire movie. He entertains himself by spying on the neighbors with binoculars or even one of his powerful camera lenses to get a closer look at the action.

In fact, he’s so entertained by the neighbors that even when Grace Kelly is over, he almost seems more interested in them than her for the first three-quarters of the movie.

Grace Kelly, aka Lisa Carol Fremont

Grace Kelly plays the beautiful socialite Lisa that enjoys fashion and the latest clothes.

She wants Jeff to change from his nomadic ways traveling the world to settle down with her and open a photography studio…she also seems to want to ‘polish him up’ a bit as she buys him a new cigarette case to replace one that he bought while traveling because it’s too old looking for her liking.

The original short story Rear Window that movie was based on had no love story or neighbors to spy on, so Hitchcock and John Hayes added these parts to the movie script. Hayes spent time interviewing Grace Kelly before writing her character in the movie, and thus her character was inspired by the actress herself, so you might be getting a real glimpse into Grace Kelly’s real personality through her character Lisa Fremont.

Fun fact: this is the only film in which Grace Kelly is filmed smoking. Usually she refused to smoke in her movies but this film was the one exception she made.

Raymond Burr aka Lars Thorwold

We have to, of course, mention the antagonist in the movie, superbly played by Raymond Burr. He does a great job as Lars Thorwold, coming across as really creepy, especially during close-ups.

Lars is a traveling jewelry salesman with a bickering wife who we see only see briefly in the beginning of the movie before he kills her. The rest of what we see of Lars is from Jeff’s point of view as he starts to piece together (no pun intended) the murder.

Hitchcock takes time to gradually build the suspense, not only of the film but of Raymond Burr’s character Lars. At first, Lars is only seen at a distance, from across the apartment complex. From that distance he doesn’t seem threatening, and in fact, hardly seems real. Then suddenly in the latter part of the movie where he confronts Lia and then comes for Jeff, he become scary.

Fun fact: he’s the only neighbor in Jeff’s apartment complex who’s name we know. All the other neighbors that Jeff spies on are only referred to by his nicknames for them.

The romance (or lack of it) in Rear Window

Something we have to note is that there was really didn’t seem to be any romantic chemistry between the Jeff and Lisa.

It’s understandable that they’re supposed to be opposites, but it’s more than that, it’s a complete lack of sizzle.

When she comes over to see him, she will be kissing him and he isn’t even paying attention her, more like trying to see around her to what is going on with the neighbors outside the window…speaking of which, it actually felt awkward watching them kiss, it could’ve been because Hitchcock was there trying to get a super close up shot, but it really feels lacking.

Their romance, or chemistry does seem to improve a bit towards the end of the movie. Jeff appears to get more interested when she shows she’s willing to help him figure out the murder, and she’s put in danger, making him realize how much he cares for her.

Apparently one way to turn up the romance a notch, be danger for your life and solve a murder together.

This post was all about Rear Window

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What did you think of Rear Window?

Who was your favorite character?

What did you think of James Stewart and Grace Kelly as a couple?