Rear Window (1954)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Jeff (James Stewart) broke his leg taking photographs on a race track. Now he is stuck in his apartment with his leg in cast. All he can do to pass the time is to watch the neighbours through his window. His girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) visits him, as well as nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter).

Having watched a guy look after his bedridden wife for a while, Jeff is alarmed the one night to see the man acting very suspiciously, with his wife missing. Convinced the man murdered his wife, Jeff calls his detective friend Tom Doyle (Wendell Corey) to investigate. However, Tom doesn’t believe a crime has been committed and believes the woman went away for a while.

Lisa, who also was reluctant to believe Jeff at first, also becomes suspicious of the man and they decide to investigate themselves. The film is mostly set in Jeff’s apartment and we see events unfold as he does. The viewer never really know what actually happened and whether a crime was indeed committed, and we discover the truth as Jeff, Lisa and Stella does.

The film has a good production design. I liked James Stewart in the role of Jeff, and enjoyed the film’s simple yet captivating premise.

‘Rear Window’ was a big success upon release, earning $37 million on a budget of $1 million. The film was nominated for four Oscars (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound).

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so. Maybe.