By tapping into the subconscious voyeur aspect that exists in all of us, the 1954 film Rear Window not only plays with those inherent tendencies, it is also structured in such a way as to force the viewer to become an active participant in its guilty pleasures. Rarely has a film's subject matter so closely been reflected in the way in which it is presented and in its very format. The result is a psychological thriller that builds in layers of intensity both through its engaging screenplay and through our helpless inability to intervene when the suspense is almost unbearable to watch.
Jimmy Stewart stars as Jeff, a magazine photographer who has been laid up in his apartment with a serious broken leg. Bored by his immobility, Jeff is cared for by an acerbic nurse (Thelma Ritter) and persisted on matters of marriage by his über-sweet girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly), but the main focus of his attention soon shifts to the daily goings-on at the apartment just across the courtyard. Laid up in his cast, Jeff derives entertainment from his neighbours. With little to no dialogue, we are introduced to a variety of colourful characters, including a flexible young woman with little reservations, a struggling male musical composer, a lonely woman who may be trying to harm herself, a couple who are on their honeymoon, and a husband and wife whose domestic dispute soon escalates to much more serious levels.
Jeff takes particular interest in the quarrelling couple across the way, and after a series of unexplained events peak his interest, he comes to believe a serious crime may have been committed. Without sufficient proof, however, the detective he has contacted, Thomas J. Doyle (Wendell Corey), is reluctant to intervene. Soon, both Jeff's nurse and Lisa are swept up in Jeff's wild theories, and offer to help solve the mystery by taking action themselves. The result is a climax of breathtaking proportions, when one of the characters becomes helplessly trapped in an apartment while the others have no recourse but to watch on, and pray no more harm will come of it.
In a long list of suspenseful classics, Rear Window is in the top tier of director Alfred Hitchcock's best works. From a technical standpoint, Hitchcock's mastery of camera shots is fascinating. Much of the movie is filmed from a distance and from the vantage point of Jeff's apartment, meaning the action in the windows across the courtyard are further back, and often the viewer is forced to slightly squint to make out what is happening in each of the units. The film takes place entirely in Jeff's apartment, so the viewer is metaphorically trapped with him the whole time. To compound the issue, Jeff feels trapped by Lisa to propose to her, and psychologically, it becomes an even more effective feeling of having one's back against the wall.
Considering Hitchcock's works tend to rely on the mechanics of the plot and payoffs to suspenseful build-ups, it's surprising how captivating and three-dimensional the characters in Rear Window become. Jimmy Stewart brings a stubborn exterior to Jeff, but also lends him intense passion and ultimately the kind of conviction that let us know he is a morally good man. The resplendent Grace Kelly is pristine as Lisa, and we find ourselves caring about her on many levels, not the least of which being her emotional safety when Jeff puts up barriers around their erratic relationship. And Mr. Perry Mason himself, Raymond Burr in one of his earlier roles, is effective as one of the occupants in the other apartment building.
By the time the third act kicks in, Hitchcock has assembled all of the elements and brilliant tension is showcased at its finest. Though we cannot be certain of the authenticity of Jeff's suspicions, we plow forward alongside him, because we have come too far to turn back now. We are all voyeurs who must see everything to its inevitable conclusion. This is the 50th anniversary of Rear Window, and it is one of those rare films that remains ageless over time. While it is marvellous to experience Hitchcock's complete and colourful command of his cinematic canvas, it is equally rewarding to simply gasp at his carefully structured traps and blatant trigger buttons too. In the genre of suspenseful thrillers, it doesn't get any better than this.
