Rear Window Movie Review (1954)

An artistically creative and tension building film, Rear Window slowly creates big drama in an incredibly small space.

Last year, I watched the film Disturbia with Shia LaBeouf. As always, I knew almost nothing going in, but it was primarily about a teenager on house arrest who believes that he has seen a murder while spying on his neighbors. There were a lot of things that irked me about that movie (I gave it 2 stars, I don’t recommend it), but the premise was interesting. Now I understand that it must’ve been inspired by this movie.

Rear Window is about Jeff, a field photographer who is used to being on-the-go, but is laid up with a broken leg and stuck in his apartment. Spending his days looking out his back window and into the courtyard and windows of the apartments around him, he gives each of the residents names (i.e. Miss Lonelyhearts) and imagines what their lives are like. At one point, he believes that he has witnessed a murder, and, still confined to his wheelchair in his apartment and with the help of his girlfriend, nurse, and cop friend, he begins to investigate.

Voyeurism is on full display in this film, which is part of what makes it so interesting. Jeff is a fairly dispassionate man, except when it comes to his career, so he doesn’t strike you as someone doing anything inappropriate. But as he gazes into the windows of a woman changing or a man getting drunk, you realize that his behavior is kind of creepy. It’s a nice dichotomy that never really settles in because you like this guy. Is he actually a peeping Tom?

The particularly fascinating thing here is what a tiny world the movie is set in. Jeff is confined to his apartment, so you are too. People come to visit him, but apart from what he can see, there is no world outside other than a few phone calls. It doesn’t feel small as you are watching, but when you realize that the only sets you are familiar with are the individual apartments (which feel like dollhouse rooms), it becomes something greater.

Alfred Hitchcock does an excellent job with tension building in Rear Window, so that by the time you reach the climax, you are fairly anxious and extremely curious. That said, I never had any other emotions, so while I appreciate all of the technical aspects and the incredible beauty and grace of Grace Kelly (his girlfriend), I didn’t connect with the film.

There were also a few odd choices with the special effects. This was filmed in 1954, so I am not expecting the effects skills we have today, but there is a point at which suddenly everyone’s movements speed up and get hurried as well as a strange falling sequence. Both of them fully took me out of the tension of the moment, unfortunately and – particularly the fast moving people – felt unnecessary.

I absolutely loved the last tracking shot of the film, which allows you to see into each of the neighbors’ rear window so that you can see what they are doing now. A great conclusion.

Overall, Rear Window is a film worth seeing both because it is widely regarded as a masterpiece, and because the intricacies of such a large world built within such a small setting are fascinating. Maybe you’ll connect with it a bit more than I did.

Runtime: 114 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Available: On Netflix, to rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms