Rear Window Review: Hitchcock's Voyeuristic Masterpiece
9.5/10 — Rear Window (1954)
Pros
- Brilliant single-location staging
- Stewart and Kelly's chemistry
- Masterful suspense
Cons
- Dated gender attitudes
Photographer L.B. Jefferies, laid up with a broken leg, passes the time watching his neighbours and comes to suspect one of them of murder. The whole film takes place in his apartment and the courtyard it overlooks.
What works
James Stewart and Grace Kelly are wonderful together, and the courtyard set is a miniature world of stories. Hitchcock plays with our own voyeurism and builds suspense through what we can see and can’t. The final confrontation is thrilling.
Where it falters
Some of the gender dynamics are dated, and the subplots are broadly drawn.
Verdict
Superbly constructed suspense, and a witty, stylish portrait of watching.
