Hitchcock thriller
Added 10/23/2009
Hitchcock films usually string the viewer along and slowly builds up the tension and suspense until a climactic finish. Rear Window is no exception and from a slow start we are gradually propelled along with the main character towards a confrontation with the man he's slowly realised has committed a murder.
The added ingredient is that he's wheelchair bound following an accident, and is unable to flee when events conspire to bring the two together.
The story is basic enough, and we get to see the neighbours of the courtyard which comprises the entire world of this film - with the sole exception of a glimpse of the outside strret through a narrow alleyway. Most of the neighbours we hardly meet close up, but they all have their own personalities and lives, and we only really see them through the eyes of the wheelbound voyeur.
James Stewart and Grace Kelley are the headline stars here, Stewart the wheelbound photographer and Kelley his glamourous girlfriend, but I couldn't help feeling they were mismatched and things didn't exactly gel between them, either on screen (at least to my eyes) or as characters. Also it was a little ponderous at times in getting to the point, and I felt my attention wandering on occasions while watching it. I was also a little let down at the climax when Raymond Burr's character finally confronted Stewart. It was certainly unrealistic and was like opening a long promised box of chocolates to find they had been crushed en route.
But as a suspense thriller worth seeing once.
2 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Great movie, great package
Added 10/3/2009
Rear Window comes in a nice jewel case that resembles the hardcover jacket of a book, it closes and opens with a click and looks good.
If you're searching for Rear Window to purchase, then you know why you're doing that--there is a lot to this movie. In class we watched and analyzed nearly every shot in the film. The point of the movie itself is to explore the very nature of the cinema-going experience. The viewer is essentially a voyeur into the lives of the characters onscreen exactly as James Stewart's L.B. Jeffries is a voyeur into the private lives of his neighbors.
Awesome!
HC
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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1954 Hitchcock
Added 9/16/2009
This film is somewhat like a theatrical play, in the fact that it is mostly filmed on one set, the apartment complex where Jimmy Stewart's character lives. In that sense, it is somewhat realistic in detail regarding set design, although, that might also be the film's drawback. You do get a real sense of the character, through his living environment, a character confined to a wheel chair, due to a broken leg. At times though, there's a lot of dialogue, and not very much action, like say, North By Northwest. So, if you are prepared for this type of film, then you'll enjoy, Rear Window. Also, featuring Grace Kelly, who's performance is as good as her looks, in this film.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Rear Window CD
Added 9/12/2009
I have nothing but good things to say about my purchase. It was easy and I received it in excellent condition. Rear Window happens to be one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies. The suspense is fantastic and James Stewart and Grace Kelly are great!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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One of Hitchock's Finest Thrillers
Added 8/24/2009
Back in my SeVen review, I recently felt a bit enlightned because I had just discovered the thriller. Now, a bit jaded from my experience and the thriller tag has worn off, I feel that thrillers can be pretty unthrilling and boring, Hitchcock's thriller's included. Sure, Psycho is not one of them, as it has many psychological aspects to extremely excite and create thought. However, some, such as the hugely overrated and boring Vertigo, are about as exciting and insightful as a seventh grade seminar on the five senses, not to mention that steaming pile of turd Knowing that I sat through. Just because you have characters with thoughts resembling pscyhologiy does't mean you movie will even be remotely thrilling or entertaning. More often than not, your effort will suck.
Not the case with Rear Window. Rear Window story is intrigiung, but Alfred Hitchcock's directing is probably what turns Rear Window into the voeyeristic, interesting thriller that it really is. I wasn't quite sure what to say about the filmmaking of Psycho, but Rear Window proves that the art of film making is what makes movies art. Furthermore, Rear Window's theme about reclusion and what it can do (including Voyereism) is a natural for such a intricate use of making movies, so it's themes are very much established by the movie making skills. Real art. The acting isn't stunning, but hey, it's memorable. James Stewart (also known for being in other classics such as Mr. Smith Goes To Washington) is very believable as the injury struck Jeffries, and the other characters are played right, with some interest going into the minds of each one.
It's not to say that Rear Window is all film-making backing up a flimsy murder story. Rear Window has a premise that is interesting enough. Rear Window deals with many themes about is pretty psychologically thrilling and can be even viewed with perversion (I think it was analyzed in The Pervet's Guide To Cinema). But the camera angles and the way Hitchcock directs is how Rear Window becomes a real thriller and actually let's you connect more psychologically with the character. Even the cast themselves were not directed by Hitchcock, as he only worked in the apartment of Jefferies (every other cast member in the other apartments wore earpieces) Special camera angles, certain things obstructing our view (delibaretly covered to make the movie build mystery) The whole thing makes the viewer, and not just Jefferies himself, seem like they are seeing and witnessing the murder as well. One view of this will show you why Hitchcock was a master director, and why film making and camera shots that some movie snobs point out actually help a story (if helps that the story is good yes, but fortuntately, it is).
The much lauded set is lauded for a good reason. It's actually quite pretty and even more visually stimulating to look at. It's a soundstage of New York City, and it's so well designed it deserves it's explanations on it's virtues. Right from the beautiful shots of the first moments, it's estabslished with very nostalgic architecture, at least for me, some kind of fantastic version of New York City, beautiful shots everywhere. Having an open window let's you see all of the neighbors, and it's somewhat amusing to see them, such as the athletic blonde and the musician that constantly plays all day (who was a real musician). What's also interseting is the sound design, which is designed so well that it's actually the real sound. There were no use of overdubs at all during the movie, a pretty smart move. HAll of it was I also like the soundtrack a bit as well. The jazz introduction is very good.
Rear Window, like Psycho, is one of those movies that I admire more than I enjoy. However, admiring a movie is a good thing, and yes, it is still entertaining. And I feel that Rear Window is another influence on one of my fav films, Blue Velvet. Rear Window is worth studying for any aspiring film maker of movie buff, or if not that, at least spend a couple hours with some suspense, character, and entertainment. In any case, I highly recommend Rear Window.
*B
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Hitchcock thriller
Added 10/23/2009
Hitchcock films usually string the viewer along and slowly builds up the tension and suspense until a climactic finish. Rear Window is no exception and from a slow start we are gradually propelled along with the main character towards a confrontation with the man he's slowly realised has committed a murder.
The added ingredient is that he's wheelchair bound following an accident, and is unable to flee when events conspire to bring the two together.
The story is basic enough, and we get to see the neighbours of the courtyard which comprises the entire world of this film - with the sole exception of a glimpse of the outside strret through a narrow alleyway. Most of the neighbours we hardly meet close up, but they all have their own personalities and lives, and we only really see them through the eyes of the wheelbound voyeur.
James Stewart and Grace Kelley are the headline stars here, Stewart the wheelbound photographer and Kelley his glamourous girlfriend, but I couldn't help feeling they were mismatched and things didn't exactly gel between them, either on screen (at least to my eyes) or as characters. Also it was a little ponderous at times in getting to the point, and I felt my attention wandering on occasions while watching it. I was also a little let down at the climax when Raymond Burr's character finally confronted Stewart. It was certainly unrealistic and was like opening a long promised box of chocolates to find they had been crushed en route.
But as a suspense thriller worth seeing once.
2 out of 4 people found this helpful.
|
Great movie, great package
Added 10/3/2009
Rear Window comes in a nice jewel case that resembles the hardcover jacket of a book, it closes and opens with a click and looks good.
If you're searching for Rear Window to purchase, then you know why you're doing that--there is a lot to this movie. In class we watched and analyzed nearly every shot in the film. The point of the movie itself is to explore the very nature of the cinema-going experience. The viewer is essentially a voyeur into the lives of the characters onscreen exactly as James Stewart's L.B. Jeffries is a voyeur into the private lives of his neighbors.
Awesome!
HC
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
1954 Hitchcock
Added 9/16/2009
This film is somewhat like a theatrical play, in the fact that it is mostly filmed on one set, the apartment complex where Jimmy Stewart's character lives. In that sense, it is somewhat realistic in detail regarding set design, although, that might also be the film's drawback. You do get a real sense of the character, through his living environment, a character confined to a wheel chair, due to a broken leg. At times though, there's a lot of dialogue, and not very much action, like say, North By Northwest. So, if you are prepared for this type of film, then you'll enjoy, Rear Window. Also, featuring Grace Kelly, who's performance is as good as her looks, in this film.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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