Rear Window
Here it is. The Alfred Hitchcock post. We all saw this one coming.
This past weekend I saw Rear Window, arguably the best movie made by Hitchcock to ever grace the film industry. However, whenever I watch this movie, it's never a situation where I'm like, "Wow, I can't wait to get home and curl up on the couch with a steaming cup of tea and a big bowl of kettle corn and pop in my Rear Window DVD," it's more like, "It's three in the morning and I can't fall asleep, so my choices are to watch re-runs of George Lopez, paid programming about a weight loss set, or Rear Window on TCM".
The choice is always Hitchcock.
Now, this may sound like I'm settling for the movie, which in some cases I do, but I promise it's more than that. If you're in the right mood at the right time, Rear Window is truly riveting. On a rainy day, it's nice to step out of the current blockbuster film wave and take a trip to the past. I feel that whenever I'm in that mood, I always turn to a Hitchcock movie, because every single one of his films has that eerie aspect to it that pushed the boundaries that the films of that time made ever so prominent.
Anyway, back to the analysis.
I haven't seen this film in upwards of five years. After that much time has passed, with my memory, it's like I'm watching it for the very first time.
The first and main aspect of this film that I'd like to point out is the concept of it being a one-act stage play, because the whole film was shot of the room or from the viewpoint of the room where the entire film took place, and where our main character L. B. Jeffries (James Stewart) resides, broken bones and all.
I think this concept makes the film that much more intriguing. The fact that Hitchcock was able to keep the viewer's attention and make a film this timeless, while relying on solely dialogue to carry it, is a mind-blowing notion (especially for a film made in the fifties that almost reaches two hours in length).
Another example of a creator using this concept in a more modern-day release is in an episode of Family Guy. I know, stay with me here.
In season eight episode 17 of the show, the episode named "Brian & Stewie" aired on televisions across the nation. In this episode, two of the main characters, Brian and Stewie of course, enter a bank vault and become trapped when the door shuts behind them at the end of the work day. They are trapped in the bank vault for a whole weekend, forcing the episode to rely on the dialogue of the characters rather than harnessing their usual gags and cutaways. No other character appears in the episode, and no other rooms were entered.
This episode went on to become one of the most popular in the show's history (and one of my personal favorites).
Back to Rear Window.
I admire the character Grace Kelly plays in the film. Although Lisa Fremont (Kelly) comes off as sort of a ditzy blonde, lovestruck by the handsome L. B., she disproves her character's own developmental characteristics by helping L. B. discover if the man he's been watching from the rear window of his apartment is a murderer. She goes above and beyond to find clues to prove L. B.'s suspicions as fact, even sneaking in to the alleged murderer's apartment and slyly stealing a ring without anyone else batting an eye.
So, if you're looking for a film to really make you second-guess your opinions of the movies released during the golden age of Hollywood, I'd recommend Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.
P.S. ... don't forget to keep an eye out for Hitchcock himself, he always makes an appearance in every one of his films, even if it's just as an extra.
This past weekend I saw Rear Window, arguably the best movie made by Hitchcock to ever grace the film industry. However, whenever I watch this movie, it's never a situation where I'm like, "Wow, I can't wait to get home and curl up on the couch with a steaming cup of tea and a big bowl of kettle corn and pop in my Rear Window DVD," it's more like, "It's three in the morning and I can't fall asleep, so my choices are to watch re-runs of George Lopez, paid programming about a weight loss set, or Rear Window on TCM".
The choice is always Hitchcock.
Now, this may sound like I'm settling for the movie, which in some cases I do, but I promise it's more than that. If you're in the right mood at the right time, Rear Window is truly riveting. On a rainy day, it's nice to step out of the current blockbuster film wave and take a trip to the past. I feel that whenever I'm in that mood, I always turn to a Hitchcock movie, because every single one of his films has that eerie aspect to it that pushed the boundaries that the films of that time made ever so prominent.
Anyway, back to the analysis.
I haven't seen this film in upwards of five years. After that much time has passed, with my memory, it's like I'm watching it for the very first time.
The first and main aspect of this film that I'd like to point out is the concept of it being a one-act stage play, because the whole film was shot of the room or from the viewpoint of the room where the entire film took place, and where our main character L. B. Jeffries (James Stewart) resides, broken bones and all.
I think this concept makes the film that much more intriguing. The fact that Hitchcock was able to keep the viewer's attention and make a film this timeless, while relying on solely dialogue to carry it, is a mind-blowing notion (especially for a film made in the fifties that almost reaches two hours in length).
Another example of a creator using this concept in a more modern-day release is in an episode of Family Guy. I know, stay with me here.
In season eight episode 17 of the show, the episode named "Brian & Stewie" aired on televisions across the nation. In this episode, two of the main characters, Brian and Stewie of course, enter a bank vault and become trapped when the door shuts behind them at the end of the work day. They are trapped in the bank vault for a whole weekend, forcing the episode to rely on the dialogue of the characters rather than harnessing their usual gags and cutaways. No other character appears in the episode, and no other rooms were entered.
This episode went on to become one of the most popular in the show's history (and one of my personal favorites).
Back to Rear Window.
I admire the character Grace Kelly plays in the film. Although Lisa Fremont (Kelly) comes off as sort of a ditzy blonde, lovestruck by the handsome L. B., she disproves her character's own developmental characteristics by helping L. B. discover if the man he's been watching from the rear window of his apartment is a murderer. She goes above and beyond to find clues to prove L. B.'s suspicions as fact, even sneaking in to the alleged murderer's apartment and slyly stealing a ring without anyone else batting an eye.
So, if you're looking for a film to really make you second-guess your opinions of the movies released during the golden age of Hollywood, I'd recommend Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.
P.S. ... don't forget to keep an eye out for Hitchcock himself, he always makes an appearance in every one of his films, even if it's just as an extra.
Comments
Post a Comment