Rear Window is a almost certainly my favorite Hitchcock film. Hitchcock has his classic cast of James Stewart and Grace Kelly, but changes it up with possibly one of my favorite takes on how shooting a film can affect the storytelling. The story is phenomenal. A horror, mystery, thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat.
The films voyeuristic qualities give a strange but interesting twist. Is it right to peak into someones life without permission? Jeff watches the other people in his building in a very similar and invasive way. The voyeurism and mystery of the story is accentuated by the fact that every single shot is from inside the main characters room. Not only do we see a murder investigation as it unfolds, but we see it directly from the view of the main character. Everything he sees, we see. We are almost transformed into the character. We revel in his successes and feel the sting of his failures. Along with a perfectly designed 180 degree set, giving us a full view of the world of a man confined to his wheel chair.
The sounds of each room become as much a part of that area as the visuals. The musical room being the most notable. The phone rings always give us the only look into the outside of the entire film. The strongest element of the film is the characters though. Each moment with the killer, is a moment inside his head. We hear him say nothing nearly all movie, but his expressions say everything. We see him think, come to realizations as if he we could hear his thoughts. Overall, Rear Window is a truly unique, and yet somehow completely Hitchcockian film.
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