After more than a month watching and presenting some of the most important films in Alfred Hitchcock's career, we arrive at last to the final film of this marathon, my most favourite film of his (and also one of my most favourite films of all time): Rear Window (1954). I mean, I love this film so much I can't even present it objectively. It is such a good film. It stars James Stewart and Grace Kelly and it was nominated for 4 Oscar Academy Awards: for cinematography, achievement in directing, best sound and screenplay.
If you are one of those younger people that haven't seen lots of old classic movies, you may recognise the plot from another modern film, Disturbia, which stars Shia LeBeouf and is a sort of remake of this Hitchcock movie. While Disturbia isn't a bad film, it can't even touch the level of perfection of the original. And here's why:
The film's protagonist is Jeff (James Stewart), a professional photographer who has broken his leg and is now confined to his small apartment until he heals and he can take the plaster off.
To pass his time, Jeff looks outside the window and watches the lives of his neighbours. Each window has a different story to tell.
There is the dancer who lives alone with the occasional company of some men she's not that interested in, the lonely woman who drinks herself to sleep every night, the childless middle-aged couple -with their dog- who sleep in the balcony because of the heat, the frustrated pianist who composes beautiful music...
...the artist who makes peculiar statues, the newlyweds who don't even find the time to open their window and a salesman with his sick wife who fight all the time and don't seem to love each other at all.
Nice everyday things. Jeff, who can't move out of his wheelchair watches all this out of boredom and uselessness.
His only company is his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter), who visits him everyday to treat him, and his beautiful fiancée Lisa (Grace Kelly) whom Jeff doesn't want to marry thinking that his adventurous life doesn't suit her glamorous lifestyle.
One night, while Jeff can't sleep, he notices that the salesman starts making recurring trips to the city carrying his sample case.
This coincides with the sudden absence of the salesman's sick wife who naturally wouldn't even get out of the bedroom.
Jeff begins to suspect that the man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife and he shares this information with his nurse and his girlfriend. But what can he do?
How can he investigate this case when a broken leg has him bound in a wheelchair? But above all, where has the salesman's wife gone to? What's in the trunk that the salesman ships away? Why is he cleaning a saw and some knives at the kitchen sink?
Has Jeff just witnessed a murder?
The set of the film is one of the most impressive sets in the history of cinema. It was, at the time, the biggest indoor set built at Paramount Studios. It had 31 apartments (all with running water and electricity), eight of which were completely furnished.
While shooting, Hitchcock worked only in Jeff's apartment. All the other actors in the other apartments wore flesh-coloured earpieces so that they could hear his directions.
The film's world premiere was August 4, 1954 at the Rivoli Theatre in New York.
This is the only film in which Grace Kelly is seen smoking a cigarette. She refused to smoke in films, except this one.
Georgine Darcy who plays the dancer, "lived" in her apartment all day, relaxing between takes.
There are rumours that Hitchcock hired Raymond Burr to play the salesman because he looked a lot like a former producer with which Hitchcock had collaborated a lot during his early years, David O. Selzinick who used to interfere too much.
All the sounds in the film are diagetic, which means that every sound, either dialogue, music or noises, comes from within the environment of the film. (With the exception of the orchestral music in the beginning of the film)
The 35mm camera James Stewart holds in the film is an Exacta VX "Varex" from the 1950s. The name was purposely covered. The lens on the other hand, is a 400mm prime telephoto, so magnifying that it would be impossible to use it without a tripod.
Director Cameo: Approximately 30 minutes into the film, Alfred Hitchcock winds the musician's clock in the latter's apartment. The musician is Ross Bagdasarian creator of "Alvin and the Chipmunks".
Memorable Quotes:
"- I wish I were creative. - You are. You're great at creating difficult situations."
Lisa and Jeff
"Intelligence. Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence."
Stella
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