This is the second film directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring James Stewart. They previously made Rope together in 1948, and will go on to do The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956 and Vertigo in 1958. This is also Hitchcock’s second time working with Grace Kelly after Dial M for Murder in 1954 and before To Catch a Thief in 1955. Neither actor scored award nominations for their performances in Rear Window, though Grace Kelly did win an Oscar that year for The Country Girl. Thelma Ritter was a beloved, snarky character actress at the time. Wendell Corey and Raymond Burr, future Perry Mason, round out the cast.

Alfred Hitchcock scored an Oscar nomination for Best Director (he lost to Elia Kazan for On the Waterfront), and the Oscar-nominated screenplay by John Michael Hayes is adapted from the short story “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich. Hayes and Hitchcock worked together an additional three times (To Catch a Thief, The Trouble with Harry, and The Man Who Knew Too Much). Rear Window is perhaps their best collaboration. The duo made numerous changes to the short story, including adding the romantic element between Jeff and Lisa, and making Jeff a photographer. Both of these changes really add layers to the film. Hitchcock isn’t just making a simple thriller. Through the film, Hitchcock is making a commentary on the experience of watching films itself. Jeff’s obsession with his neighbors recalls an audience member peering into lives of film characters, and his investigation into a murder is like someone trying to figure out the mystery at home (seems like Hitchcock predicted the Westworld “mystery box” becoming a cultural phenomenon).

The love story between Jeff and Lisa is also rife with social commentary. They are somewhat mismatched, but Lisa is head over heels for Jeff. The neighbors play out Jeff and Lisa’s romantic tension: Jeff thinks Lisa is like Miss Torso, a sexy dancer who entertains men at home. Lisa feels like Miss Lonelyhearts, a woman unlucky in love. Jeff’s stalled career reflects the songwriter with writer’s block. There are two married couples: one just married, unable to keep their hands off each other; one older, who bicker but have affection. Finally the Thorwalds, with an invalid wife driving a fed up husband to murder. Jeff is laid up, and his unwillingness to commit to Lisa drives her mad, so he sees himself as Mrs. Thorwald. But Jeff also fears that marriage to Lisa could only lead to her being nagging and shrewish, so maybe Lisa is the Mrs. Thorwald. Hitchcock allows for these interpretations to play out through his elegant plotting and rich characterization.