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When watching Rear Window I kind of came into it with an open mind. As the first Hitchcock film that I had seen and knowing the reputation of the film, I really hoped that I would enjoy it. The hype was well deserved, Rear Window brings you into the film and makes you feel like you are right there. It’s a suspenseful thriller that you won’t soon forget.

Directed in 1954 by Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window, follows the tedious days of photographer L.B. Jefferies (Stewart) as he is cooped up in a two-bedroom apartment with a broken leg that’s in a cast. ‘Jeff’ aimlessly stares out the window watching the citizens of his small block in New York go about their days. As the story unfolds, Jeff witnesses strange acts occurring and this leads to a buildup of suspense as the film continues. Helping him figure out what is happening we have the blonde bombshell Lisa Carol Fremont (Kelly) who slowly gets drawn into the mystery as the film continues. Detective Doyle (Corey) maintains the role as a rational person who investigates things outside of the block and tries to break down Jeff’s theories. The film draws you in more and more until the climactic ending that has you on the edge of your seat.

Stewart is just phenomenal in this film. This is also my first James Stewart movie and I was very impressed by how his quips just roll off his tongue making me laugh every time. It’s kind of funny that I could enjoy a character who spends the movie in a small apartment confined to a wheelchair. This really shows how the dialogue and the story help to reinforce the acting. Lisa does an outstanding job of trying to take Jeff’s mind off of the “looking out the window” thing but ends up slowly getting into the mystery as well and soon she is even putting her own life at risk trying to find the truth.

This having been my first Hitchcock movie I really didn’t know what to expect. It started off a little slow but as the story went on that slowness became a great metaphor for how dull and boring life was for Jeff. I really enjoyed how I felt like I was in the apartment looking out on all the characters and I was just enamored with watching them follow their normal routines. The way that the camera pans around at all the different characters keeps the story interesting in a way that you never know what is going to happen next. Another point I’d like to make is that there is an almost invisible wall between Jeff’s window and the rest of the block keeping everything divided and as the movie progresses that wall is slowly scaled down until it isn’t even there anymore. This movie is pretty timeless and it could have been set in any time and it would still be able to keep me in suspense.

Rear Window is a timeless classic and it really stands the test of time. Anyone who enjoys a good suspense film would enjoy it and take away with them a great experience. It should be on everyone’s list of films to watch.