Rear Window

I was biting my nails the whole time I was watching this movie!!

Rear Window is an Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Stewart plays Jeff, a photographer who is temporarily wheelchair-bound after breaking his leg. Not being able to do much else, he spends his time looking out his window, at his neighbors who live in apartments surrounding a small courtyard. He looks into the windows of their apartments, and in essence, into their lives. His nurse Stella, played by Thelma Ritter, comes in every day to check in on him and take care of him. His girlfriend, Lisa (Kelly), also visits him regularly.

I knew the premise of the movie was that he witnesses a murder as he looks out his window. So the whole time I was watching, I was waiting for it to take place. But, wow - Hitchcock really strung out the suspense. Jeff looked from window to window, and the whole time I was watching wide -eyed, not wanting to miss a thing. Who would it be? Would it be "Miss Torso", the beautiful dancer with no shortage of gentlemen callers? Or the couple that is always fighting? Or perhaps the frustrated musician at the piano? The lonely woman? Or wait, how shocking it would be if it turned out to be the newlyweds? Or what about the sculptor? Jeff just watches to pass the time, and out of curiosity, but WE are waiting to see who will be the ill-fated neighbor! I was on the edge of my seat. And even when I found out who it was....there was a point where I began to wonder...did he really see it? Or has he made a mistake?


Grace Kelly plays his girlfriend Lisa, and they are a beautifully matched pair in this. I watched Grace Kelly in High Noon, and mentioned in my review that there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Gary Cooper. In this film, there was chemistry abounding between her and James Stewart!


Hitchcock usually makes a cameo in his movies, and this one is no exception. I recognized him instantly when I saw him - casually winding a clock in one of the apartments!

If you love suspense thrillers - this movie is a definite must-see!

High Noon

On the day the Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper) gets married, he also receives a message that Frank Miller, a murderer he helped put away, has been pardoned. The news gets worse: Miller will arrive in town on the noon train to take his revenge on Marshall Kane.

At first, he and his bride, Amy (Grace Kelly) get on a wagon to leave town. But on his way out of town, Kane decides he can't just "run", otherwise he'll be running for the rest of his life. So he comes back and tries to form a posse to help him face Miller. Unfortunately, no one in town is willing to help. Most feel that Kane has brought this on himself, as well as on their town. Furthermore, his bride is angry that he feels he has to stay, so she buys a ticket out of town, and tells him she's leaving with or without him.

The movie is in real time, as we await the arrival of the train at high noon. Minute by minute, we watch as Kane deals with his fear and the fact that he's on his own to face Miller's gang.

I love a good western. But his one just didn't do it for me. It was a little corny. Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly had absolutely NO chemistry as a couple. I couldn't even tell Kane liked Amy that much. He was pretty emotionless. The only thing he really conveyed well was fear. A very young Lloyd Bridges was in the movie as well - a major character, but really, a pretty useless one. It would have been the same movie without him.

I feel kinda funny being critical of such a classic film! I mean, if millions before me have dubbed this "classic, who am I to say it stinks? I just felt like the story had great potential in so many areas, but instead, it was just a good story with dry characters that had no connection. Even the scene where he comes face to face with Miller arrives and leaves us with hardly any dramatic climax.

Best dramatic part was the final drive-away scene. Those five seconds had more drama and power than the entire movie.