Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

I will write something in a couple days Mofo. Got a kid under the weather and it's been a long week. Wanted to get thread up in case some of you were waiting on it.

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

I'll probably see this Sunday or Monday. Looking forward to it and everyone elses thoughts.

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

Oh here we go!!! :up:

Will rewatch and review in the coming days...

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

Yeah, great excuse to rewatch this one! Hopefully in the next few days.

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

I love Hitchcock films, but Rear Window is easily my number 1 from him. Look forward to yet another watch!

Rolled out my beloved box set and got the disc ready to play. I'll probably revisit this tonight. :up:

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

Haven't read that yet coz i don't want to be aware that i'm repeating something you said after i rewatch it haha. Glad someone got started tho :up:

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

It's a great film. I like how you see a wide environment but 98% of it is seen from a small little window. The only thing that annoyed me was at the end when everyone's running out of their apartments. You can see that it was obviously sped up in post and it looks really cheesy. Also I don't care you any of you say, Rope is my favourite Hitchcock movie!

This is definitely my favorite Hitchcock. I am pretty sure I love it for all the reasons Movie Med thinks it has cracks. I love the intimacy of it and the time it spends with the characters. I have said when talking about other Hitch film that he is the king of set-up. This film is like an hour and a half of set-up and I love every minute of it. I love how we see so much of the irrelevant windows. Ms. Lonely Hearts and Ms. Torso are as much a part of this film as Thorwald. Plot is secondary to them here and I think the movie is better for it. In fact I feel so strongly about it that I think the movie would be a bit better thematically if the ending went the other way. It's a small point of contention but I think it could have worked well.

All the characters are great. I love Stella and Doyle and the small time we spend with them. Of course the scenes between Jeff and Lisa are the best and what makes this film one of the greats. I know I am 41 and not supposed to have school boy crushes but I am quite certain I am in love with Grace Kelly. It's not my fault, she is spectacular. An easy

Get in line.

The other way as in: there wasn't really a murder?

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

I would have preferred there not be a murder too. Can't really say why though, i'll see if i still think that after i've rewatched it and if so i'll try and explain it.

Yeah, what do you think?

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

Of the few Hitchcock films I've seen, this one is my favourite (so far).

Great suspense, masterful framing, gorgeous set design, a beautiful Grace Kelly and an engaging murder mystery plot. All are key elements for a successful film. They did a semi-remake with Disturbia, starring Shia Labeouf, yet that one is limited and dated by the modern technology they use. The kid in that film is under house arrest and must wear an ankle monitor. In a few years, people might question what the hell is attached to his ankle.

A broken leg, is a broken leg. You're not going anywhere.

It also adds to the suspense and sense of dread when the protagonist can't really defend himself. Labeouf can run around the house and hide, Stewart cannot.

I still find the blinding of the camera flash to be a bit comical and wish Hitchcock didn't leave the apartment for that one shot, but this is an otherwise masterfully crafted film.

It's an interesting proposal, but I would probably keep the murder in. It gives the film a certain extra weight and it's also a necessary plot point in order to help develop the relationship between Grace Kelly and James Stewart, which is perhaps the most interesting substantive aspect of the film during rewatches.
I do sympathize with your assessment that the allround atmosphere that gets created simply through the observation of the environment is one of the film's greatest and most durable strengths. I'm comfortable with it being a very rich background to this murder story, though. It doesn't need to be the absolute essence of the whole film for me.

I'd also recommend you all to listen to the Hitchcock/Truffaut interview about this film. Apart from perhaps the discussion about Vertigo, it's probably the best one they did.

@TheUsualSuspect I agree about the bulb scene being pretty silly. Remonds me a bit of the dream sequence of Vertigo.

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

I love Rear Window, and I'm also one of the few who really like Disturbia too.

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

Fantastic film, with plenty of implications in regards to voyeurism, cinema, and entertainment. One of Hitchcock's best, and the cast is perfect. Love Rear Window.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zGu9cV9xe1...25281%2529.png

Interesting because I feel the exact opposite in regards to the weight the ending carries. Jeff is an extremely sympathetic character despite being quite the creeper. This ending lets him off the hook completely so the viewer never again has to decide if his peeping is justified. It is because the real bad guy is caught. If there is no murder we would be left with very mixed feelings about Jeff. I think that would carry much more weight.

Small gripe, I love the movie and everything leading up to that apartment confrontation is aces. Just something that occured to me this time through.

Re: Rear Window (1954)- A Club Discussion
 

The film is flawless.

That is all.

But really, I'll watch it again soon.

I feel like the confrontation at the end could be interpreted as a form of punishment for his peeping. You pay a price if you get into other people's private business, especially if you discover things that the daylight can't stand. In that moment when Stewart realizes the killer is coming for him, the viewer identifies with him and undoubtedly feels a certain fear and therefore also regret towards the causes of that fear, which is a much stronger emotion than simply feeling a bit ambiguous and morally challenged about having peeped without any real consequences.
He isn't really let off the hook if you look at it from that perspective.

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I'm gonna be honest i've been away for the "club discussions" but im guessing that I can put my opinion here

Rear Window is my favorite Hitchcock. I thought it was amazing while Psycho was just good. Kelly is so great. I'd probably give it a +

Cole back. :cool:

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

i quite like it, though it's not one of my favourites. My favourite bit is the ending, where Grace Kelly puts down the improving book Stewart has tried to get her to read and picks up Vogue.

Fantastic ending indeed. Truffaut called it a potentially pessimistic and cynical one, but I think it's more a moment of playful realism.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I just watched it again today. Im kind of disappointed that people think the weak part of the film is the ending, because for me, the last twenty minutes are the most tense. Stewart and Grace Kelly make the perfect pair in this film, and Thelma Ritter is great too. I love the setting of the film and the fact that we only see things from Stewart's living place. It helps to build the tension of the film. Obviously, this is one of the best films of all time.

Makes me laugh every time. I love that.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I think Grace Kelly is one of my favorite female performances of all time. Just her presence alone in the film makes it worth watching.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I've watched Rear Window last weekend and did a small write-up on it in my diary thread, but forgot to post it here.

Here's a link for interested ---- https://www.movieforums.com/communit...t=48322&page=3

Agreed. I said I was in love with her when I watched it.

Rear Window

I watched it last night:p This was the second time I've seen Rear Window and I had forgotten everything about it, so I'm glad this was on the Hitch watch list.

So some of you think the ending was weak. The ending worked for me because it seemed to flow out of the previous scenes and happened quite naturally. It never felt tacked on or rushed. I liked it.

Though my favorite scene was the establishing shot starting in the apartment - with the blinds up, the blinds go down - the camera zooms out the window, peeping into the lives of the other apartment's rear windows...finally the camera comes back in and we see it's hot! Stewart is sweating bullets! and the mercury in the thermometer is rising, really rising! Then we see Stewart frantically trying to itch his leg in the cast.

That's all brilliantly done as it gives us the feeling of what it's like to be trapped in an apartment, stuck in a wheel chair, bored as hell, while sweltering in the heat...This then drives the story forward and sets the tone, which tells us that being a peeping-tom voyeur is not a healthy hobby! Which is the theme of the movie.

James Stewart is perfect in this role. He's one of my all time favorite actors and is cast well here. And big kudos to a great actress, Thelma Ritter. I loved the scene they shared together at the start of the movie. This is when we learn of Stewart's philosophy on marriage and life. It's a very well written script too. And I just got through watching a short interview with the script writer John Michael Hayes.

I liked Grace Kelly in this, OK. She's better here than in Dial M for Murder. Even the scriptwriter John Michael Hayes, said she was stiff in Dial M. She's certainly pretty and very fashionable too. I'd say her best quality is her poise. You guys will probably kick me out of the Hitch Club:cool: but I think she was the weak point in the movie.

I'm not a fan of Hitch's trick photography, like the glowing effect of the bulb or the blue screen fall of James Stewart. I think that takes away from the rest of the film. Hitch is the master of entertainment films, but the more I watch and rewatch his films, I realize they were the blockbuster CG movie of his day. Now I'm really kicked out of the club:eek:

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Oh no, no way was Grace the weak point. She's as classy as they came back then.

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She was classy alright! (I just don't like her acting) but yeah she's got poise and class that's for sure. And she looked great especially in the white tool dress with the black top, and the light green one too. She looked like she stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

It was her best role. It's sad that her film career was quite a short one.

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And yes, CR I love the set up scene too. I think it helps give the film a bit of context and makes it feel as if it will narrow the world in context to the story.

Have you seen her in The Country Girl that's my favorite performace by hers. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in that movie. It's a real good movie too. Check out if you haven't seen it.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I agree with Citizen. Grace is stunning of course but i'm not a fan of her performance. I'm going to make sure to rewatch this before the next one starts and i'll go into why if i still feel the same.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I haven't seen Country Girl but I certainly have to.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Grace did just alright, but didn't really do anything to impress me. Still her presence cannot be understated. She really oozed elegance.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Cool piece of trivia on Rear Window ... I also really liked that scene.

"According to Georgine Darcy, the scene in which the man and woman on the fire escape struggle in their attempt to get in out of the rain can be attributed to a prank by Alfred Hitchcock. Each actor in the apartment complex facing Jeff's rear window wore an earpiece through which they could receive Hitchcock's directions. Hitchcock told the man to pull the mattress in one direction and told the woman to pull in the opposite direction. Unaware that they had received conflicting directions, the couple began to fight and struggle to get the mattress inside once the crew began filming the scene. The resulting mayhem in which one of the couple is tossed inside the window with the mattress provided humor and a sense of authenticity to the scene which Hitchcock liked. He was so pleased with the result that he did not order another take."

I just now read the other reviews, some comments:pI like what you said about the characters in the rear windows being more important than the overall plot. I like the ending but I could see it going the other way too, which reinforces the idea that pepping is wrong.

I liked that. And Thelma Ritter does take a dim view of Stewart's peeping and even mentions he could be in for jail time as a peeping tom. Certainly the script has that in mind, I'm not so sure Hitch did or not?

I want to keep the conversation going so I am going to push back on this a tad again to see what you think Citizen. She mentions it, the detctive tells him he needs to knock it off, and Kelly's charcter is beginning to be annoyed by it. We are beginning to see some repercussions for his actions even if it is just a bit. All that goes away as soon as the characters know he was right. Stewart even has a line that says as much to the detective. Any negativety they had towards his actions vanish. If he has Kelly and Ritter do what they end up doing and there is no murder. Boom, instant repercussions for his actions throughout the movie. I would leave it open ended, but there is even a possibility he loses his girl over it.

Now let me say this isn't Psycho. I mostly love the end of this film. I love Ritter and Kelly sneaking around and I adore that final scene. Just playing devil's advocate because I do feel one of the greatest movies ever could be even better.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I don't agree, @seanc. That approach would take away a layer of depth that is essential to the film, in my opinion.
To me, it would be like the Mexican kid in Touch of Evil actually being non-guilty instead of guilty. It takes away the ambiguity of the central sin that's being committed. I don't want a film that is obviously anti-peeping. I want a film that makes the peeper sympathetic and makes him save the day. It's way more interesting and opens up many more questions than the former example.

I liked the ending pretty well, but after reading Sean's post earlier, I decided I liked his version of leaving the murder, or no murder, up in the air. I mean the beginning of the film really sets it up that James Stewart is obsessed. It's almost like Hitch is saying he's crazy from the heat and the boredom. So I thought that's how it would end with Stewart being the antagonist. I just read this bit of trivia:
And that worked on me, the way the confrontation scene was done, I felt sympathy for Throwald (Raymond Burr) for a few seconds before he grabs Stewart.

I do think Stewart's character is presented to us as somewhat of a dubious character. I mean he won't even marry Grace Kelly! So yeah if I had Hitch's ear during production I would go with the ambiguous ending.

Well you know, if you feel like you should take Hitch's side over me I guess there is a bit of evidence you are backing the right horse. :p

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Rear Window could be even better? Well, perhaps it could have been a tad longer :cool:

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Where is the North by Northwest thread?

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

this is the least one i liked in the list of 5 films:
1-psycho
2-north by northwest
3-vertigo
4-to catch a thief
5-rear window

Coming tonight. I apologize. I have already watched it. Been home late every night this week and I have been so amped for binging Better Call Saul I keep blanking on creating it.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

I watched it again after a few years, and it gets better every time. One thing me and my gf both agreed on that is strange is the ending though. Why did the villain confess the crime? I mean all the police got him on so far is attempted murder, and breaking and entering, so why confess to worse crimes?

You're using 21st Century logic for a 1954 film.

During that era in films, a man who murdered his wife could never get away with it. The Hays Code had long insisted that movie criminals always get caught and punished.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

Yeah that's true. But instead of him confessing the crime, wouldn't it just make more sense for L.B. Jeffries to use pull the villain out of the window and, have him fall to his death, so he doesn't get away with it instead?

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

This movie is cited in one Simpsons episode. Bart breaks his leg and spies on Flanders next door.

Re: Rear Window (1954) - A Club Discussion
 

One thing in the movie I don't understand, is how was Thorwald able to get Jeff's phone number? Where did he get it from?