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intereact!Actors: Ross Bagdasarian, Benny Bartlett, Sara Berner, Raymond Burr, and Frank Cady
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $19.98
Release Date: 2001-03-06
Theatrical Release Date: 1954
Studio: Universal Studios
Run Time: 115 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Color, Collector's Edition, Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Discs: 1
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com essential video
Like the Greenwich Village courtyard view from its titular portal, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window is both confined and multileveled: both its story and visual perspective are dictated by its protagonist's imprisonment in his apartment, convalescing in a wheelchair, from which both he and the audience observe the lives of his neighbors. Cheerful voyeurism, as well as the behavior glimpsed among the various tenants, affords a droll comic atmosphere that gradually darkens when he sees clues to what may be a murder. Photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries (James Stewart) is, in fact, a voyeur by trade, a professional photographer sidelined by an accident while on assignment. His immersion in the human drama (and comedy) visible from his window is a by-product of boredom, underlined by the disapproval of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and a wisecracking visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter). Yet when the invalid wife of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears, Jeff enlists the two women to help him to determine whether she's really left town, as Thorwald insists, or been murdered. Hitchcock scholar Donald Spoto convincingly argues that the crime at the center of this mystery is the MacGuffin--a mere pretext--in a film that's more interested in the implications of Jeff's sentinel perspective. We actually learn more about the lives of the other neighbors (given generic names by Jeff, even as he's drawn into their lives) he, and we, watch undetected than we do the putative murderer and his victim. Jeff's evident fear of intimacy and commitment with the elegant, adoring Lisa provides the other vital thread to the script, one woven not only into the couple's own relationship, but reflected and even commented upon through the various neighbors' lives. At minimum, Hitchcock's skill at making us accomplices to Jeff's spying, coupled with an ingenious escalation of suspense as the teasingly vague evidence coalesces into ominous proof, deliver a superb thriller spiked with droll humor, right up to its nail-biting, nightmarish climax. At deeper levels, however, Rear Window plumbs issues of moral responsibility and emotional honesty, while offering further proof (were any needed) of the director's brilliance as a visual storyteller. --Sam Sutherland
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1) Grace and James at their best! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I watched both the Alfred Hitchcock movies "Rear Window" and "Torn Curtain" at about the same time. Though both of them are great movies, I think I like "Rear Window" a little bit better.James Stewart is L.B. Jeffries, a photographer who injured his leg while on an assignment. While sitting in his wheelchair near the "rear window" in his room, he notices everything going on around him...including the disappearance of the invalid Mrs. Thorwald, who lives across the complex from him. He notices also, that Mr. Thorwald leaves quite a few times during the night. Jeffries soon starts to suspect Mr. Thorwald of murdering his wife and carrying away her body, and He refuses to believe the story that Mrs. Thorwald is away visiting relatives.Grace Kelly is absolutely stunning as Lisa Freemont, Jeff's glamorous girlfriend who soon becomes involved in helping him solve the murder. She was one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actresses and he put her in another of his successful films, "Dial M For Murder," the same year she made "Rear Window."This movie does show alot of scenes of the people around the apartment complex that don't have anything to do with the story or the murder that can get old, but other than that I would say that this is one of Hitchcock's most enjoyable films.2) A fantasic movie with okay extras. [Rating: 4 out of 5]
The movie doesn't need reviewing in my opinion. Everyone at least knows about it. It's one of the greatest movies made. Not everyone loves it but most do, and should be on the shelf of anyone who likes classic movies. Not many reviewers comment on the extras. They are decent and are enjoyable enough to watch if you're interested in film. I will say that the hero worship of Hitchcock is still going strong and colors the extra features. Hitchcock was VERY talented but was possibly more master of PR rather than suspense. He did know how to put together a good team, though. A look at the extras on Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Season One (I think this was the one) was much more interesting.3) Boring Movie.. [Rating: 1 out of 5]
It is a boring movie from start to finish. The old man sits on the wheelchair and acts the Peeping Tom with as much as gusto as an eighty year old man trying to make love. Grace Kelly is shockingly plain just short of ugly, really! To call her beautiful is akin to endorsing holocaust. Necking scenes between Miss (very) Plain Jane and Ancient Rip Van Winkle is like watching incestuous pedophilia in action. Foolish movie! But I guess Good Enough for xenophobic and racist Americans. PS: By plain I mean by Hollywood standards. Of course, Kelly was any time better than Indian Horrors like Punjabi post-box based Kareena Kapoor and tar-complexioned Priyanka "Mrs Subhash Chandra for a night" Chopra - daughter of an alleged pedophile, who it seems, if some Punjabis are to be beleived, are ruling the roost in the Indian Film Industry.4) An OK Film for Hitchcock Completists, Perhaps... [Rating: 2 out of 5]
...But hardly a masterpiece. For that, try Torn Curtain (1966), or Hitch's last and best, Family Plot (1976).Poor production values, including a set that does the film no favors, leave this one-trick pony limping badly out of the gate. Grace Kelly is game enough playing the socialite girlfriend of photographer L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart), but there's no real chemistry between the two leads (had Prince Rainier already proposed?). Worse yet, the two supporting players (Thelma Ritter as Jeffries' nurse, and Raymond Burr as the defense attorney accused of killing a dog) seem to be phoning it in.Worst of all, this mystery movie has no real mystery. Stewart and Kelly suspect Burr has killed a dog--guess what? He did! I won't spoil what follows, except to say Burr's actions are beyond belief, given that he (at most) faced no more than a fine for cruelty to animals.The "Miss Torso" character is the sole bright spot in this gloomy production, but alas, she has far too little screen time. The two stars are for her.5) Voyerism Never Looked So Good [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Released in 1954, REAR WINDOW was a major success with critics and public alike--and unlike some Hitchcock films, which were praised at the time but negatively re-evaluated, it has held up incredibly well over time.Loosely suggested by several notorious crimes, the premise of REAR WINDOW is widely famous. Photographer L.B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) is confined to his New York apartment with a broken leg, alternately nursed and harrassed by his elegant girl friend Lisa (Grace Kelly) and pragmatic day nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter.) Annoyed and bored, he begins to watch his neighbors across the courtyard--and soon notices the activites of Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald (Raymond Burr and Irene Winston.) Their quarrels quite suddenly cease, Mrs. Thorwald is no longer visible, and Mr. Thorwald is unexpectedly given to taking packages out of the house. Is it murder?The set for REAR WINDOW has long garnered a great deal of attention, and deservedly so: it is a meticulous sound stage re-creation of New York apartment buildings of the era, and with few exceptions both the camera work and sound effects are presented from Jefferies' point of view: we see what he sees and hear what he hears. In the process, we become as much of a peeping tom as Jefferies himself, a device that tends to make audiences increasingly squirm as the film progresses. At the same time, however, we are also privy to Jefferies' private life, most particularly his rocky relationship with Lisa, who wants marriage but whom Jefferies rejects as incompatible with his own lifestyle.The performances here are extraordinary, with James Stewart cast against type as Jefferies and Grace Kelly sparkling as the high-fashion Lisa. But the real stunner is the supporting cast, which ranges from the truly remarkable Thelma Ritter to the host of players who are glimpsed from Jefferies' window as they go about their daily routines: the lonely lady, the musician, the newly married couple, the scultor, the woman with the dog--and, of course, "Miss Torso," a particularly voluptuous blonde who spends her time in what Lisa calls "a woman's hardest job: juggling wolves!"This is Hitchcock working at the peak of his talents, working his themes of isolation, vulnerability, and most particularly voyerism to the nth degree. The script is tight, the cinematography is flawless, and the production designs are beyond perfection. Critics may argue which film can be regarded as Hitchcock's ultimate masterpiece, but even the most picky among them will place REAR WINDOW either at or very near the top slot--and so will you. Truly memorable and beautifully restored on this DVD release. Recommended.GFT, Amazon Reviewer