Rear Window (1954)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr. USA, Color, 112 minutes.

Today, The Video Basement outdoes itself. We're looking at one of Hitchcock's greatest and most ingenious thrillers, Rear Window. It's currently #15 on the IMDb Top 200 List, and is on about every one's favorite film list. But I'm going to pick it apart like it never has, and show what a piece of crap this movie is.

No I'm not. That would be ludicrous.

When photographer L.B. Jefferies breaks his leg shooting an action photo, he is confined to a wheelchair, and can only stay in his apartment. When he begins killing time by peeping on his neighbors through his rear window, he becomes convinced that one of them (Burr) has committed murder, and pulls his beautiful girlfriend (Kelly) into the mystery.

There's not one wasted shot in this movie. There's not one weak plot point. There's not one poorly written line of dialogue. Hitchcock reached near-perfection with this movie, and made it unbelievably entertaining at the same time. (Yes, there's a difference between "perfect" and "entertaining".) The story is gripping and makes you root for the good guys. James Stewart rarely gave better performances, and Grace Kelly never looked so stunning. Oh, and she gives a good performance, too. (And she's frickin' HOT. [Sorry, feminists.] )

And did I mention that almost every shot in the film originates from Jefferies' apartment? Hitchcock was a crazy son of a bitch.

A great film for a rainy afternoon, a sunny morning, a quiet night, or a psychedelic sunrise. In fact, I think I'm gonna go watch it again. See ya.

One last look . . .