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Rear
Window
(1954) |
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Early in his career, Alfred Hitchcock realized that audience interest was vital in order to express himself in the art of cinema. Therefore, from his earliest talkie Blackmail, he chose the thriller as the vehicle for his creative impulse. Some critics question the thriller as a medium for the classical artist. But, after the decades of soul searching and scrutiny, Alfred Hitchcock is now universally recognized as one of cinema's greatest creative geniuses with masterpieces such as Vertigo, Psycho and Notorious to his name. Rear Window almost belongs to this exalted category. One of Hitchcock's most arresting and brilliantly constructed thrillers, it was made between 1954 -57, his richest period during which he directed films that have since been immortalized. In fact, Hitchcock set himself a self-imposed challenge of time, space and camera location. The entire drama takes place over a 72-hour period during a heat wave in New York City. The film restricts itself to the action taking place in the courtyard of a Greenwich Village apartment block, and the camera does not move out of that arena. Furthermore, with the exception of the last scene, the camera takes an exclusively subjective view from the rear window of James Stewart's apartment, where he lies immobilized with a plastered leg, prying into the lives of his neighbours. The camera not only assumes the vantage point of the convalescing journalist who, bored and frustrated by his immobility, not only purveys the scene from his apartment, but also adopts the rather immoral role of a voyeur. Throughout the film, the camera sees only what Stewart can, making the audience a party to his spying, while sharing in his doubts, frustrations and anticipation. Like all masters of cinematic art, Hitchcock expresses himself essentially through the visual art form. To depict an idle, spoilt rich character, he uses neither words nor acting, He simply films Jessie Royce Landis lazily stubbing out her cigarette in a poached egg ordered for breakfast in bed (To Catch a Thief). Similarly, in Rear Window, it is the cinematic art form that grips the audience when the salesman's bedridden wife steals up to the door and catches her husband making a guilty phone call. The words between the quarrelling couple remain unheard, but the body language and movement is brilliantly indicative of the drama of their private lives. The movie's cast is brilliant, with Grace Kelly giving the most alluring performance of her career. James Stewart is equally effective as the frustrated and laconic hero, and clearly comes across as Hitchcock's favourite actor. The small parts, too, are brilliantly conceived, notably Thelma Ritter as the earthy physiotherapist. However, Rear Window's special place as a near masterpiece lies in the director's camera work. It is the lens, which takes the place of the audience and requires no dialogues to tell the story. Watch the scene when the old couple's dog is found dead, and every apartment dweller comes out on to his balcony except for one man, who sits unmoved in a dark room with only the red glow of his cigar showing his indifference. Yet, Hitchcock's greatest is not limited to the camera alone. Sound also plays a special role in depicting the hubris of Stewart's constricted world. In fact, keep your ears open as the murder is not seen in the film but heard. Although the film cannot compare to Hitchcock's masterpieces such as Psycho and Vertigo, Rear Window stands out as one of his more brilliant, innovative, challenging and entertaining films, which was also the director's most financially successful, venture. Rarely have suspense, wit, cinematic art and sheer enjoyment been mixed together so effectively.
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