As we approach the end of our third week in lockdown in the UK, I decided to recommend a film that is all about being cooped up in your home and the resulting effects that this can have on people. Add in a good dose of paranoia, a pinch of voyeurism and a potential murder, and you have the 1954 Hitchcock classic that is Rear Window.
I first had the pleasure of watching this film during my college A-level course. It was one of the first classical Hollywood films that I had ever seen and I was completely enamored with everything about it. The way that the tension slowly built in a way that was exciting but understated was something that felt rare in the age of action-packed blockbusters, and the actors seemed to ooze such charisma that I wished that I was around during this golden age of classical Hollywood.
There was a good couple of months after watching Rear Window where I would have felt lucky to be even half as sophisticated as Grace Kelly.
Rear Window is a mystery thriller, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, about photographer L. B. 'Jeff' Jefferies (James Stewart), who is wheelchair-bound after injuring himself while working. Stuck in his apartment with little company during a heatwave, he takes to watching his neighbours to pass the time. This starts innocently enough, but Jeff soon becomes convinced that a man in one of the apartments opposite has murdered his wife. With the help of his girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) and nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) he tries to find evidence of his neighbour's guilt.
While this film might strike a chord with those of you going a bit stir-crazy, it is also just an excellent mystery/thriller regardless of how relatable Jeff might be at the moment. Watching him slowly develop cabin fever from being stuck at home, wondering whether he might be right about his neighbour or just going a bit bonkers is what makes this story so intriguing. Although we almost never leave Jeff's flat, we see everything he sees, from his perspective, and piece together the clues alongside him.
In fact almost everything in this film is shown from Jeff's perspective, especially when it comes to him watching the neighbours. Known only by the nicknames given to them by Jeff, we get to know little things about them and watch their daily routines. Like him they rarely seem to leave their homes and throughout the film a picture is painted of a group of people who know each other but never interact. It is a lonely apartment block, reflecting the isolation of Jeff and how isolating life in an urban area can be. Something I'm sure we can all relate to at this moment in time.
Every creative aspect of this film is masterfully done; it is clear that every camera movement and everything that we can see has been carefully considered and is all extremely meaningful. Each time I watch this film I notice something else, even if it is just a prop, that adds something new to the film. The choice to set almost the entire film in Jeff's apartment enhances the isolation that has been imposed upon him, and enhances how distant his neighbours are both literally and figuratively.
Jeff doesn't spend all of this time alone, however. He is visited and helped by girlfriend Lisa and nurse Stella. Both very different characters, but they are shown to be equally strong and supportive of Jeff throughout the film. Being his nurse, Stella is more stern and mothering when compared to Lisa, a socialite. Their roles aren't as big as Jeff's and strongly conform to female roles of the time, but it is the 1950s and this doesn't detract from the fact that Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter do a fantastic job.
Grace Kelly especially is a wonderful presence in the film; every time she appears she is an elegant and ethereal being floating onto the set. Her role also becomes a lot more significant near the end of the film, there's even a bit of a role reversal where our leading man is helpless in his wheelchair and his girlfriend has to do all of the hard work.
Rear Window is a true classic and a definite contender for Hitchcock's best film. If you're looking to fill in the blanks in your classic film knowledge, or looking for something to alleviate lockdown boredom, this is one not to be missed.