A review by Brooks Rich
100 posts. I can't believe the blog has 100 posts. Thank you to all of the readers who have been here since the first post and also to Azzam and Chris for contributing their wisdom and views. Around the sixtieth post I began to brainstorm ideas for this milestone. I knew if the stars aligned and the hundredth post happened on a Friday, I'd do something special for forgotten film Friday. But the 100th post falling on Saturday works out because I get to feature my favorite director for the first time on the blog. Alfred Hitchcock is in my opinion the greatest filmmaker of all time. The landscape of cinema would not be the same without him. From the late ’30s to about 1962, the man just dominated the film world. Yes, he had his personal demons, and his treatment of some of his actresses was downright despicable, but his contributions to film were staggering. Hitchcock is going to be all over this blog from October to December as he's the featured director for those three months. We will cover him decade by decade. But here is a review of one of his films for the 100th post. This is not only my favorite Hitchcock film, but it is also my all-time favorite movie.
Jimmy Stewart is LB "Jeff" Jeffries, is a professional photographer stuck in a wheelchair after breaking his leg while on assignment. Poor Jeff has nothing to do but sweat and stare out the rear window of his apartment at his neighbors. He sees all kinds of characters. There’s the blonde ballerina with several gentlemen callers, the lonely heart, the newlyweds, and the henpecked husband, played by Raymond Burr, with the sick wife. One rainy night Jeff observes strange behavior at the henpecked husband's apartment and starts to suspect he has murdered his nagging wife.
This film is a masterpiece. That’s my rating. Masterpiece. Hitchcock is called the master of suspense for a reason. The scene where it's nighttime, raining, and Jeff looks out across the courtyard after hearing a scream and a crash is perfect. Hitchcock also makes sure he doesn't show us too much. Just enough where we are suspicious, but also not entirely sure Burr has killed his wife.
Jimmy Stewart is the ultimate everyman and this is in my opinion his best role. He's so good as Jeff and we feel his frustration at not only being cooped up in the wheelchair, but also at not being able to prove that Burr has killed his wife. Burr is fantastic as the suspected murderer – he's asked to convey so much from a distance. Hitchcock never lets the camera leave Jeff's apartment, so all of Burr's acting is from afar. The only time he gets a close up is in the climax, another brilliant scene of suspense I won't spoil here. And if Jeff looks at him, it is through the telephoto lens of his own camera.
Let's talk about Grace Kelly, one of the most beautiful women to ever walk this earth. She plays Lisa, love interest to Jeff who desperately wants him to settle down with her. When Grace Kelly retired from acting to go become the Princess of Monaco, Hitchcock was actually upset. They had a great relationship. I’ve never heard horror stories about the two of them, and some of his best films feature Grace Kelly. She and Stewart have amazing chemistry and the tension between them feels legitimate.
I've seen this film too many times to count. I don't know what number viewing it was, but I eventually noticed that each apartment Jeff looks into has it's own arc. Mrs. Lonely Heart has her own story that plays out over the course of the film. The newlyweds have an arc that has a humorous conclusion. Also interesting are the brief run-ins Burr has with some of the stories going on in the other apartments, especially the couple with the dog. Watch the movie to see what I mean. The character who has little to no interaction with the stories in the apartments is Jeff, the all-seeing observer. That brings in the film's themes of voyeurism. As one character says to Jeff, that's a secret world you're looking into. It's the main cause of doubt about the murder. Everyone is different from their public persona behind closed doors.
Like I said, this film is a masterpiece. Hitchcock is the director with the most films that can be considered masterpieces. Off the top of my head there's this, Notorious, Rebecca,
100 posts. I can't believe the blog has 100 posts. Thank you to all of the readers who have been here since the first post and also to Azzam and Chris for contributing their wisdom and views. Around the sixtieth post I began to brainstorm ideas for this milestone. I knew if the stars aligned and the hundredth post happened on a Friday, I'd do something special for forgotten film Friday. But the 100th post falling on Saturday works out because I get to feature my favorite director for the first time on the blog. Alfred Hitchcock is in my opinion the greatest filmmaker of all time. The landscape of cinema would not be the same without him. From the late ’30s to about 1962, the man just dominated the film world. Yes, he had his personal demons, and his treatment of some of his actresses was downright despicable, but his contributions to film were staggering. Hitchcock is going to be all over this blog from October to December as he's the featured director for those three months. We will cover him decade by decade. But here is a review of one of his films for the 100th post. This is not only my favorite Hitchcock film, but it is also my all-time favorite movie.
Jimmy Stewart is LB "Jeff" Jeffries, is a professional photographer stuck in a wheelchair after breaking his leg while on assignment. Poor Jeff has nothing to do but sweat and stare out the rear window of his apartment at his neighbors. He sees all kinds of characters. There’s the blonde ballerina with several gentlemen callers, the lonely heart, the newlyweds, and the henpecked husband, played by Raymond Burr, with the sick wife. One rainy night Jeff observes strange behavior at the henpecked husband's apartment and starts to suspect he has murdered his nagging wife.
This film is a masterpiece. That’s my rating. Masterpiece. Hitchcock is called the master of suspense for a reason. The scene where it's nighttime, raining, and Jeff looks out across the courtyard after hearing a scream and a crash is perfect. Hitchcock also makes sure he doesn't show us too much. Just enough where we are suspicious, but also not entirely sure Burr has killed his wife.
Jimmy Stewart is the ultimate everyman and this is in my opinion his best role. He's so good as Jeff and we feel his frustration at not only being cooped up in the wheelchair, but also at not being able to prove that Burr has killed his wife. Burr is fantastic as the suspected murderer – he's asked to convey so much from a distance. Hitchcock never lets the camera leave Jeff's apartment, so all of Burr's acting is from afar. The only time he gets a close up is in the climax, another brilliant scene of suspense I won't spoil here. And if Jeff looks at him, it is through the telephoto lens of his own camera.
Let's talk about Grace Kelly, one of the most beautiful women to ever walk this earth. She plays Lisa, love interest to Jeff who desperately wants him to settle down with her. When Grace Kelly retired from acting to go become the Princess of Monaco, Hitchcock was actually upset. They had a great relationship. I’ve never heard horror stories about the two of them, and some of his best films feature Grace Kelly. She and Stewart have amazing chemistry and the tension between them feels legitimate.
I've seen this film too many times to count. I don't know what number viewing it was, but I eventually noticed that each apartment Jeff looks into has it's own arc. Mrs. Lonely Heart has her own story that plays out over the course of the film. The newlyweds have an arc that has a humorous conclusion. Also interesting are the brief run-ins Burr has with some of the stories going on in the other apartments, especially the couple with the dog. Watch the movie to see what I mean. The character who has little to no interaction with the stories in the apartments is Jeff, the all-seeing observer. That brings in the film's themes of voyeurism. As one character says to Jeff, that's a secret world you're looking into. It's the main cause of doubt about the murder. Everyone is different from their public persona behind closed doors.
Like I said, this film is a masterpiece. Hitchcock is the director with the most films that can be considered masterpieces. Off the top of my head there's this, Notorious, Rebecca,
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