While I won't go as far as to say that RW is total crap I will say that it is IMO one of the weaker big name films of his. I say big name because Hitchcock did a lot of smaller B films in the 30s before he rose to prominence in the early 40s. Compared to Vertigo or Psycho RW is far inferior and I never really understood its mass appeal.

Personally I love it, this and Vertigo - but each to their own and all that... I don't really like The Birds and although I've got it on Blu-ray I can't get round to finishing Marnie... Just out of interest @microscope what Hitchcock films had you seen in the past that you enjoyed?

I tend to appreciate Hitchcock's technical eye for screenplay, for the shot. The first Hitchcock movie I decided to watch was Vertigo, and it was positively spellbinding for me in terms of how it was shot. The story? Not so much.

Then I watched Rear Window and, again, it was more about the technical screenplay than the plot.

Then, North by Northwest. After so many recommendations about this movie, I can't fathom the high reviews. It's a silly movie on so many levels it's not worth counting...but, again, the screenplay was splendid.

Hitchcock is more a movie-maker than a story-teller, for me. Contrast with Billy Wilder, my favourite - his movies are not about screenplay, special effects or visual tricks, they're much more about plot, character, story.

So, if this helps you appreciate Rear Window - or any Hitchcock movie, for that matter - for what they are, rather than what they're not, well, then, great.

I have seen neither The Birds, nor Psycho, nor any other among the host of movies that may be considered "essential Hitchcock" - but, if I get around to any of them, I'll approach them from this angle and likely get more out of the viewing experience than had my expectations been more story-oriented.

Yeah definitely. Visually it was all really impressive and seems to be what movies today try to emulate, the huge panning shots over the whole scene that make you wonder what sort of crane they used or whatever, the close ups and interesting angles and stuff. Nowadays it is in every self respecting film but back then he was breaking new ground. But yeah the plot... bleh! Very disappointed. Hitchcock directing with someone elses story would be great.

As for the ones I've seen, I saw one big one that I can't remember very well (North by Northwest maybe), Psycho which I really liked although it is a little tame by modern standards I guess, and there was some other one I saw that I loved but I can't remember the name, or the plot :D I just remember it was set in a small house in London and it was all focused on a family and there were some big twists in the plot. I saw it when I was a teenager and it blew my mind. I am going to watch some more of his films but I wish I could find reviews that appraised the story a bit more honestly/accurately. I get the feeling most sites/magazines/people will rave about stuff just because it is Hitchcock and a therefore a classic and they don't want to seem like a dimwit who can't appreciate the finer points or whatever. But I don't care about any of that, I just like good stories.

Speaking of which I also saw "And then there were none" recently too and I loved that! It was black and white and didn't have much to get excited about in terms of visuals and whatnot, but I love those types of stories and the paranoia.

I liked it. Innovative visually and the actors had great chemistry.

i don't think many people consider Rear Window to be a "genius" film... It's good and has always been popular, but I can't say I have ever heard of it being held in the same esteem as Vertigo or anything of that nature... Nor that it pretends to be such a movie...

Maybe you went into it with unrealistic expectations?

@Renovatio said:

i don't think many people consider Rear Window to be a "genius" film... It's good and has always been popular, but I can't say I have ever heard of it being held in the same esteem as Vertigo or anything of that nature... Nor that it pretends to be such a movie...

Maybe you went into it with unrealistic expectations?

He's probably going by the IMDB rating which has it real high on the top 250 list if I remember correctly.

Yep it is 42nd best movie of all time..... according to imdb. Better than Terminator 2, Back to the Future, Gladiator, The Lion King, Apocalypse Now, Alien, etc. Something doesn't add up... But also when I google the best alfred hitchcock films it comes in the top 10 or even top 5.

@microscope said:

Yep it is 42nd best movie of all time..... according to imdb. Better than Terminator 2, Back to the Future, Gladiator, The Lion King, Apocalypse Now, Alien, etc. Something doesn't add up... But also when I google the best alfred hitchcock films it comes in the top 10 or even top 5.

It was very popular upon release due to the star power of Stewart and Kelly. I won't deny the film has some great shots and a decent story but it just never got to me like Vertigo or Psycho. I wouldn't put too much stock in the top 250 of IMDB. Remember, morons are allowed to vote on that too and we all know there ain't no shortage of those.

Yeah but I've never seen any review site that is any better.

When I reflect on the voyeur culture, how we watch tv shows today that are basically just putting people in situations to see how they navigate their way through situations, Rear Window is decades ahead and one of the first big movies that is not complex in plot, but does focus on the characters, their idle boredom and hyperactive imaginations.

The film also explores an idea about urban living, how people living in close quarters mind manage boundaries. Wilder's The Apartment took a variant look (how the super had a preoccupation with what he perceived to be Jack Lemon's character's playboy lifestyle).

This movie is not The Maltese Falcon, a film that is also highly rated yet I found difficult to follow, understand, or enjoy. Rear Window is remarkably not that complicated, and the actors actually do a lot of acting with such a relatively uncomplicated script.

Even sticking within the Hitchcock repertoire, again, I found North by Northwest absurd, it tried too hard to raise the stakes but it came off to me as too conveniently contrived and far too busy to be taken seriously; and Vertigo was, for me, too complicated, I still can't explain off the top of my head what this movie was about.

Rear Window was accessible, believeable. A guy with a broken leg is bored sitting at home and begins to let his nosy imagination get the best of what he thinks he's seeing through his rear window watching his neighbours. And the setting is also neat - a highrise apartment complex that is not a slum, but rather middle class. How often do we see this kind of depiction of urban life in a big city?

@microscope said:

Yep it is 42nd best movie of all time..... according to imdb. Better than Terminator 2, Back to the Future, Gladiator, The Lion King, Apocalypse Now, Alien, etc. Something doesn't add up... But also when I google the best alfred hitchcock films it comes in the top 10 or even top 5.

Well.. I do think it's better than at least half of those movies.... Terminator 2, Back to the Future, Gladiator and the Lion King deserve to rank lower ;)

Still.. It's not at the level of Vertigo, even though, aparently, it was much more popular when it came out (beford my time!)...

The thing is, Rear Window is a fun, light movie, so I think people are thrown off by that, as they expect something more eerie like Vertigo or Chinatown...

@Renovatio said:

The thing is, Rear Window is a fun, light movie, so I think people are thrown off by that, as they expect something more eerie like Vertigo or Chinatown...

Right. I actually find Rear Window to be kind of a mellow film, which makes it stand out in Hitch's oeuvre, which I find to be loaded with numerous films that feel a bit "stuffy." That alone makes it kind of a pleasure to watch, and yes, it's got a simple storyline. Nothing wrong with that.

I can't tell microscope what to like in films, just as s/he can't tell me what to like. I admit that I can watch Rear Window when it comes on TV almost any time at all....

That's what's good about this site... we can even disagree on the classics ;)

Each to their own. Personally I love the slow burn of this one. It makes the climax so much more effective IMO. Hitchcock had me on the edge of my seat when the neighbor discovers who's been watching him.