Anyone else kinda noticed how in the main windows, that are focused on each person serves life, that he can't or does not want to have. The new couple just got married and moved in together which is something he mentioned he didn't want with Lisa. The ballerina who was able to dance and really emphasizes on moving her feet, his legs are broken so he could not. The lonely girl who set up a whole date for herself, while Jeff never really did anything for himself, didn't even sleep in his bed. And the piano guy who was very much a perfectionist, Jeff was never interested in how perfect Lisa was (like the video stated). Idk this is probably a stretch but I think its funny that his amusement and days are taken by only watching lives that he does not have.
How about this? The windows on the right are where he fears he may end up. Unhappily married (murderer), or lonely single (Miss Lomelyhearts). On the left are where he hopes to end up. Happily married (newlyweds) or happily single (pianist). And in the middle (Miss Torso) is where he is now, toying with affection.
Well, that couldn't be helped. It's like in "Shutter Island", where a director we KNOW doesn't do supernatural stories is giving us a movie in which the protagonist is currently walking about a sanatory island and he sees his dead wife. Gee, I wonder what the plot twist will be... One can solve most of Shutter Island by the middle of the trailer.
How about this? The windows on the right are where he fears he may end up. Unhappily married (murderer), or lonely single (Miss Lomelyhearts). On the left are where he hopes to end up. Happily married (newlyweds) or happily single (pianist). And in the middle (Miss Torso) is where he is now, toying with affection.
This film is curiously satisfying and complete. Hitchcock explores the dynamic of male female relationships and plays it for laughs with witty dialogue and little vignettes through windows and gaps in walls. We get perspectives on Thorwald and Jeffries by seeing how Jeffries personal prejudices allow him to identify when something doesn’t fit the norm. Genius. He takes us on a journey exploring a cultural dissonance that gives Thorwald away. The set is a fantastic mock up which you can see needed pretty heavy lighting to get naturalistic effects on the early colour stock. Hitchcock distorts reality by adding foley effects and only allowing words to be heard when necessary. Binoculars and an Exacta give us close ups so that we can read faces or examine distant details that create the mystery. I found this film a million times more entertaining on the big screen because the acting and actions are easier to see. I don’t think anyone has tried this style of film making since. I guess much would be done now using computers and clever composites and sadly, probably with less power, visually. Hitchcock pulls off a wonderful trick in creating a world within a world. Rear Window has a lot of great humour, warmth and a murder mystery and is a compelling watch.
Hitchcock makes it virtually impossible to pick a favorite. I keep bouncing around not only as to which I will obsessively watch for weeks or months on end, but also how I see each film. Psycho went from being a 'scary' movie to a hilarious comedy. Thank you Alfred for complicating our lives so enjoyably, JIM Oaxaca
When I watch Psycho, I feel constantly manipulated. Hitchcock tells the story in such a way that allegiance to the characters changes several times. When the car begins to sink into the swamp, it stops, but I am rooting for Norman and want the car to sink. When it does, I am relieved and glad for Norman - I was manipulated.
I allways loved this movie, I agree with your points. For some reason I was also allways so in love with the sound in "Rear Window". It really adds to making the place feel real.
Jeffries looks out the window because he's confined and bored, not because he's hot. The windows don't need to be open. He could be nicely air-conditioned and still be bored.
To those who didn’t feel suspense... this is the best kind of suspense. It was the perfect amount at the perfect time. Like a really good glass of fancy scotch rather than a fifth of jack.
The whole complex relationship with Grace Kelly, her break in to the apartment and then Jeffries watching her across the courtyard just as he has watched all his neighbors until we hear her cry out and the distance between voyeur and object is bridged by her calling his name. This is the most suspenseful scene in the movie and so much else in the movie has gone into making it work like an elegantly designed mouse trap to catch the audience.
That scene was so tense. Jeff goes from a position of power and control to absolute vulnerability, and all it took was for someone to catch onto and challenge his voyeurism
I find it so satisfying that all of Hitchcocks films feel so original and new but yet Everytime you are watching it you can tell it is a htchcock film just because it has that feel. I love that about his movies.
Exactly!!! And this aspect is overlooked. He carries an adventurous life and she is so shallow ("cocktails, parties, parties") that he wonders if she is the "right one". He has serious doubts. SPOILERS!!!: When she gets involved in the investigation of the crime, even risking her own life, he is just fascinated. He begins discovering her real personality! Brilliant!!!
For me it's the atmosphere. You have these different buildings that you would like to live it and then no film music instead you have the sounds from all the apartments like the wonderful piano music, the sounds from the party and the open windows and even the wonderful yard. You can even see the street outside through the alley Then you have his own apartment that is really cosy and when she comes with dinner and she is wearing beautiful dresses you wish this was you. We have a word in my country "Hygge" that is special for our country and something we really enjoy and the closest translation is feeling cosy. I will watch it often just to enjoy that feeling. The newer movie totally lack this feeling you get from the old version.
Mr. Hitchcock was a very creative director , producer and writer . I think he was so good at his craft because prior to actually working on films he worked the background of movies . He created sets for movies and knew every aspect from sound to what actors , music , camera angles and even wardrobe . He would notice the finest details in the production . But his ability to see the story line from multiple perspectives is really how he captured the audiences attention !
Ever since I first saw this when I was 13 or so, I have loved this movie. The color, the clothes, the sound, the dialogue, the relationships, and of course, the suspense! I really appreciate you breaking down how the relationships Jeffries observes are showing, or challenging, his hesitancies to be happy. Subscribed!
Years ago with the start of VCR tapes we rented this movie the kids weren’t necessarily interested at first but soon they all tuned in ,with the one girl even saying get out of his apartment out loud I knew then I picked a winner for their introduction to Hitchcock
I really enjoyed this! I am working on a video essay on REAR WINDOW, as well, but only on a specific clip. I loved the connection between the Hitchcock's piano quote and the image of the character playing the piano, it's really great!
There is this kind of remake/reinterpretation of the Hitchcock classic, called "Disturbia" staring Shia LaBeouf. I don't want to talk about how it compares to "Rear Window" (or whether it is a good movie on its own or not) but on a very minuscule detail that really pi**ed me off . In Germany there is this very bad habit of taking the original title of an Hollywood movie and supplement it with a German subtitle for promotion (because obviously audiences are so stupid that they would not understand what an upcoming movie is going to be about without getting it stuffed into their faces). For "Disturbia", some GENIUS choose the German title "Distubia - Auch Killer haben Nachbarn" (which translates to something like "Disturbia - even killers have neighbors"), so they choose to SPOILER in the movie title. I mean how dumb can you be to ruin any suspense a thriller might have like this?
Fingolfin, In Mexico we have exactly the same problem. They translate titles in many unfortunate ways. They not only include spoilers but introduce a ton of unnecessary and sometimes misleading things in the translations. As a polyglot I am ALWAYS correcting subtitles, to my friends or in my mind. 🙂 Dein Nachtbar aber kein Killer, JIM aus Oaxaca Mexiko
Hitchcock has single handily changed the modern movie more than any other director, I'm glad to be able to shed some light on part of what makes him so great.
I have been meaning to do film analysis videos for a long time, and I am kicking it off soon. I have done long discussions of movies though. I like the style you have done yours in.
Honestly, the rear window acts as a kind of picture plane for a composition to be on. The placement of the buildings is super effective, especially with the vertical strip which he can just barely see out of.
I think it may be the best use of the cinematic medium I've ever seen. Not the best *movie* ever (although undoubtedly up there, my absolute favourite of his) but the best in terms of it being a filmic experience. I couldn't be done in any of other medium. At all. I half thought at one point while watching it that it would make a good stage play. But the stage would have to be huge, and it would lose what's so amazing about this film - the camera. We see through the camera, which is James Stewart, which means the medium we watch films through, the camera, is connected totally to the character, making us, on a way, the character as well. Hence, you cannot help by being totally sucked in, mesmerised by the constantly shifting camera showing pockets of life all around, snapshots of existence, brief but brilliant. Were given almost totally the same perspective as Stewart, nothing outside is allowed at all. So its simultaneously limited yet within this little world concocted vast, an entire canopy of human experience presented to us. The camera is both objective in letting us see it all (like most films), and deeply subjective, only allowing us to see what Stewart wants. The distance usually between us and the protagonist in a book or a stage play is utterly quashed, meaning we are playing the same game as he us, doubting and guessing and scrutinising. We are almost literally in the characters place. How can not be engrossing? Not be utterly absorbing? Its also one of the most hypnotic films I've ever watched. Time passes effortlessly. The constant fluid slide of the camera from one room to another gives a constant sense of motion, of tension, so when something abnormal does happen it sticks out all the more for being so out of the usual slide of the camera. Think of that scene when Kelley goes over to the mans house, and he's coming home, and we cam see *both* happening at the same time, nearly made my heart jump out of my chest. Watching something from afar, through Stewart's eyes, then realising that thing is directly related to whats going on to us (or Stewart) is just phenomenal. Or think of the scene when the killer looks directly at the window where Stewart is. Were so used to seeing this all go on without anyone noticing, we, the audience, being always outside a film, never think they're connected to us. But when he stares dead ahead at Stewart, and thus the camera, and thus at *us*, the experience is almost mind blowing. Like reality been broken or something. That's *not* meant to happen in films, and thus all the more jarring. At yet its not some surreal postmodetn trick either, he hasn't broken the fourth wall. It still works in context, its still party of the story and his world. Its just staggering. Its just the most amazing use of filming technique I've ever seen, almost beyond belief really. And Hitchcock did it all with such seeming efortless ability,cranking one after another for decades, each one a technical masterpiece after the other. Its just spellbinding.
Hitchcock was a true genius & when you see his brilliance explained like this it only makes you realise just how clever the man really was in so many ways ..... this film was always one of my favourites & still is.
You did a really good job.Hitchcock is my best director and rear window combines technical and artistic skills in a manner that makes this an unusually good piece of murder mystery entertainment
After seeing the movie I saw your analysis Jack. It was an engaging film because Hitchcock never revealed about the murder in the film, we don't even see a drop of blood, we are driven by suspicion only. But to be honest the basic plot is quite simple as compared to our modern thrillers we have grown up watching like Shutter Island, The Invitation. My favourite Hitchcock film is Vertigo. In fact it is the most suspenseful film I have watched till date.
I just saw this movie 2 weekends ago it's a masterpiece. It's always good to watch it after several years cause it seems fresh again and you always pick up new elements from it.
Really great video as always! Yes: Hitchcock does play me like a piano - and I have seen almost all of his movies. There is so much more to many a Hitchcock movie - and as always you are hinting at it. Just a small example: the uncanny similarity between the two women in "Strangers On A Train". His master stroke was perhaps "Psycho" which has (at least) two major twists (or shifts), besides being made by his TV camera crew in black and white, contrasting to the lush VistaVision cinematography of "Vertigo". Thanks for providing your great insight. You manage the near-impossible: coming up with new and fresh takes on a great master's work with so much already written about it. Thanks again!
Always thought Miss Lonelyheart was a war widow whose husband died about 10 years ago. After grieving and being alone for a long time she realizes that she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life that way, but is rather defeated by the fact that most men who did return from the war are now taken. So, she drinks kind of heavy, likely as a pickmeup, dreading that her campaign to meet a new single man will end in loneliness anyhow.
Rear Window is my all time favorite movies. Just watched it again the other day. I love this movie that I have a film strip tattoo on my arm and in one of the frames is from Rear Window.
Thank you for the review and for your point about what makes people right for each other. But, I could not understand why Grace Kelly’s character wanted to be with Jimmy Stewart. He seemed so condescending and pretty disinterested in her. Interested in her physically but, otherwise he thought she was basically a shallow woman from a silly world. On the other hand, she was a wealthy, beautiful intelligent socialite with A busy life of Business and friends. Why does she want to be with a poor photographer/journalist Who talked down to her and was old enough to be her father? It wasn’t until she stopped talking about her own life and became involved only in his stuff that he showed an interest in her. 100% of the effort to change was hers. Even at the end she moves over his life but sneaked part of her own, albeit very little. I suppose it was romantic, but I don’t think they could have lasted. when they weren’t kissing, he mostly spoke to her like a rich spoiled daughter. Can that truly make somebody happy? The message that looks don’t matter was kind of destroyed into personalities don’t matter…
You make a lot of valid arguments and points that will help me with an essay I have to write about this movie on. I appreciate that. Might need to pull an all nighter on this essay, last minute thing.
I looked for this movie because when I searched for The Woman In The Window (a movie starring Amy Adams) they always mentioned this film and I guess I need to watch this one first
Great Job Jack. I enjoyed the video. Hope you do more Hitchcock. I like that last part about Hitchcock really does see us because he is the inside man the whole time. Thanks, Keep up the good work
My take: this is a movie about Grace Kelly--"Lisa" or as Jeff would call her "Leeza"--from the first full facial image of her to the closing scene of her full reclining image with the theme song devoted to her with "Lisa" pronounced. Among Hollywood's most beautiful and a fashion plate throughout the movie, the whole Thorwall/murder theme runs secondary.
I love this movie and watch it multiple times a year. For some reason, I watch it a lot more in the summer… hmmm. One part I cannot stand is when Lisa goes into the Thorwald apartment and Lars catches her. Jeff (w/ Stella) just kinda cringe and sort of contort while watching the struggle. In my head I’m saying, “Scream! Yell the cops are coming! Let her go!”. Just irks me to sit there and cower. Love the vid! Still love the move!
I found myself getting frustrated when Lisa pulled Jeff away from the window. This was brilliant audience manipulation on Hitchcock’s part. The identification with Jeff means we want to see what he sees and to hear what he hears. Once we have that connection with his voyeurism we resent when our access is cut off. In reference to voyeurism one of my favorite shots is when is when he uses his giant, super-sized telephoto lens and on the lens that is visible (those things have multiple lenses inside them) there is a reflection of of the facing apartment windows. If anyone knows how that shot was achieved I would love to know. Did they simply get a naturally occurring reflection of the set or did they put an image in front of it to exaggerate the reflection? He has this powerful lens and feels isolated in his apartment but the joke’s on him because he seemingly has hundreds of windows which are like eyes looking back at him.
Ms. Torso is in a dangerous game playing those dudes. But that is what makes her true love a great match for her. He is a soldier who manages danger to survive like she does.
fantastic analysis -- i especially liked the hip-hop of the hitchcock cameo -- it found me trying to see if he broke the fourth wall and looked out at the audience --- playing that piano with no hands i suppose -- cheers!
Love this video! Also LOVE this movie. The sound design and fantastic set teaming with life coupled with first rate writing, directing and acting makes this one I come back to repeatedly. You have yourself a new subscriber, Jack!
Greetings boys and girls, interesting facts: three of the characters in this movie, went on to be in episodes of PERRY MASON. 1. WENDELL COREY, 2 FRANK CADY 3 MISS JESSLYN FAX. It would be interesting to know if they reminice about it while filming PERRY MASON 😉.
My favorite movie of all times! Too bad I can't actually buy it on iTunes in English or watch it anywhere. I'm sleeping on my balcony tonight and can look into all the windows of the other buildings. It feels like Rear Window.
Jack's Movie Reviews One of the very few movies that are only available in German here. And I am not interested in the dubbed version, I've watched that often enough when i was a kid.
Great analysis- watched this several times over the last few days. There are lots of levels. Many of the people are artists. I got to thinking about when this was released and what was happening then. 1954... The heart of McCarthyism... McCarthyism focused very heavily on persecuting and spying on artists Also on the second viewing I didn’t view L. B. Jeffries in a positive light. He’s quite rude to Lisa. “Jeff” and Lisa are also “artists” but note their professions... She is in the print medium as a writer and Jeff as a magazine photographer... She offers to advance his career through her influence in print. He focuses on sensational photography of war and so on... They represent the use of the media by McCarthyism. Also in some respects they represent the intrusive government/media complex. Note that L. B. Jeffries is similar to J. Edgar Hoover the longtime head of the FBI. Jeff is a voyeur who looks upon his neighbors with condescension and thinks he has them all figured out. He is not particularly moved ever by the song and other music that many others including Lisa and “Miss Lonely Hearts” are moved by. The artists are the dancer Miss Torso, The songwriter and his company/visitors, the unseen singer who practices scales, and the sculpture lady who lives near Thorwald’s garden. And Jeff and Lisa who talk about Lisa’s creativity... Though they frustrate each other’s creative impulses. If one is objective they got lucky. There are so many logical explanations and the snooping that was done on Thorwald wasn’t really justified. In a way the biggest tragedy of the film is that they were right about Thorwald being a murderer. Thorwald also represents Hitchcock’s former producer David O. Selznick who from Hitch’s point of view butchered and murdered his own artwork, his films. Note that his spying has escalating levels... The human eye to the binoculars to the telescopic lens attached to his camera. Note Jeff’s lack of concern for constitutional protection. Of course the intrusion is “justified” in their minds because they use the ruse of helping people but most of it is gratuitous like his peeping on Miss Torso. Also the film is portrayed as taking place in Greenwich Village in New York, a place many Bohemians and Communist sympathizers called home going back decades before the film was made.
Cool! You are of course more than welcome to use this for educational purposes, but I would ask that you direct your students to my channel. Thank you!
Fun facts about Hitchcock movies. Alfred Hitchcock appears in every movie in a very short cameo. Also....the majority of his movies (not all!) are titled with one word....Rebecca....Marnie....Rope....Vertigo....Notorious....Psycho.....Frenzy...Lifeboat... Suspicion and others.
That was an awesome movie even though it hadn't any different scene places. Especially the conversations were really from the daily life and you could easily put yourself in it. among all the conversations, I liked the nurse's ones. But; I wonder why was the last part of the movie so short? suppose, It should have continued a bit more and should have been seen more in good days.
i liked most of this movie but I found the ending very underwhelming. I was expecting a twist, but instead the movie was determined from the beginning. There was no revelation. I was expecting that it was a big misunderstanding and the neighbor was innocent
I agree. It also would have been a thought-provoking commentary on morals, lust, etc. What Jeff did was immoral, but revealing Thorwald as the murderer justifies Jeff’s actions. A rare missed opportunity by Hitchcock
the ending shows us even though what jeffrey did is immoral it was necessary, had he just minded his own business thorwald would have gotten away with the murder.Its sort of a necessary evil and he does get kinda punished for it at the end getting his other leg broken
Anyone else kinda noticed how in the main windows, that are focused on each person serves life, that he can't or does not want to have. The new couple just got married and moved in together which is something he mentioned he didn't want with Lisa. The ballerina who was able to dance and really emphasizes on moving her feet, his legs are broken so he could not. The lonely girl who set up a whole date for herself, while Jeff never really did anything for himself, didn't even sleep in his bed. And the piano guy who was very much a perfectionist, Jeff was never interested in how perfect Lisa was (like the video stated). Idk this is probably a stretch but I think its funny that his amusement and days are taken by only watching lives that he does not have.
This is great !
Jesus, that's a hell of observation
the piano guy was Hitchcock lol
How about this? The windows on the right are where he fears he may end up. Unhappily married (murderer), or lonely single (Miss Lomelyhearts). On the left are where he hopes to end up. Happily married (newlyweds) or happily single (pianist). And in the middle (Miss Torso) is where he is now, toying with affection.
But the husband of the young couple soon gets a little fed up with his wife. An early warning against marriage for Jeff.
That’s right, he played us like a piano because we have to write a bloody essay for his movie
Lol you too?
Ditto.
Damn, even in Perú we have an exam on this.
Lucky you! We had only books to analyse, and they were usually 19th-century, dull and overlong. I would have loved a good movie to write about!
samee
We KNOW there was a murder, becuz it's a Hitchcock film
Well, that couldn't be helped.
It's like in "Shutter Island", where a director we KNOW doesn't do supernatural stories is giving us a movie in which the protagonist is currently walking about a sanatory island and he sees his dead wife. Gee, I wonder what the plot twist will be... One can solve most of Shutter Island by the middle of the trailer.
@@edisonlima4647 I would love to see Scorsese do a supernatural picture tho
Not necessarily. There are Hitchcock movies without murders and the plot could also have been designed around the idea of paranoia and prejudices.
How about this? The windows on the right are where he fears he may end up. Unhappily married (murderer), or lonely single (Miss Lomelyhearts). On the left are where he hopes to end up. Happily married (newlyweds) or happily single (pianist). And in the middle (Miss Torso) is where he is now, toying with affection.
This film is curiously satisfying and complete. Hitchcock explores the dynamic of male female relationships and plays it for laughs with witty dialogue and little vignettes through windows and gaps in walls. We get perspectives on Thorwald and Jeffries by seeing how Jeffries personal prejudices allow him to identify when something doesn’t fit the norm. Genius. He takes us on a journey exploring a cultural dissonance that gives Thorwald away. The set is a fantastic mock up which you can see needed pretty heavy lighting to get naturalistic effects on the early colour stock. Hitchcock distorts reality by adding foley effects and only allowing words to be heard when necessary. Binoculars and an Exacta give us close ups so that we can read faces or examine distant details that create the mystery. I found this film a million times more entertaining on the big screen because the acting and actions are easier to see. I don’t think anyone has tried this style of film making since. I guess much would be done now using computers and clever composites and sadly, probably with less power, visually. Hitchcock pulls off a wonderful trick in creating a world within a world. Rear Window has a lot of great humour, warmth and a murder mystery and is a compelling watch.
Thank you very much, this is basically 1/7 of my essay :)
the film is boring
0/0
one of my favourite movies ever made.
Me too!
like Thelma Ritter's last line "I don't want any part of it."
@@JacksMovieReviews please do an essay on North By Northwest it's my favorite Hitchcock movie.
Hitchcock makes it virtually impossible to pick a favorite. I keep bouncing around not only as to which I will obsessively watch for weeks or months on end, but also how I see each film. Psycho went from being a 'scary' movie to a hilarious comedy. Thank you Alfred for complicating our lives so enjoyably, JIM Oaxaca
I just watched Rear window and it was a fucking great film..
When I watch Psycho, I feel constantly manipulated. Hitchcock tells the story in such a way that allegiance to the characters changes several times. When the car begins to sink into the swamp, it stops, but I am rooting for Norman and want the car to sink. When it does, I am relieved and glad for Norman - I was manipulated.
I allways loved this movie, I agree with your points. For some reason I was also allways so in love with the sound in "Rear Window". It really adds to making the place feel real.
The film is a technical marvel. Everything works together near perfectly to make what is undeniably a great movie.
Now in the age of air conditioners this film could never be made
Funny comment! lol! But of course, not technically true. It could be set during spring instead of summer. :D
@@KindaLikeWater They'd still have air conditioners in their windows.
Those kinds of buildings wouldn't have had central air.
Jeffries looks out the window because he's confined and bored, not because he's hot. The windows don't need to be open. He could be nicely air-conditioned and still be bored.
If there was an AC unit in his window, he'd be unable to spot a great deal of action
Not every place has ACs. there was also a CSI:NY episode that paid homage to this movie.
To those who didn’t feel suspense... this is the best kind of suspense. It was the perfect amount at the perfect time. Like a really good glass of fancy scotch rather than a fifth of jack.
well said. They had class back then. just look at Grace....
The whole complex relationship with Grace Kelly, her break in to the apartment and then Jeffries watching her across the courtyard just as he has watched all his neighbors until we hear her cry out and the distance between voyeur and object is bridged by her calling his name. This is the most suspenseful scene in the movie and so much else in the movie has gone into making it work like an elegantly designed mouse trap to catch the audience.
This movie is a masterpiece, i enjoyed a lot. And the scene when Thorwald walks up stairs and reach at Jeffrei’s appartment was breath-taking 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
That scene was so tense. Jeff goes from a position of power and control to absolute vulnerability, and all it took was for someone to catch onto and challenge his voyeurism
I find it so satisfying that all of Hitchcocks films feel so original and new but yet Everytime you are watching it you can tell it is a htchcock film just because it has that feel. I love that about his movies.
Nicholas
Do you think that applies to " The Trouble With Harry"?
A key aspect of the film is the relationship between Jeff and Lisa which is juxtaposed using the neighbors' lives.
Exactly!!! And this aspect is overlooked. He carries an adventurous life and she is so shallow ("cocktails, parties, parties") that he wonders if she is the "right one". He has serious doubts. SPOILERS!!!: When she gets involved in the investigation of the crime, even risking her own life, he is just fascinated. He begins discovering her real personality! Brilliant!!!
For me it's the atmosphere. You have these different buildings that you would like to live it and then no film music instead you have the sounds from all the apartments like the wonderful piano music, the sounds from the party and the open windows and even the wonderful yard. You can even see the street outside through the alley Then you have his own apartment that is really cosy and when she comes with dinner and she is wearing beautiful dresses you wish this was you. We have a word in my country "Hygge" that is special for our country and something we really enjoy and the closest translation is feeling cosy. I will watch it often just to enjoy that feeling. The newer movie totally lack this feeling you get from the old version.
Wow that's a beautiful point of view..
We watched this in a Creative Writing class. By far one of the best movies ever made.
James Stewart made a likeable star, Grace Kelly was the perfect female lead and Raymond Burr made a menacing killer.
Mr. Hitchcock was a very creative director , producer and writer . I think he was so good at his craft because prior to actually working on films he worked the background of movies . He created sets for movies and knew every aspect from sound to what actors , music , camera angles and even wardrobe . He would notice the finest details in the production . But his ability to see the story line from multiple perspectives is really how he captured the audiences attention !
Ever since I first saw this when I was 13 or so, I have loved this movie. The color, the clothes, the sound, the dialogue, the relationships, and of course, the suspense!
I really appreciate you breaking down how the relationships Jeffries observes are showing, or challenging, his hesitancies to be happy.
Subscribed!
Years ago with the start of VCR tapes we rented this movie the kids weren’t necessarily interested at first but soon they all tuned in ,with the one girl even saying get out of his apartment out loud I knew then I picked a winner for their introduction to Hitchcock
I really enjoyed this! I am working on a video essay on REAR WINDOW, as well, but only on a specific clip. I loved the connection between the Hitchcock's piano quote and the image of the character playing the piano, it's really great!
Awesome, make sure you leave a link to it down in the comments, I'm sure a lot of people would love to see it!
Love, love, love this movie from head to toe.
I felt the same as I was watching... the kissing scene has to be one of the most erotic ones I have ever watched.
There is this kind of remake/reinterpretation of the Hitchcock classic, called "Disturbia" staring Shia LaBeouf. I don't want to talk about how it compares to "Rear Window" (or whether it is a good movie on its own or not) but on a very minuscule detail that really pi**ed me off .
In Germany there is this very bad habit of taking the original title of an Hollywood movie and supplement it with a German subtitle for promotion (because obviously audiences are so stupid that they would not understand what an upcoming movie is going to be about without getting it stuffed into their faces).
For "Disturbia", some GENIUS choose the German title "Distubia - Auch Killer haben Nachbarn" (which translates to something like "Disturbia - even killers have neighbors"), so they choose to SPOILER in the movie title. I mean how dumb can you be to ruin any suspense a thriller might have like this?
Fingolfin, In Mexico we have exactly the same problem. They translate titles in many unfortunate ways. They not only include spoilers but introduce a ton of unnecessary and sometimes misleading things in the translations. As a polyglot I am ALWAYS correcting subtitles, to my friends or in my mind. 🙂 Dein Nachtbar aber kein Killer, JIM aus Oaxaca Mexiko
Another excellent dissection Jack! You grasp very well the work of Hitchcock, and his terrific use of Voyeurism in this film.
Hitchcock has single handily changed the modern movie more than any other director, I'm glad to be able to shed some light on part of what makes him so great.
I have been meaning to do film analysis videos for a long time, and I am kicking it off soon. I have done long discussions of movies though. I like the style you have done yours in.
Thomas Pollock
Awesome, make sure you let me know when you upload it, I would love to see it!
you a fan of Taxi Driver?
Thomas Pollock
I love Taxi Driver, one of my favorite Scorsese movies!
Great review. Rear Window is my favorite Hitchcock flick, as I really like the whole atmospheric setting.
Honestly, the rear window acts as a kind of picture plane for a composition to be on. The placement of the buildings is super effective, especially with the vertical strip which he can just barely see out of.
Great take on the relationship stuff. explains a lot and opened a new version of the movie.
I'm a huge fan of Hitchcock, nice analysis of this film
I think it may be the best use of the cinematic medium I've ever seen. Not the best *movie* ever (although undoubtedly up there, my absolute favourite of his) but the best in terms of it being a filmic experience. I couldn't be done in any of other medium. At all. I half thought at one point while watching it that it would make a good stage play. But the stage would have to be huge, and it would lose what's so amazing about this film - the camera. We see through the camera, which is James Stewart, which means the medium we watch films through, the camera, is connected totally to the character, making us, on a way, the character as well. Hence, you cannot help by being totally sucked in, mesmerised by the constantly shifting camera showing pockets of life all around, snapshots of existence, brief but brilliant. Were given almost totally the same perspective as Stewart, nothing outside is allowed at all. So its simultaneously limited yet within this little world concocted vast, an entire canopy of human experience presented to us. The camera is both objective in letting us see it all (like most films), and deeply subjective, only allowing us to see what Stewart wants. The distance usually between us and the protagonist in a book or a stage play is utterly quashed, meaning we are playing the same game as he us, doubting and guessing and scrutinising. We are almost literally in the characters place. How can not be engrossing? Not be utterly absorbing?
Its also one of the most hypnotic films I've ever watched. Time passes effortlessly. The constant fluid slide of the camera from one room to another gives a constant sense of motion, of tension, so when something abnormal does happen it sticks out all the more for being so out of the usual slide of the camera. Think of that scene when Kelley goes over to the mans house, and he's coming home, and we cam see *both* happening at the same time, nearly made my heart jump out of my chest. Watching something from afar, through Stewart's eyes, then realising that thing is directly related to whats going on to us (or Stewart) is just phenomenal. Or think of the scene when the killer looks directly at the window where Stewart is. Were so used to seeing this all go on without anyone noticing, we, the audience, being always outside a film, never think they're connected to us. But when he stares dead ahead at Stewart, and thus the camera, and thus at *us*, the experience is almost mind blowing. Like reality been broken or something. That's *not* meant to happen in films, and thus all the more jarring. At yet its not some surreal postmodetn trick either, he hasn't broken the fourth wall. It still works in context, its still party of the story and his world. Its just staggering.
Its just the most amazing use of filming technique I've ever seen, almost beyond belief really. And Hitchcock did it all with such seeming efortless ability,cranking one after another for decades, each one a technical masterpiece after the other. Its just spellbinding.
The film never left jeffries’ room which is just ... how?
Hitchcock is a great director, that's how
I did not quite notice until after I watched this video.😅
Effing brilliance. lol
@@juniperberryyyy he's THE BEST director
12 Angry Men had 90% of the film in one room
Hitchcock was a true genius & when you see his brilliance explained like this it only makes you realise just how clever the man really was in so many ways ..... this film was always one of my favourites & still is.
Definitely, me too!
That ending segway was smooth lol. I never noticed he was in Mr. Pianist's apartment ... Clever!
You did a really good job.Hitchcock is my best director and rear window combines technical and artistic skills in a manner that makes this an unusually good piece of murder mystery entertainment
Thank you, it is definitely one of his best projects.
An amazing movie and grace kelly was so beautiful
And the ending scene wow
Just watched the movie for the first time. For the entirety of the runtime I was really in the edge of my seat, this was spectacular
After seeing the movie I saw your analysis Jack. It was an engaging film because Hitchcock never revealed about the murder in the film, we don't even see a drop of blood, we are driven by suspicion only.
But to be honest the basic plot is quite simple as compared to our modern thrillers we have grown up watching like Shutter Island, The Invitation.
My favourite Hitchcock film is Vertigo. In fact it is the most suspenseful film I have watched till date.
I just saw this movie 2 weekends ago it's a masterpiece. It's always good to watch it after several years cause it seems fresh again and you always pick up new elements from it.
This was a great analysis. I have subscribed.
Thank you! Welcome to the team!
Thanks!
man i just watched this film for the first time and 🤯
Rear Window is my fav of Hitchcock movies. A masterpiece!
Wow, really cool video! I love Rear Window and this was an interesting watch!
Thank you! Very much appreciated!
Really great video as always! Yes: Hitchcock does play me like a piano - and I have seen almost all of his movies. There is so much more to many a Hitchcock movie - and as always you are hinting at it. Just a small example: the uncanny similarity between the two women in "Strangers On A Train". His master stroke was perhaps "Psycho" which has (at least) two major twists (or shifts), besides being made by his TV camera crew in black and white, contrasting to the lush VistaVision cinematography of "Vertigo". Thanks for providing your great insight. You manage the near-impossible: coming up with new and fresh takes on a great master's work with so much already written about it. Thanks again!
Thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed!
Great life lessons in this movie. Thanks for bringing them to light.
Having seen this film several times, I never noticed it before but that short bald man in the piano player's room is Hitchcock.
hi Robbie....if you watch all his movies, Hitchcock makes a brief cameo in each one of them. Best movies ever.
Great for my class "The films of Alfred Hitchcock"!!! Go USFQ!!
Always thought Miss Lonelyheart was a war widow whose husband died about 10 years ago. After grieving and being alone for a long time she realizes that she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life that way, but is rather defeated by the fact that most men who did return from the war are now taken. So, she drinks kind of heavy, likely as a pickmeup, dreading that her campaign to meet a new single man will end in loneliness anyhow.
For me, one of the best hitchcock movie. Superb camera
Read his stories, watched his tv series and all his films...a true master😎
All the times I've seen this movie and never had seen Hitchcock in it, never even thought to look!
I have watcged PSYCHO, VERTIGO AND REAR WINDOW
which one should I watch next ?
I'm a big fan of Strangers on A Train!
the birds
Subhan's Vault every single one
I like them all. Try Shadow of a Doubt. It's Hitch's favorite
Subhan's Vault Watch Strangers on a Train! It's one of Hitchcock's best films imo.
North by Northwest. Great thriller adventure movie.
Imagine just existing as Alfred Hitchcock....fucking directorial perfection
One lesson this film taught me is ....TO GET MYSELF A GOOD SET OF NET CURTAINS !!😊
My favorite hitchcock movie and my favorite movie of all time!
I agree, the way Hitchcock built the suspense and mystery in this film is epic.
Better than Vertigo imo and even more tense than Psycho. The window shot it one of the most chilling scenes in cinema history
The piano guy is more than just a pianist. He’s a composer.
Such a well done essay, Rear Window is really such an artistic perfect movie
One I first watched this movie..
I was amazed.. my favourite movie of all time..
Rear Window is my all time favorite movies. Just watched it again the other day. I love this movie that I have a film strip tattoo on my arm and in one of the frames is from Rear Window.
Keyword: mindgame 💯 great review thx 👏🏾
rear window is definitely my favorite movie of all time
Excellent analysis--the visuals back up the scholarship perfectly.
Thank you for the review and for your point about what makes people right for each other.
But, I could not understand why Grace Kelly’s character wanted to be with Jimmy Stewart. He seemed so condescending and pretty disinterested in her. Interested in her physically but, otherwise he thought she was basically a shallow woman from a silly world. On the other hand, she was a wealthy, beautiful intelligent socialite with A busy life of Business and friends. Why does she want to be with a poor photographer/journalist Who talked down to her and was old enough to be her father?
It wasn’t until she stopped talking about her own life and became involved only in his stuff that he showed an interest in her. 100% of the effort to change was hers. Even at the end she moves over his life but sneaked part of her own, albeit very little. I suppose it was romantic, but I don’t think they could have lasted. when they weren’t kissing, he mostly spoke to her like a rich spoiled daughter. Can that truly make somebody happy?
The message that looks don’t matter was kind of destroyed into personalities don’t matter…
Damn that was really really good,I love what you done, great job !
Thanks. I'm glad you enjoed!
he took 8 minutes to say ( and re-say) about 3 points....
You make a lot of valid arguments and points that will help me with an essay I have to write about this movie on. I appreciate that. Might need to pull an all nighter on this essay, last minute thing.
Believe me, I've been there! Good luck and I'm glad I could help!
Thanks. :-)
I looked for this movie because when I searched for The Woman In The Window (a movie starring Amy Adams) they always mentioned this film and I guess I need to watch this one first
Great Job Jack. I enjoyed the video. Hope you do more Hitchcock. I like that last part about Hitchcock really does see us because he is the inside man the whole time. Thanks, Keep up the good work
I definitely will! Glad you enjoyed!
well done at picking the parts of this movie apart. I have watched a few Hitchcock movies, and they have all been really enjoyable.
Thanks Sandra! There are a lot of "classic" movies that hold up really well, and most Hitchcock movies are in that category.
My take: this is a movie about Grace Kelly--"Lisa" or as Jeff would call her "Leeza"--from the first full facial image of her to the closing scene of her full reclining image with the theme song devoted to her with "Lisa" pronounced. Among Hollywood's most beautiful and a fashion plate throughout the movie, the whole Thorwall/murder theme runs secondary.
I love this movie and watch it multiple times a year. For some reason, I watch it a lot more in the summer… hmmm.
One part I cannot stand is when Lisa goes into the Thorwald apartment and Lars catches her. Jeff (w/ Stella) just kinda cringe and sort of contort while watching the struggle. In my head I’m saying, “Scream! Yell the cops are coming! Let her go!”. Just irks me to sit there and cower.
Love the vid! Still love the move!
I found myself getting frustrated when Lisa pulled Jeff away from the window. This was brilliant audience manipulation on Hitchcock’s part. The identification with Jeff means we want to see what he sees and to hear what he hears. Once we have that connection with his voyeurism we resent when our access is cut off.
In reference to voyeurism one of my favorite shots is when is when he uses his giant, super-sized telephoto lens and on the lens that is visible (those things have multiple lenses inside them) there is a reflection of of the facing apartment windows. If anyone knows how that shot was achieved I would love to know. Did they simply get a naturally occurring reflection of the set or did they put an image in front of it to exaggerate the reflection? He has this powerful lens and feels isolated in his apartment but the joke’s on him because he seemingly has hundreds of windows which are like eyes looking back at him.
Ms. Torso is in a dangerous game playing those dudes. But that is what makes her true love a great match for her. He is a soldier who manages danger to survive like she does.
I think you are brilliant ! I just saw the movie and then watched this and was very helpful 😊
fantastic analysis -- i especially liked the hip-hop of the hitchcock cameo -- it found me trying to see if he broke the fourth wall and looked out at the audience --- playing that piano with no hands i suppose -- cheers!
Thank Bill!
You need to start doing books on tape........you have an awesome voice. Or maybe the person that says Fifth Floor.........on the elevator! lol
Love this video! Also LOVE this movie. The sound design and fantastic set teaming with life coupled with first rate writing, directing and acting makes this one I come back to repeatedly. You have yourself a new subscriber, Jack!
I totally agree, one of my favorite Hitchcocks!
Greetings boys and girls, interesting facts: three of the characters in this movie, went on to be in episodes of PERRY MASON. 1. WENDELL COREY, 2 FRANK CADY 3 MISS JESSLYN FAX. It would be interesting to know if they reminice about it while filming PERRY MASON 😉.
My favorite movie of all times! Too bad I can't actually buy it on iTunes in English or watch it anywhere. I'm sleeping on my balcony tonight and can look into all the windows of the other buildings. It feels like Rear Window.
It's available on iTunes in America, I don't know about other countries.
Jack's Movie Reviews One of the very few movies that are only available in German here. And I am not interested in the dubbed version, I've watched that often enough when i was a kid.
thank you for making this video! It really furthered my understanding of the genius of Hitchcock's films!
Great analysis- watched this several times over the last few days.
There are lots of levels.
Many of the people are artists. I got to thinking about when this was released and what was happening then. 1954... The heart of McCarthyism... McCarthyism focused very heavily on persecuting and spying on artists Also on the second viewing I didn’t view L. B. Jeffries in a positive light. He’s quite rude to Lisa.
“Jeff” and Lisa are also “artists” but note their professions... She is in the print medium as a writer and Jeff as a magazine photographer... She offers to advance his career through her influence in print. He focuses on sensational photography of war and so on... They represent the use of the media by McCarthyism. Also in some respects they represent the intrusive government/media complex. Note that L. B. Jeffries is similar to J. Edgar Hoover the longtime head of the FBI.
Jeff is a voyeur who looks upon his neighbors with condescension and thinks he has them all figured out. He is not particularly moved ever by the song and other music that many others including Lisa and “Miss Lonely Hearts” are moved by.
The artists are the dancer Miss Torso, The songwriter and his company/visitors, the unseen singer who practices scales, and the sculpture lady who lives near Thorwald’s garden. And Jeff and Lisa who talk about Lisa’s creativity... Though they frustrate each other’s creative impulses.
If one is objective they got lucky. There are so many logical explanations and the snooping that was done on Thorwald wasn’t really justified. In a way the biggest tragedy of the film is that they were right about Thorwald being a murderer.
Thorwald also represents Hitchcock’s former producer David O. Selznick who from Hitch’s point of view butchered and murdered his own artwork, his films.
Note that his spying has escalating levels... The human eye to the binoculars to the telescopic lens attached to his camera.
Note Jeff’s lack of concern for constitutional protection. Of course the intrusion is “justified” in their minds because they use the ruse of helping people but most of it is gratuitous like his peeping on Miss Torso.
Also the film is portrayed as taking place in Greenwich Village in New York, a place many Bohemians and Communist sympathizers called home going back decades before the film was made.
Yes he's called the Master of Suspense - one of his filmmaking techniques is making sure the door to this apartment is kept unlocked ..:
Thank you very much. This is excellent material for my students. ;-)
Cool! You are of course more than welcome to use this for educational purposes, but I would ask that you direct your students to my channel. Thank you!
wow i watched this a while ago i didnt notice how each residents life is like a lesson
6:33-6:43 Hitchcock's cameo!!!
This is one of your best analyses!
Bye the way, I enjoy you explaining each movie, especially there are a few I haven't seen, & want to experience more now.
Summer 1955, age 12. 50foot screen at North Drive In. Yes, I've seen it.
Other people are a nice-to-have, not a must-have. Solitude is a wonderful thing.
Fun facts about Hitchcock movies. Alfred Hitchcock appears in every movie in a very short cameo. Also....the majority of his movies (not all!) are titled with one word....Rebecca....Marnie....Rope....Vertigo....Notorious....Psycho.....Frenzy...Lifeboat... Suspicion and others.
The hero should be see everything that we do. That is the point of view of the hero !
Who do you think the hero is? Jeff or Lisa? Something to think about.
That was an awesome movie even though it hadn't any different scene places. Especially the conversations were really from the daily life and you could easily put yourself in it. among all the conversations, I liked the nurse's ones. But; I wonder why was the last part of the movie so short? suppose, It should have continued a bit more and should have been seen more in good days.
*I just watched Rear Window... This is just awesome anlaysis*
*I need to watch it again :) :)*
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Jack's Movie Reviews You're welcome...
Man, what a excellent video. Congratulations!!!
Great dissection
Thank you Uso ! That made a lot of sense but please use film lingo it’ll help film students in the future
Thanks for posting..Really enjoyed it..
Thanks David!
Nice video! What font did you use for the "controlling the audience in rear window" part of the clip
It is a custom font called Hitchcock!
Rear window is my favorite film.
i liked most of this movie but I found the ending very underwhelming. I was expecting a twist, but instead the movie was determined from the beginning. There was no revelation. I was expecting that it was a big misunderstanding and the neighbor was innocent
You're not alone. I enjoyed the movie but also thought it was silly. I too would've preferred it all to have been a misunderstanding.
I agree. It also would have been a thought-provoking commentary on morals, lust, etc. What Jeff did was immoral, but revealing Thorwald as the murderer justifies Jeff’s actions. A rare missed opportunity by Hitchcock
the ending shows us even though what jeffrey did is immoral it was necessary, had he just minded his own business thorwald would have gotten away with the murder.Its sort of a necessary evil and he does get kinda punished for it at the end getting his other leg broken
I admit this is nitpicking.. but that font.. as cool as it is, makes Gs look like Cs. That is all. Keep rocking. - a graphic designer
Wonderful work !