One of Hitchcock's more indelible pictures and certainly one of his best, 'Rear Window' proves the ultimate ironic play on film as we the audience, voyeurs ourselves, basically watch and take part in the watching and voyeurism of the protagonists; stunningly simple and stunningly effective.
An early picture in Hitchcock's outstanding ten-year run from the early fifties to the early sixties that included classics like 'Dial M for Murder' (54), 'Rear Window' (54), 'To Catch a Thief' (55), 'The Man Who Knew Too Much (56), 'The Wrong Man' (56), 'Vertigo' (58), 'North by Northwest' (59), 'Psycho' (60) and 'The Birds' (63), has there been a more prolific, succession of films from a director? I'm thinking not even close.
Based on a 1942 short story 'It Had To Be Murder' by Cornell Woolrich, most likely a solid little murder mystery yarn that benefited greatly from the added subtext of a 'viewing' artistic experience rather than a reading one, Hitchcock's adaptation is generally thought of as a sort of metaphor for watching films in general; our inherent impulses to study, watch and scrutinize matters that really shouldn't concern us.
This humanistic curiosity is played out through James Stewart who quite rightly plays combat shutterbug L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries. Jeff is confined to a wheelchair with a plaster-encased broken leg and can't find anything better to do with his empty, sweltering days other than studiously watch his neighbors through his large rear window.
With the help of binoculars and a camera, his neighbors provide an endless and varied array of entertainments and each a different facet of human natures - all meant to play parallel to Jeff and his fiancée Lisa Fremont's (Grace Kelly) relationship. All of these little stories play out in a fashion meant to hint at what futures may lay ahead of Jeff and Lisa and indeed the audience.
One particular story becomes the highlight despite the disapproval of his no-nonsense nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) when suspicious tenant Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) disappears one rainy night with his angry, bedridden wife only to return without her.
Mysterious but not necessarily unusual, Jeff has a gut instinct that something is wrong and confides in Lisa that Lars may have killed his wife and cut her up into pieces in the bathroom!
Adding a much needed jolt to their relationship, Lisa and Jeff both start digging around for clues and eventually take in Stella as a field operative. Despite Jeff's old friend police Lt. Tom Doyle (Wendell Corey) being duly unimpressed and skeptical of the whole story, the three junior detectives see if they can take things into their own hands.
A fantastic picture in a number of ways including the absolutely brazen way Hitchcock stages the whole film in essentially one room, a logistical choice that's hardly noticeable due to Jeff's constant studying and reactions of the half-dozen or so intimate small-scale dramas playing outside his window.
Also, the subject matter is fairly sordid when one takes into account the year yet the screenplay is so subtle and the event so deftly handled that the film would be perfectly acceptable for family viewing and the effectiveness of the pic works on a variety of levels each for a different age, that it becomes an easy recommend for multiple viewings and great pic to rally around with friends and family.
With pitch-perfect dialogue and snappy performances, the two-hour pic flies by before you know it with the last half hour being a particular nail-biter. When Jeff's 'safe' and comfy perch from where he does his viewing gets invaded, violated, it's as if our own 'safe' place where we do our 'watching' gets violated. Some great, heady stuff.
Presented in it's original 1.66:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for widescreen televisions, this 2-Disc 'Universal Legacy Series' release is much improved over the previous 2001 'Collector's Edition' release (There was apparently a 'Masterpiece Collection' release a couple years later but I don't own that and can't speak rather this transfer is different).
Digitally remastered, the picture is noticeably cleaner than the '01 release as I checked a few key scenes. Some film grain inherent to the source is still present and there's still some print damage here and there but otherwise, this is a fantastic-looking transfer for a fifty-four year old film and for audio, the original mono track is here for purists as well as a Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
All the special features from the 01 Collectors Edition were carried over as well as some new stuff. The original stuff starts off with the hour-long doc 'Rear Window Ethics' featuring a number of comments and interviews from cast, crew, Pat Hitchcock and other directors such as Curtis Hanson.
Also presented is a thirteen minute 'Interview with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes', Production Notes and Trailers.
New features start off with a feature-length audio commentary by John Fawell (author of Hitchcock's Rear Window: The Well-Made Film) who provides an entertaining, info-filled track and who definitely did his homework before showing up to record the commentary. Will definitely be a nice listen for fans.
Nest up are two great featurettes both running about 25 minutes. 'Pure Cinema: Through the Eyes of the Master' and 'Breaking Barriers: The Sound of Hitchcock' collect interviews and comments from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro, John Carpenter, William Friedkin among others all about the formidable technical mastery of Hitchcock and how he approaches his films both visually and aurally.
Not 'Rear Window' specific, these make a great new addition and should be noted that their not included on the other Hitchcock Universal Legacy releases of 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho'.
We also get 'Interview Excerpts' with Hitchcock and director one-time film critic Francois Truffaut as they discuss the film. Recorded in 1962, this is quite the treat for film fans.
A cool bonus is an episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' called 'Mr. Blanchard’s Secret' which was shown in 1956 and was obviously inspired by 'Rear Window'. A nice inclusion for those that don't already own Season 2 on DVD.
A must-have for any classic film aficionado's collection, this will probably be worth the double dip for Hitchcock fanatics that already own the '01 Collector's Edition and for those that don't, this is a no-brainer recommend.
A great package that includes new special features, a sparkling transfer and a super-nice display worthy case; you don't definitely don't want to be watching this one through your neighbors window!
Rear Window (Universal Legacy Series) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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