100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #116: Rear Window (1954)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.

I’d like to begin by drawing attention to one of the more often overlooked elements of Rear Window: the score. Franz Waxman himself is one of the most under-appreciated composers of film history, who achieved too much to be so seldom spoken about. Twelve-times nominated for Best Film Score with two back-to-back wins (Sunset Boulevard and A Raisin in the Sun), Waxman always delivered invigorating scores with classic Hollywood sweeping themes usually reminiscent of Richard Strauss. From Rebecca to Rear Window, he scored four of Hitchcock’s films.

To Rear Window, his contribution is astounding yet simple. He crafted a brilliant contemporary score that blends in with the natural environment and almost subconsciously directs the emotions of the scene. While most viewers will observe that Hitchcock films (especially in the case of Rear Window) all visually work so perfectly well as silent films, there is an ambiance throughout this film that utilizes sound to build tension, sometimes through noisy intensity and sometimes through silence. In order to craft the perfect ambience of the apartment complex’s courtyard, Hitchcock and Waxman utilized the studio’s sound library to gather generic music and noises, crafting a full soundscape rather than just a score. Popular songs are used as leitmotifs and anything written by Waxman himself blends perfectly into the environment as if it were just another sound floating in the air.

Rear Window seems to have undergone a resurgence in appreciation and popularity in recent years. Dial M for Murder and Rear Window were both apart of a new series of Hitchcock films, all starring Grace Kelly in Technicolor, which continued his previous themes of the perfect murder as seen in Strangers on a Train, Rope, and others, as well as his one location sets similar to Lifeboat and Rope. These one-act play style films were the predecessor to Hitchcock’s television-era, and in some regards mark a turning point in his career as he embarked on a new medium.

Too often do films fail to spend time with their cast, often getting carried away with a plot that muddles the characters. Rear Window however allows the time to enjoy being in the intimate presence of the actors, and there are few better actors to spend time with than Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, and the greatest supporting lead Thelma Ritter. There is a glaring chemistry throughout the film that comes on strong with smart and passionate dialogue. At some points, it’s almost easy to forget about the ongoing murder mystery as the romance plot grows, with the murder becoming a sort of b-plot to the more presiding matter of their relationship. Even the environment, which includes the b-plot itself, are all vignettes forming the perfect backdrop for the romance between Lisa and Jeff. The film is really far less concerned with the murder, and more interested in marrying these two characters.

The building itself is a visual representation of all of L.B. Jefferies fears and desires concerning his relationship with Ms. Lisa Carol Fremont. The characters in the windows represent all of the potential outcomes Jeff sees for his life; some if he chooses to go with Lisa and others if he chooses to let her go. Jeff observes the outcomes of these characters almost with the intention of deciding which path to choose for his own life based on how the natural order unfolds.

Should Jeff choose to pursue a married life with Lisa, he fears living miserably with someone. He observes the newly weds, seeing how their excitement dwindles even just days after they are married. He observes the tired, old couple that is too complacent with their lower standard of living, seeing that while they aren’t miserable, they also aren’t necessarily happy, rather they simply exist together as one with no passion for each other at all. Worst of all, he observes a couple which he believes to have been so miserably misfit that the husband may have killed his wife.

Should he choose to never marry, he fears living miserably alone. While Jeff sees himself as a man passionately consumed with a career, he observes the pianist who shares the same passion, but loathes the life he leads and drinks himself into oblivion each night. He observes the young woman and projects Lisa onto her, assuming that she would be happier without him. To conflict with his assumptions, Jeff observes the old woman in the floor below Miss Torso, who is complacent with her meaningless, self-serving art, and often seems to look down on her apartment with pity over the petty matters she decides are important. Finally, there is the aptly named Miss Loneliheart, who portrays the sense of lifelong loneliness and regret that he may face, or that he could be subjecting upon Lisa.

All of this complex drama, existing only in the head of the character, and only a seldom line of playful dialogue to guide the audience to explain the way he thinks. This subconscious complexity has always been what makes Hitchcock terrific in his work.

Jeff spends his entire sick-leave projecting himself onto these people, observing their lives not too dissimilarly than someone in modern times might scroll through social media and have envy. This practice of distant observation is something which could explain the reason for the film's resurgence, especially after the loneliness epidemic of the covid lockdown years, in which the modern audience identifies with Jeff’s observations and fears.

On a final note, Raymond Burr should never be ignored, proving himself to be a great physical performer in this film, especially considering the climax of the film is based solely on his delivering one of the most piercing stares in any film.

All in all, Rear Window is a film not to be missed. Filled with many under-appreciated elements, from the score to the setting itself, the film seems to have struck a chord among audiences, accurately speaking to the drama and complexity of the human experience. This is a great starting point for those looking to experience the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock.