Rear Window Should be the First and Last Hitchcockian Film Everyone Watches

If you ever wonder, "is Hitchcock a good artistic director," just watch the first four shots in Rear Window. It is done in such a meticulous way that it informs the audience of so much information without any trace of effort: the neighborhood and neighbors, the time of the year, the name of hero, his broken leg and why it got hurt, his occupation, his masculinity (the negative picture of a magazine model)...Yet everything is told visually, without any awkward voice- over.

If you ever wonder, "who shapes Hitchcock into a director as he is,", watch the sequence when Lisa first shows up. She is introduced in such a eerie way that resembles German expressionism.

If you ever wonder, "what is the common motif in Hitchcockian films," Rear Window will make you think of the term voyeurism and audience as a voyeur. Looking is power, is pleasue, and sometimes is a sin.

View more about Rear Window reviews