Rear Window

I am taking a few moments out to enjoy one of my favourite films on TV, Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, staring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. I have been a big fan of James Stewart since I was little and you can't not love Grace Kelly, she is so beautiful, natural and charming.

Anyway, I would not say I was a huge Hitchcock fan; I have seen several of his movies and have my favourites, but there is something about Rear Window.

For those of you who have not seen it it is about a foreign correspondent journalist (James Stewart) who as the result of a broken leg is forced to stay at home and spends his time looking out of his living room window and observing the residents of the opposite block of flats. Through their living room windows we get a glimpse of their lives, their loves and their traumas.

There is the beautiful young blond who has many gentlemen callers, the lonely middle aged woman who fantasises about the perfect date, the old lady with a dog which she lowers to the shared garden in a small basket every day, and many other people just going about their lives while we glimpse snippets of their existence.

While this is going on his would be partner, Grace Kelly, visits to keep him company and try and convince him to take a job at home so that they can be together.

One evening James Stewart's character observes some suspicious behaviour from one of the flats opposite and believes that a murder has been committed. Given his restricted movements he is only able to continue to observe the suspect as he tries to piece together the puzzle.

Well that's all you're getting out of me so as not to spoil it! I cannot tell you why I love this film but there is something about it, the style, the setting, the characters (and certainly actors) and the involvement in the intimate moments of so many peoples lives.

I have watched it many times, and many times recently as it has been on Freeview loads in recent months!

I did however watch it one time several years back when I could not sleep. I went downstairs at about 3am and it was on the TV. I watched up to a particularly tense point where Grace Kelly decides to go over to the flat where the suspect lives and look for clues, and he arrives back sooner than expected, and the atmosphere of that moment in the film combined with the hour of day made me really anxious and I had to turn it off!

I find this quite amusing as it never has that effect on me when I watch it normally and I actually take a lot of comfort from the film.

Anyway, if you have not seen it I highly recommend it, whether you consider yourself a Hitchcock fan or not. This last image shows Hitchcock's cameo appearance in the film, winding the clock in the song writer's apartment.