Rear Window
Movie Poster
Directed by	Alfred Hitchcock
Produced by	Uncredited: Alfred Hitchcock
Written by	Short story: Cornell Woolrich "It Had to Be Murder" Screenplay John Michael Hayes
Starring	James Stewart Grace Kelly Thelma Ritter Wendell Corey Raymond Burr Judith Evelyn
Music by	Franz Waxman
Cinematography	Robert Burks
Editing by	George Tomasini
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (1954-83) Universal Studios (since 1983) USA Films (2000 re-release)
Release date(s)	August 1, 1954
Running time	112 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$ 1,000,000
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Rear Window is a 1954 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story It Had to Be Murder. It stars James Stewart as photojournalist L.B. Jefferies, Grace Kelly as his fashion model girlfriend Lisa Carol Fremont, and Raymond Burr as the suspected killer, Lars Thorwald. The film combines its main theme of a murder mystery with a critical examination of the ethics of marriage and voyeurism. A 1998 TV remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic starring Christopher Reeve and Daryl Hannah. ... Image File history File links Rear Window This is a copyrighted poster. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich (December 4, 1903—September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. ... John Michael Hayes (born May 11, 1919) an American playwright. ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... Grace, Princess of Monaco née Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Academy Award-winning American film and stage actress who, upon marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, but was generally known as Princess... Ṝ Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was a six time Academy Award-nominated American character actress of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ... Actor Wendell Corey in a prisoner uniform from the 1956 film The Killer Is Loose Wendell Corey (March 20, 1914 – November 8, 1968) was an American actor. ... Raymond William Stacey Burr (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) was an Emmy-nominated actor and vintner, perhaps best known for his roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. ... Franz Waxman (December 24, 1906, Königshütte, Upper Silesia (now Chorzów, Poland) - February 24, 1967, Los Angeles, California), born Franz Wachsmann, was a German-born Jewish-American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasy for violin and orchestra and for his musical scores for films. ... Cinematographer Robert Burks (1909 - 1968) was known for being proficient in virtually every genre and equally at home with black-and-white or colour. ... George Tomasini (born April 20, 1909, died November 22, 1964) was the genius American film editor who often worked with very closely with film director Alfred Hitchcock. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... Focus Features is the art house films division of Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distrubutor for foreign films. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... USD redirects here. ... The year 1954 in film involved some significant events. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 – April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich (December 4, 1903—September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer. ... This article is in need of attention. ... For other uses, see Rear Window (1998 film). ... For other persons named James Stewart, see James Stewart (disambiguation). ... Grace, Princess of Monaco née Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Academy Award-winning American film and stage actress who, upon marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, but was generally known as Princess... Raymond William Stacey Burr (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) was an Emmy-nominated actor and vintner, perhaps best known for his roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. ... Marriage is an interpersonal relationship with governmental, social, or religious recognition, usually intimate and sexual, and often created as a contract, or through civil process. ... “Voyeur” redirects here. ...

The film is considered by many film goers, critics and scholars to be one of Hitchcock's best and most thrilling pictures.^[1] Hitchcock also cameoed in the movie. Rear Window is one of several films directed by Hitchcock originally released by Paramount Pictures, that were acquired by Universal Studios in later years. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of Alfred Hitchcock cameo appearances. ...

Plot summary

L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies (James Stewart) is a professional photographer who has been confined to his Greenwich Village apartment after an accident has left him with his leg in a cast. The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ...

Suffering from boredom, he takes to spying on his neighbors through the rear window. His view of the back of several apartment buildings, their inner courtyard, and the persons dwelling within at first have a strongly Norman Rockwell feel about them. Over time, however, Jeff comes to believe a murder has taken place in the building across the courtyard, though his friends, his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter), and his girlfriend, Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly) initially think his beliefs are imagined, and put them down to his idle behavior. “Voyeur” redirects here. ... Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was a 20th century American painter. ... Ṝ Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was a six time Academy Award-nominated American character actress of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ... Grace, Princess of Monaco née Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Academy Award-winning American film and stage actress who, upon marriage to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, but was generally known as Princess...

Almost the entire movie is filmed from inside Jeff's bedroom, and most of the point of view (POV) shots are Jeff's. However, at key points in the movie this rule is broken (usually as a dual or triple POV shot, but also the single POV shots of Doyle, Stella, and Lisa). A point of view shot (also known as POV shot) is a short scene in a film that shows what a character is looking at. ...

Furthermore, there is at least one moment when the viewer sees something while Jeff is asleep, and in two key sequences, characters are seen from angles not possible from Jeff's window. This trend increases throughout the film until the final sequence, when Jefferies' POV is nearly subverted. In film, a sequence is a series of scenes which form a distinct narrative unit, usually connected either by unity of location or unity of time. ...

The character of Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) is not seen in close-up and cannot be heard speaking clearly until the climax of the movie. At this point, he appears in Jeff's room. This scene features a sequence shown from Thorwald's point of view as he attempts to proceed towards Jeff, but is repeatedly stopped as Jeff blinds him with his camera flash. Raymond William Stacey Burr (May 21, 1917 – September 12, 1993) was an Emmy-nominated actor and vintner, perhaps best known for his roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. ... In photography, a flash is a device that produces an instantaneous flash of light (typically around 1/1000 of a second) to help illuminate a scene. ...

Lars Thorwald succeeds in pushing Jefferies out of the window just as the police arrive and arrest Lars Thorwald for the murder of his wife. The film concludes with Jefferies and Lisa in Jefferies apartment with Lisa preparing for a life with Jefferies.

Hitchcock's cameo

Alfred Hitchcock appears briefly onscreen in the film as the man winding the clock in the songwriter's apartment as he (the songwriter) is performing the piece that he had been working on during the course of the film.

Analysis

Hitchcock's fans and film scholars have taken particular interest in the way the relationship between Jeff and Lisa can be compared to the lives of the neighbors they are spying upon. Many of these points are considered in Tania Modleski's feminist theory book, The Women Who Knew Too Much. (ISBN 0-415-97362-7)^[2]

• Thorwald and his wife are a reversal of Jeff and Lisa (Thorwald looks after his invalid wife just as Lisa looks after the invalid Jeff). However, Thorwald's hatred of his nagging wife mirrors Jeff's arguments with Lisa.
• The newlywed couple initially seem perfect for each other (they spend nearly the entire movie in their bedroom with the blinds drawn), but at the end we see that their marriage is in trouble and the wife begins to nag the husband. Similarly, Jeff is afraid of being 'tied down' by marriage to Lisa.
• The middle-aged couple with the dog seem content living at home. They have the kind of uneventful lifestyle that horrifies Jeff.
• The music composer and Miss Lonelyhearts, the depressed spinster, lead frustrating lives, and at the end of the movie find comfort in each other (the composer's new tune draws Miss Lonelyhearts away from suicide, and the composer thus finds value in his work). There is a subtle hint in this tale that Lisa and Jeff are meant for each other, despite his stubbornness. The piece the composer creates is called "Lisa's Theme" in the credits.

The movie invites speculation as to which of these paths Jefferies and Lisa will follow.

The characters themselves verbally point out a similarity between Lisa and Miss Torso (played by Georgine Darcy) - the scantily-clad ballet dancer who has all-male parties.

A thoughtful analysis of Rear Window can be found in John Fawell's book The Well-Made Film. Other analysis centers on the relationship between Jeff and the other side of the apartment block, seeing it as a symbolic relationship between spectator and screen. Film theorist Mary Ann Doane has made the argument that Jeff, representing the audience, becomes obsessed with the screen, where a collection of storylines are played out. This line of analysis has often followed a feminist approach to interpreting the film. It is Doane who, using Freudian analysis to claim women spectators of a film become "masculinized," pays close attention to Jeff's rather passive attitude to romance with the elegant Lisa, that is, until she crosses over from the spectator side to the screen, seeking out the wedding ring of Thorwald's murdered wife. It is only then that Jeff shows real passion for Lisa. In the climax, when he is pushed through the window (the screen), he has been forced to become part of the show. Feminist film theory is theoretical work within film criticism which is derived from feminist politics and feminist theory. ...

Further analysis into Jefferies' character could also be interpreted as somewhat of a voyeur. Because of Jeff's sexual frustration with Lisa, he may look to other sources to fulfill his sexual need. Voyeurism is a practice in which an individual derives sexual pleasure from observing other people. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Legacy

Brian De Palma paid homage to Rear Window with his movie Body Double (which also added touches of Hitchcock's Vertigo). The 2001 film Head Over Heels starring Freddie Prinze Jr., in which a young woman falls for a man she believes she saw commit a murder, closely follows the plot of Rear Window, as well as the 2007 film Disturbia- although in this film, there is no accident, and the suspect has no wife. Marcos Bernstein's The Other Side of The Street (2004) also makes a reference to Rear Window, albeit with a Brazilian twist. Many animated series, including Tiny Toon Adventures, Rocket Power, The Simpsons, Rocko's Modern Life, and The Venture Bros. have paid homage to Rear Window in different ways. Robert Zemeckis' What Lies Beneath is another film that pays tribute to this film and other Hitchcock features. Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery, in which Allen and his wife suspect an elderly neighbor of murdering his wife and are forced to investigate for themselves when no one else takes their concerns seriously, could also be said to owe a debt to Rear Window. Brian De Palma (born Brian Russell DePalma on September 11, 1940 in Newark, New Jersey) is a controversial American film director, best known for directing the Al Pacino classic Scarface, and the Academy Award-winning The Untouchables. ... Body Double is a 1984 film by Brian De Palma. ... For other uses of the word, see Vertigo. ... For other films of the same name, see Head Over Heels. ... Disturbia is a 2007 thriller film from DreamWorks Pictures, starring Shia LaBeouf as a teen placed under house arrest who thinks he witnesses a murder while spying on his suspicious neighbor. ... The Other Side of The Street or O outro lado da rua (the original title in Portuguese) is a Brazilian film written and directed by Marcos Bernstein and released in 2004. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (also known as Tiny Toon Adventures or Tiny Toons) is an American animated television series created and produced as a collaborative effort between Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. ... Rocket Power promotion shot Rocket Power is an American animated television series that aired from August 16, 1999 until July 30, 2004 on Nickelodeon. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Rockos Modern Life is an American animated television series whose four seasons aired from 1993 to 1996. ... The Venture Bros. ... Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American movie director, producer and writer. ... What Lies Beneath is a 2000 motion picture that tells the story of a housewife who finds her home is haunted. ... Manhattan Murder Mystery is a 1993 film directed by and starring Woody Allen who plays book editor Larry Lipton. ...

Grace Kelly poses in an evening gown designed by Edith Head.

This movie has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film was restored by the team of Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz for its 1999 limited theatrical re-release and the Collector's Edition DVD release. File links The following pages link to this file: Grace Kelly Rear Window Gown Categories: GFDL images ... File links The following pages link to this file: Grace Kelly Rear Window Gown Categories: GFDL images ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... Robert A. Harris is a film historian and preservationist who has restored and reconstructed a number of classic films. ... James C. Katz is a film historian and preservationist who has restored and reconstructed a number of classic films. ... This article is about the year. ...

The film received four Academy Award nominations: Best Director for Alfred Hitchcock, Best Screenplay for John Michael Hayes, Best Cinematography, Color for Robert Burks, Best Sound Recording for Loren L. Ryder, Paramount Pictures. John Michael Hayes (born May 11, 1919) an American playwright. ... Cinematographer Robert Burks (1909 - 1968) was known for being proficient in virtually every genre and equally at home with black-and-white or colour. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ...

This film was ranked #14 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills. It was ranked #48 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition). To this day, the film gets a 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The 100 most heart-pounding American films as described by the AFI on the evening of June 12, 2001. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with AFIs 100 Years. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Ownership of the copyright in Woolrich's original story was eventually litigated before the United States Supreme Court in Stewart v. Abend, 495 U.S. 207 (1990). The film was copyrighted in 1954 by Patron Inc. — a production company set up by Hitchcock and Stewart. As a result, Stewart and Hitchcock's estate became involved in the Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Holding Court membership Chief Justice: William Rehnquist Associate Justices: William J. Brennan, Byron White, Thurgood Marshall, Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day OConnor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy Case opinions Majority by: OConnor Joined by: Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Kennedy Concurrence by: White Dissent by: Stevens Joined by: Rehnquist... // The United States Reports, the official reporter of the Supreme Court of the United States Case citation is the system used in common law countries such as the United States, England and Wales, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia and India to uniquely identify the location of past court...

The film was shot entirely at Paramount studios, including an enormous set on one of the soundstages, and employed the Technicolor process in use at the time. There was also careful use of sound, including natural sounds and music drifting across the apartment building courtyard to James Stewart's apartment. At one point, the voice of Bing Crosby can be heard singing "To See You Is to Love You" originally from the Paramount release Road to Bali (1952). Logo celebrating Technicolors 90th Anniversary Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (a subsidiary of Technicolor, Inc. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Road to Bali is a 1952 comedy film. ... // Events February 20 - The film The African Queen opens (Capitol Theater in New York City). ...

Hitchcock used famed designer Edith Head to design costumes in all of his Paramount films. (She continued to design costumes for his films when Hitchcock moved to MGM in 1959 and then to Universal in 1960 until the end of his career.) With Hitchcock's encouragement, Head designed especially "romantic" dresses for Grace Kelly.^[3] Edith Head on the cover of the book The Life and Times of Edith Head by David Chierichetti Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who had a long career in Hollywood that garnered her more Academy Awards than any other woman in history. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ...

Re-tellings

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

Since Rear Window is considered one of Hitchcock's classics, it has been re-told and spoofed a number of times in a number of ways: Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

• Film
  • Clubhouse Detectives is a 1996 retelling, aimed at a younger audience, where a young boy sees a neighbor kill a student and bury her under his floor boards.
  • In 1998, Christopher Reeve starred in a remake that retained the original title, but had the main character completely paralyzed instead of just having a recently broken leg (due to Reeve's real life condition).
  • Disturbia is a modern day (2007) retelling, with the protagonist (Shia LaBeouf) under house arrest instead of laid up with a broken leg.

• Television
  • The Simpsons episode "Bart of Darkness" is heavily influenced by the movie, with Bart breaking his leg and coming to the belief that he witnesses Ned Flanders killing his wife. There is a reference to Rear Window with a James Stewart character in the episode.
  • In a Halloween themed episode of That 70's Show, "Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die", Fez and Hyde spoof the film after Fez breaks his leg and spies on Bob, thinking he killed Midge.
  • An episode of Home Movies, "Definite Possible Murder" also retold the story when the main character, Brendon, broke his leg and thought he saw a new neighbor (appropriately named Raymond Burley) acting suspiciously.
  • An episode of Rocko's Modern Life is also based on Rear Window.
  • An episode of My Life in Film is also based on Rear Window.

Christopher DOlier Reeve[1] (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. ... A 1998 TV remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic starring Christopher Reeve and Daryl Hannah. ... Disturbia is a 2007 thriller film from DreamWorks Pictures, starring Shia LaBeouf as a teen placed under house arrest who thinks he witnesses a murder while spying on his suspicious neighbor. ... Shia Saide LaBeouf[1] (pronounced SHY-uh luh-BUFF, IPA: [2]; born June 11, 1986) is a Daytime Emmy Award-winning[3] American actor and comedian. ... In justice and law, house arrest is the situation where a person is confined (by the authorities) to his or her residence. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Bart of Darkness is the first episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired September 4, 1994. ... For the comic book series of the same name, see Bart Simpson comics. ... Nedward Ned Flanders is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. ... That 70s Show logo That 70s Show is a Fox Network television sitcom centered around the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional suburb of Point Place, near Green Bay, during the late 1970s. ... Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die is an episode of That 70s Show. ... Information Spouse(s) Caroline (Season 3) Laurie Forman Big Rhonda (Season 4) Nina (Season 5) Jackie Burkhart (Season 8) Portrayed by Wilmer Valderamma Fez (born August 4, 1960) is a fictional character from the television series That 70s Show, portrayed by Wilmer Valderrama. ... Steven Jason Hyde (born November 30, 1959) is a fictional character from FOX Networks That 70s Show, played by Danny Masterson. ... The Pinciotti family: Donna, Bob, and Midge Midge and Bob Pinciotti are two fictional characters on the popular Fox sitcom That 70s Show (1998). ... The Pinciotti family: Donna, Bob, and Midge Midge and Bob Pinciotti are two fictional characters on the popular Fox sitcom That 70s Show (1998). ... Home Movies is a dialogue-driven American animated television series that originally aired from 1999 to 2004. ... Rockos Modern Life is an American animated television series whose four seasons aired from 1993 to 1996. ... My Life in Film is a television comedy series originally aired on BBC Three on digital terrestrial television in the UK, and then on BBC Two. ...

Footnotes

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Rear Window

• Rear Window (1954) at the Internet Movie Database
• Rear Window (1998 remake) at the Internet Movie Database
• Rear Window at Box Office Mojo
• skyjude - movie legends
• DVD Review of Rear Window