Rear Window (1954)

Recuperating from a broken leg which is now in a cast, a photographer (James Stewart) is housebound in his apartment. To pass the time, he looks into the windows of his courtyard neighbors, all of whom have distinct personalities and quirks. But when the wife (Irene Winston) of one of his neighbors (Raymond Burr) goes missing, he suspects foul play on the husband's part. One of Alfred Hitchcock's most admired films, the film features one of the greatest pieces of art direction in all cinema. The "star" of the film is an amazing multi leveled courtyard set where we, along with Stewart, can see into all the apartments. Inexplicably, J. McMillan Johnson and Hal Pereira's art direction wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. Based on the short story IT HAD TO BE MURDER by Cornell Woolrich, the screenplay by John Michael Hayes is concise and to the point. I know this is a terrific movie yet somehow I've never been able to fully embrace it and I think it's because of James Stewart's character. Not only is he a voyeur and a busybody but he's a real jerk toward his lovely girlfriend (Grace Kelly). There were times I just wished that his policeman friend (Wendell Corey) or his masseuse (Thelma Ritter) would just slap him into next week. Still, in the scheme of things I suppose it's a minor irritant. With Judith Evelyn, Ross Bagdasarian, Georgine Darcy, Marla English and Kathryn Grant.