When someone hoping to learn more about classic films asks me to recommend a film, Rear Window is almost always my top pick.  It is a film that grabs your interest from the beginning and never lets you go.  It also showcases one of the most beloved actors of all time, an actress who personifies the beauty and glamour of classic Hollywood and a director whose genius is still being imitated today.

As the film opens, we see scenes playing out in a series of apartment windows.  A scantily clad dancer practices her moves, a pair of newlyweds enter their apartment for the first time, a composer sits at a piano and plays a song, and a man cares for his bedridden wife.  The camera slowly swings around to a man (Jeff Jeffries played by James Stewart) in a wheelchair with a cast on his leg.  With the help of a phone call, we learn that the man is a professional photographer, has been in a cast for five weeks and has one more week to go.  After five weeks of watching his neighbors from the rear window of his apartment, Jeffries seems to know everything about them.  That night, he is startled by a short scream. 

The primary storyline of Rear Window is Jeffries’ growing obsession with his salesman neighbor and a suspicion that the salesman’s bedridden wife was the victim of foul play.  Gradually, he becomes convinced that the salesman Lars Thorwald, played by Raymond Burr, has murdered her.  He cannot convince his friend the detective, but he manages to convince his high-society girlfriend Lisa Fremont, played by Grace Kelly, and his visiting nurse Stella, played by Thelma Ritter.  Now, they only need to prove it.

Alfred Hitchcock was a masterful director and Rear Window may be his masterpiece.  The film is so engaging that it is easy to miss things.  For instance, many viewers never notice that, other than a few minutes near the end, the camera never leaves Jeffries’ apartment.  The entire film takes place in his apartment or as a view from his apartment.  In fact, a significant portion of the film is a recurring sequence of shots.  The camera shows Jeffries looking out of his window, shows the view from his apartment window, then returns to him for his reaction. 

Rear Window makes us all voyeurs.  We watch Jeffries as he watches others.  Each apartment window offers a different story to draw us in.  Some of us want the camera to return to Miss Torso dancing while others wonder what Miss Lonely Heart will do next.  The windows are framed like movie screens.  We’re almost left with a feeling that movie viewing is itself an act of voyeurism. 

The performances in Rear Window are outstanding.  James Stewart plays the type of down to earth witty character he is famous for.  Grace Kelly seems perfectly cast in her role as a wealthy socialite.  In contrast to some of her previous roles, she appears more comfortable and seems to be enjoying herself.  Thelma Ritter was at the peak of her career having received four consecutive Best Supporting Actress nominations but, surprisingly not for this film.  Raymond Burr does not have many lines, but he delivers a menacingly memorable performance as the salesman Jeffries suspects of killing his wife. 

Why do I so often recommend Rear Window as an introduction to classic films?  Because it shows how a great director can craft a perfect story.  It shows how a great cast can make the story believable.  Finally, it shows how a great film can keep you engaged and on the edge of your seat without a single explosion, gruesome murder, sex scene or curse word.