In IMDb's "Top 250" this movie ranks in the top 15, it's Hitchcock's highest ranking movie, so obviously many people see it as an exceptional one. I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about. I was eager to see it and perhaps I was expecting more, but frankly, is that so much to ask from supposedly one of the best movies ever made?
+To not come off as a lover of criticism, I truly have to commend the excellent use of sound effects throughout the movie. I realized on many occasions just how smart and practical the director was in making the outside world truly come into the viewer's life. I even realize how the whole concept of the movie must have been "fresh" back in its day, but here's where the lauding stops.
-I found "Rear Window" as a movie that definitely hasn't passed the test of time. The main set (around which the whole movie revolves) looked really fake...I mean come on, besides the incredibly wide windows that were just convenient enough for a peeping Tom to get a frigging panoramic view of everything, all of the apartments looked like two-dimensional sets from a drama play, even Jefferies's) The plot itself is almost laughable in its simplicity and more so painfully predictable. The first 30 minutes or so nothing much happens, there's a romantic subplot etc etc and when the main, murder plot comes into focus I simply realized there wasn't enough time left for it to turn anything BUT murder. So the supposed "thrill" of the movie mystery never even got to me.
I read that the scene where the murderer returns to the apartment and finds Lisa snooping around is apparently a "classic". LOL!!! The whole time I couldn't stop but wonder why Jimmy frigging Stewart didn't jump from his chair and limp like crazy to that apartment!!!?!!? All he could do was cling his teeth. Now that's love for you;)
Overall, way to many subplots and no real plot. Decent acting. Great sound but poorly-made sets. Bad ending. Bad premise actually. Not Hitchcock's finest moment. Honeslty, it's one of his weakest ones!
And just a personal observation that I find rather amusing: If the pianist was heard all the way to Jefferies's apartment, wouldn't any of the other residents ever get pi**ed at him for always playing that piano??;)
+To not come off as a lover of criticism, I truly have to commend the excellent use of sound effects throughout the movie. I realized on many occasions just how smart and practical the director was in making the outside world truly come into the viewer's life. I even realize how the whole concept of the movie must have been "fresh" back in its day, but here's where the lauding stops.
-I found "Rear Window" as a movie that definitely hasn't passed the test of time. The main set (around which the whole movie revolves) looked really fake...I mean come on, besides the incredibly wide windows that were just convenient enough for a peeping Tom to get a frigging panoramic view of everything, all of the apartments looked like two-dimensional sets from a drama play, even Jefferies's) The plot itself is almost laughable in its simplicity and more so painfully predictable. The first 30 minutes or so nothing much happens, there's a romantic subplot etc etc and when the main, murder plot comes into focus I simply realized there wasn't enough time left for it to turn anything BUT murder. So the supposed "thrill" of the movie mystery never even got to me.
I read that the scene where the murderer returns to the apartment and finds Lisa snooping around is apparently a "classic". LOL!!! The whole time I couldn't stop but wonder why Jimmy frigging Stewart didn't jump from his chair and limp like crazy to that apartment!!!?!!? All he could do was cling his teeth. Now that's love for you;)
Overall, way to many subplots and no real plot. Decent acting. Great sound but poorly-made sets. Bad ending. Bad premise actually. Not Hitchcock's finest moment. Honeslty, it's one of his weakest ones!
And just a personal observation that I find rather amusing: If the pianist was heard all the way to Jefferies's apartment, wouldn't any of the other residents ever get pi**ed at him for always playing that piano??;)