Rear Window appears that it must have been new and different. It is a stripped version, almost like a play. James Stewart plays Jeff, laid up with a broken leg. To ease his boredom, he has taken to watching out his Rear Window of a small apartment.
He's a bit of a conundrum, as he is more interested with what is going on out of the window than he is with the beautiful woman, Grace Kelly, who is right in front of him. It's his girlfriend - of course she wants to be more but he pushes her away.
Watching out the window, there are several recurrent characters.
Miss Torso, who is young and in various states of undress. But Jeff doesn't seem interested.
Miss Lonelyhearts, who has suitors but no steady man.
The Newlyweds who appears to be having fun out of sight.
The Songwriter, who is either alone or in a crowd.
The Salesman and his Wife, who have marital problems Their story reminded me of a cartoon strip, seeing 4 boxes in a row and trying to complete the story.
At some point, Jeff starts to suspect that the Salesman has killed his wife, and starts concocting theories on what has occurred. His friend who is a detective, thinks he is amateurish and wrong.
Theories of voyeurism, sexual fantasy v. reality, breaking the fourth wall of the screen, participating in the movie, that's what might make this more than the basic story presented. You've got to use your modern imagination to go back to the 50s when you couldn't just say or show the sex. Perhaps that's why Alfred Hitchcock was so admired. He made something out of a little thing.
Simple but not too simple.
* * * of 4
Comparing this to Vertigo, which I recently saw, lends more connections of the sexuality of the time, contempt/violence toward women, voyeurism. As well are common themes in North by Northwest and Psycho. Maybe Hitchcock was a bit more sharp for him time than we modern people might like to credit him.
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