Rear Window is a 1954 American mystery-thriller .
The movie’s original cast included shown at the Venice Film Festival in 1954.
Rear Window is regarded as one of Hitchcock’s best films as well as one of the best movies ever created by many moviegoers, reviewers, and academics. Four Academy Award nominations were received for it, and in 1997, as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It also received rankings of 42 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list and 48 on the 10th anniversary edition.[5][6]
Plot
Professional photographer L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies is confined to a wheelchair at his Greenwich Village, Manhattan, apartment while recovering from a broken leg. His back window overlooks a courtyard and several residences. He observes his neighbors during a severe heat wave as they leave their windows open to stay cool. They are a middle-aged couple whose small dog enjoys digging in the flower garden, a lonely woman Jeff refers to as “Miss Lonelyhearts,” a newlywed couple, a pianist, a gorgeous dancer known as “Miss Torso,” and Lars Thorwald, a traveling costume jewelry salesman with a sick wife.
His affluent lover Lisa Fremont and a nurse named Stella pay Jeff regular visits. Jeff is home alone one night after a fight with Lisa when he hears a woman cry, “Don’t!” and the sound of smashing glass. He sees Thorwald dragging a bag in multiple journeys later that night, during a thunderstorm. Later, when Jeff has fallen asleep, Thorwald and a woman depart his flat. The following morning, Thorwald’s wife is gone, and Jeff discovers him sharpening a handsaw and a big knife. Additionally, Thorwald has movers remove a huge trunk. When Lisa and Stella see Thorwald acting suspiciously, they start to believe Jeff when he claims that he is confident that Thorwald has murdered his wife. Tom Doyle, a detective with the New York City Police, is a friend and former combat partner of Jeff’s. Jeff begs him to look into Thorwald. Nothing strange is discovered by Doyle; Mrs. Thorwald is apparently upstate.
The next day, the neighbor’s dog is discovered dead. Everyone rushes to their windows in response to the owner’s frantic cries, with the exception of Thorwald, who sits quietly in his dim apartment smoking a cigar. Jeff calls Thorwald to entice him away so that Stella and Lisa can look into it since he is convinced that he killed the dog. He thinks Thorwald killed the dog because it was digging at something he buried in the flower bed. Lisa and Stella dig up the flowers after Thorwald has left, but they turn up nothing.
Jeff watches in awe as Lisa scales the fire escape to Thorwald’s flat and enters via an unlocked window. When Jeff and Stella notice Miss Lonelyhearts taking some pills and writing a message, they become sidetracked and fail to realize she is about to try suicide. Before they can report it to the police, Miss Lonelyhearts stops and opens the window so they can hear the pianist’s song. When Thorwald confronts Lisa after his return, Jeff is aware that he intends to kill Lisa. He dials the police and says that somebody is being assaulted. Thorwald claims that Lisa broke into his flat, and the police show up and take her into custody. Lisa is seen by Jeff slyly indicating the finger that Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring is on. Thorwald notices this as well and recognizes Jeff across the courtyard after realizing she is signaling someone.
Stella goes to bail out Lisa as Jeff calls Doyle and leaves a critical message. When Jeff’s phone rings, he immediately says that Doyle is on the line and that the suspect has departed. When nobody answers, he assumes Thorwald was the caller. When Thorwald walks inside Jeff’s dark flat, Jeff activates a number of camera flashes, temporarily rendering him blind. Jeff clings to the glass as Thorwald pulls him out, screaming for help. As police enter the flat, Jeff stumbles and is broken by policemen on the ground. Police receive a confession from Thorwald that he killed his wife.
Normalcy returns to the neighborhood a few days later. The newlyweds are having their first disagreement, Miss Torso’s lover returns from the army, Miss Lonelyhearts begins seeing the pianist, the couple whose dog was killed has a new puppy, and Thorwald’s flat is being renovated. With casts on both of his legs, Jeff stretches out in his wheelchair. Lisa is reading the book “Beyond the High Himalayas” next to him. Lisa joyfully opens a fashion magazine after observing Jeff dozing off.
Cast
As L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies, James Stewart
Lisa Grace Kelly C. Fremont
As NYPD Det. Lt. Thomas “Tom” J. Doyle, Wendell Corey performs.
Stella, played by Thelma Ritter
Lars Thorwald, played by Raymond Burr
Miss Lonelyhearts, played by Judith Evelyn
Songwriter Ross Bagdasarian
Miss Torso, played by Georgine Darcy
“Miss Hearing Aid” Jesslyn Fax plays the dog of Sara Berner and Frank Cady, the couple who live above the Thorwalds.[7]
As newlyweds, Rand Harper and Havis Davenport[7]
Mrs. Anna Thorwald is played by Irene Winston.[7]
2:40
Rear Window (1954) original trailer, released in 1968
Uncredited
As a young man visitor, Harry Landers[7] was Miss Lonelyhearts.
Carl, the waitress, smiles as Ralph[7]
Detective Fred Graham[7]
Detective Eddie Parker[7]
as a detective Anthony Warde[7]
Girl in Songwriter’s Party with Kathryn Grant[7]
Girl Played by Marla English at Songwriter’s Party[7]
Bess Flowers in Songwriter’s Party Costume with Poodle[7]
Benny Bartlett appears as Stanley, Miss Torso’s old flame [7]
As Man with Miss Torso, Dick Simmons[7]
Script notes
In the songwriter’s apartment, director Alfred Hitchcock makes his customary cameo appearance while turning a clock.[7
