'Rear Window' Returns to Wow a New Generation of Fans

         On August 25, 2024, Paramount Pictures re-released 'Rear Window', the Alfred Hitchcock classic that has wowed generations since 1954, garnering a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%. In the film, a photographer with a broken leg watches his neighbors, leading to him witnessing a murder. Can the trio of himself, his nurse, and his wife catch the killer? The ensemble cast includes James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Raymond Burr, and Thelma Ritter. Here is the review round-up.

       Jane Corby of Brooklyn Daily Eagle writes, "The suspense accumulates until it reaches a point when the whole picture seems electrically charged. It is this desultoriness, with the accompanying attention to small angles of the story that helps to make It full-bodied, adult entertainment."

Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash

        Edwin Schallert of Los Angeles Times says, "Rear Window spares nothing in its build-up and its climax, which it achieves with big decisiveness and it is alive with masterly touches for which its guide and creator is distinguished."

        Cole Smithey of ColeSmithey.com was less impressed, stating, "What starts out as a cautionary tale about the dangers of voyeurism and surveillance, flips to confirm that such grassing behavior is not only correct but is also a responsible way of looking at your neighbors." Adding, "Rear Window” may hold a special place in the hearts of Alfred Hitchcock’s legions of fans, but the film breaks with a bizarre thematic reversal that emphasizes a web of American hypocrisy at its core. It is a film with no empathetic character. Jeff Jefferies is a Joseph McCarthy wanna-be. Grace Kelly is a woman overcompensating for her low self-esteem by hiding behind expensive fashion and beauty rituals. Even Jeff’s insurance company nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) is revealed to be a woman capable of far less independent thought than she seems to possess. As a result of this film’s bait-and-switch meaning, it remains one of Alfred Hitchcock’s more minor efforts."    

        Gerard Fay of Guardian notes, "The last scenes, in which we learn whether or not the murder was done, are as good as anything in Hitchcock's long list of exciting finishes."

       Marion Aitchison of Miami Herald praises the film, stating, "Easily the most unusual and surely one of the most absorbing pictures of many months, Rear Window is suspense drama at its best The fact that it was made by Alfred M. Hitchcock guarantees that."