Rear Window

The term “classic movie” is often very broadly applied. When we call a film a classic are we talking about its quality? Or are we using it to establish a movie’s historical impact or significance? May be we just use it to refer to the age of a film as in anything from the 70’s and beyond is a classic. Merriam/Webster’s online dictionary defines it as “serving as a standard of excellence: of recognized value”. If we are going to use that as our definition then I think my latest stop on my sojourn through the AFI Top 100 would definitely qualify.

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 movie Rear Window has long been one of my all-time favorites and why not? First of all, you have Jimmy Stewart who was and even 25 years after his death remains a national treasure. Secondly there is Grace Kelly who is absolutely stunning in this movie. Then when you add a solid premise that’s been infused with Hitchcock’s talent for suspense and off kilter sensibilities you have what I think are the ingredients for an almost perfect movie.

Stewart plays L.B. Jeffries (Jeff), a news photographer stuck at home due to a broken leg he sustained on assignment. He is a man of action who relishes the adventure and exotic locations that his occupation allows him to experience. Early on we hear him talking on the phone with his editor, lamenting his boredom from being laid up and home-bound. But it isn’t long before we realize that Jeff isn’t as bored as he ought to be given his present circumstances.  You see, during his convalescence Jeff has started to entertain himself by watching the lives of his neighbors through his back window. The fact that the city is in the middle of an extended heat wave means people have been keeping their windows open and their shades up making them in essence a primitive form of reality TV for Jeff.

I’m not going to go into much more detail regarding the plot. It is well known. Jeff sees some strange behavior from one neighbor which he interprets as murderous. He then tries to gather evidence to prove this to his friend who is a police detective (Wendell Corey). He involves his insurance company nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and his girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Kelly). All of this culminates in a confrontation that delivers chills and a satisfactory conclusion.

I first saw this movie in 1984 not long after it was first brought out on home video. There are themes that I don’t think I caught onto then. The big one is voyeurism. By the time we meet Jeff he had already been laid up for several weeks. He’s already had and lost the argument with himself that what he is viewing out of his window is none of his business and is fully drawn into the daily dramas that are played out for him in the apartment windows across the courtyard. His nurse Stella halfheartedly chastises him but it is clear she has started to get interested in what’s happening out there too. Because of how the movie is shot, we as viewers join in with Jeff seeing things, if not from his direct perspective, then as if we are looking over his shoulder. As a result we find ourselves caught up as well. Whether it’s the titillating (Miss Torso), the heartbreaking (Miss Lonely Heart) or the amusing (Married Couple on the Fire Escape) Hitchcock draws us into their world and gets us wanting to watch. Even Lisa, who resists the longest and even appears to be disgusted or possibly threatened by Jeff’s new hobby, gets sucked in. Hitchcock seems to be implying that we all have a bit of voyeur in us and given the chance will watch even though deep down we know we probably shouldn’t.

The thing is, today we don’t need a broken leg and a heat wave to do what Jeff is doing. All we need to do is turn on our television sets or fire up our laptops. What Hitchcock pointed out about human nature in 1954, the media in the 21^st century has cashed in on big time. Whether it’s looking at the latest series of  “fails” on YouTube or tuning in to see what lunacy the “Housewives” are engaging in today we have become a nation that has embraced its voyeuristic tendencies. There are always those who try to act like they are taking the high road and claim they don’t watch reality TV but remember, this all started on PBS in 1973 with An American Family. It has become such an ingrained part of our culture that we hardly even notice it anymore and we don’t recognize it for what it is.

I’m not trying to preach here in any way shape or form. It’s just that watching this movie again got me thinking about the L.B. Jeffries in all of us. What is it that makes “reality” so fascinating? Maybe the fact that we have outlets that allow us to indulge in this without actually invading anyone’s privacy is a good thing. I don’t have the answers but something tells me that if Alfred Hitchcock were alive today none of this would be the least bit surprising to him.