Henry, it’s not a balcony. It’s a fire escape and back before widespread air conditioning, in a heat wave folks would try to sleep outside and it’s also why all the windows are open.
When this movie was made, home air-conditioners of any kind were rare and very expensive. And cities are "heat islands." The couple is sleeping on the fire escape due to the heat in their apartment. The big window you were asking about was called a "Chicago window" in architectural terms. The large pane was fixed, with ventilation provided by the side panel on each side. The design became a darling of the new houses in suburban developments after WWII (for just the living room), until ac became so common, it could just be a fixed glass picture window with no openings possible at all. Minor note: In the era of telephone directories, the yellow pages were a listing of commercial services, with lots of bigger listings paid ads. So for instance, all the plumbers would be listed under "P." The white pages were listings of everyone that had a phone, in alphabetical order.
Oh, I see. But if it's hot inside, wouldn't it be blistering hot under the sun? 😂 Unless it's like "trapped heat" instead of "sunny heat", if that makes sense. (Edit: Oh right, they only sleep outside during the night, what was I thinking? 😅) Oh wait, you mean the middle part of the "Chicago window" is glass? It's so transparent and clear, I couldn't even tell there's glass there! Yes, I remember a "yellow pages book" in my grandfather's house right by the home phone. As a kid, I flipped through it but got bored quick. The countless words in small font felt daunting for my kid self. Thanks for sharing! 😊
@@henryellow Not sure what time of day that scene takes place but it has to be in the morning, which is the people waking up from sleeping outside overnight - they appear to be in pajamas. During the day, they might sit outside but not lie there under covers. All things being equal, too, outside more chance of a breeze. (Also note the wife faces the other direction - surely a nod to the Hays Code which prevented even a married couple from being seen in a single bed.)
@@johnnehrich9601 Yea, that makes sense. Oh, so that's why she was facing the opposite direction! I forgot the Hays Code is still in effect at this time.
@@henryellow I am surprised Hitchcock got away with Lisa staying overnight in his apartment. Note the detective making remarks about how they were not letting the landlord know, which wasn't even a movie code problem but an actual one - the landlord could kick you out if you had an overnight guest of the opposite sex.
By the way, the hot weather in that era is a crucial part of the story, as it explains why everyone has their windows open, with no curtains or shades to obstruct the views. (Although in the afternoon as the sun gets lower, people would tend to close curtains and shades to keep the sunlight out.)
I love that Film..But one thing is unrealistic...Why would a man look outside the rear window when there is Grace Kelly in his room? ;-) No way! ... Anyway..I like these Hitchcock Movies. Reminds my when I was a kid sitting in front of a black/white TV
The couple was sleeping outside to stay cool. The thermometer showed when Jimmy Stewart was first on screen, has a very high temperature. The “insurance company nurse” would be like a home-health nurse today who checks a patient and provides minimal nursing care for a time, after someone has been discharged from the hospital.
I've seen this too many dozens of times and can't help but giggle at the notion that some Old Guy like Jimmy Stewart would rather watch a bleach-blonde Raymond Burr rather than devote every living moment to Grace Kelly. IT'S A RIDICULOUS PREMISE. And I laugh at it, every time. Hubby gets more ludicrous: "I don't care if Godzilla is stomping up and down that backstreet, I've still only got eyes for Grace. And, uh, you, darling. Of course." hrumph. Another great review. Thelma Ritter stands in a long line of fantastic character actresses, usually snide, wise-crackin' sidekicks - as she is here.
I absolutely agree with you on that point. I guess for some people, doing (or seeing) something that's "forbidden" always has some attraction. Your husband sure knows how save himself at the last second 😂
Such a great film. Witty, engaging, suspenseful. And that amazing set, the largest in Hollywood history at that time. And it’s based on an actual courtyard in Greenwich Village at the real address they gave in the film: 125 W. 9th St (aka Christopher St.). The buildings and the courtyrard still exist and they can be seen briefly in a scene in Woody Allen’s film Manhattan Murder Mystery. Oh, and the real 6th precinct is one block over from the real 125 W. 9th St. address, which is how the cops can get there so quickly. Hope you’ll be reacting to Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock’s personal favorite of his own films) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 version).
Yes, it's an enjoyable movie. Ah, I see. So the cops were very close by. That's good. I have those two movies in my list too. I'll watch them in the future~ Thanks for sharing! 😊
Grace Kelly certainly looked like a princess here, years before she became one in real life. Another good Hitchcock film with her (and the great Cary Grsnt) is To Catch a Thief. Similar mixture of comedy and suspense.
@@henryellow She became Princess Grace of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in 1956. She is from my hometown (Philadelphia) and I was lucky enough to see her in person. Just as lovely in real life!
"I wish I could be creative." "Oh sweetie, you are. You have a great talent for creating difficult situations." Grace Kelly, am I right? 😍 Fun Fact: All the apartments in Thorwald's (Raymond Burr) building had electricity and running water, and could be lived in. Casting Notes Fact: Grace Kelly was offered this film and On The Waterfront (1954) at the same time. She chose this movie instead because she thought the role of Lisa, who worked in the world of fashion, as she once did, suited her better. Natural Soundtrack Fact: All of the sound in this movie is diegetic, meaning that all the music, speech, and other sounds all come from within the world of the movie (with the exception of non-diegetic orchestral music heard in the first three shots of the movie). Method Director Fact: According to Georgine Darcy, when the man and woman on the fire escape struggle to get in out of the rain was based on a prank by Sir Alfred Hitchcock. Each actor and actress in the apartment complex facing Jeff's (James Stewart) rear window wore an earpiece through which they could receive Hitchcock's directions. Hitchcock told the man to pull the mattress in one direction and told the woman to pull in the opposite direction. Unaware that they had received conflicting directions, the couple began to fight and struggled to get the mattress inside once the crew began filming. The resulting mayhem, in which one of the couple is tossed inside the window with the mattress, provided humor and a sense of authenticity, which Hitchcock liked. He was so pleased with the result that he did not order another take.
Indeed 😉 Good thing she chose Rear Window. I see, that includes the music played by the songwriter in the other building. Well, the prank turned out well 😂 Thanks for sharing the fun facts! 😊
Eva Marie Saint won the Oscar for _On the Waterfront_ and still got to be a Hitchcock blonde (but only once, not the three times Kelly, who also won an Oscar later, did) in _North by Northwest)._
I still can't let Hubby watch that scene without hitting him. Just out of the blue, he claims. No... those smacks are done for a very specific reason. But obviously concussions don't phase men when it comes to Grace's appearance.
I suppose it is the fate of Classic Films to have oceans of 'additional, must-see actor catalogs'. This is written five months after your original posting and, while Grace Kelly gets deserved mentions, one film that many folks don't consider is her Oscar win for THE COUNTRY GIRL (1954) with Bing Crosby (her character's husband) and William Holden (her character's eventual escape-route romance). If you know the basic tale of A STAR IS BORN (famous big-time star meets young starlet, promotes her and she overtakes his popularity, leaving him to wallow in self-destruction and depression), THE COUNTRY GIRL follows this where drunken has-been Bing is sought out by a young lion William 'the Producer' Holden and wants put Bing into a glory-filled comeback film. And of course Holden meets Drunken Has-Been's downtrodden wife. in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990), a career-long glam woman Shirley MacLaine appears in a hospital bed, sans wigs, make-up and even 'make-down' colorings because she's supposedly dying. It is a SHOCKING on-screen revelation. I was taken aback by Shirley's willingness to appear so 'bare'. Bereft. Even UGLY. Wow. In her interviews, she blamed Grace for this "50-year-old idea" for MacLaine. "If she can do it - in her most glamorous, most beautiful age - what about me?" And in COUNTRY GIRL, it's not so much that un-glam'd, dowdy Grace appearance - it's her behavior. Like a beaten dog, flinching at every hint of a cussing-out tone from drunken has-been Bing. (And, sadly, Bing in real life had some experience of berating his family.) But we are treated to this performance by one of Hollywood's most beautiful stars suffering and flinching and denying the whole ordeal to William Holden. It is an Oscar-winning performance (I think "supporting actress" since she was not a central character - Bing and Wm Holden are). Grace's career was relatively short-lived (giving up Hollywood to become Monaco's Princess - not Queen), starting in episode TV in 1950, a small role in the excellent 14 HOURS (1951, Richard Basehart thinks about a ledge-bound suicide scene for - you guessed it - 14 hours). Then she was handed her first plum role, married to a much older (and far more famous) Gary Cooper in 1952's HIGH NOON. The next year, she's sent off to Africa to charm big-game-hunter-tour-guide Clark Gable in MOGAMBO. Then she did 4 powerful films in 1954 - DIAL 'M' FOR MURDER (Hitchcock), REAR WINDOW (Hitch), THE COUNTRY GIRL (dir by old school George Seaton), and finally the lackluster BRIDGES OF TOKO-RI (with Wm Holden again). Holden had been known as The Golden Boy for at least 10 years by this time, the handsome 2nd Generation of Gary Grant wannabe's (or at least the studios wanted their own younger Cary Grants), so pairings with William Holden were coveted by most all actresses and filmmakers. The next year (1955), Hitch called again and this time, they used The Real Thing - Cary Grant - in one of my favorite rewatchables - TO CATCH A THIEF which offers diamond necklaces in Cary's hand and fireworks out the hotel window. Also, some Monaco driving scenes, too.
Oooh, I mention MOGAMBO a few times but I often confuse that with a similiarly-but-more-vicious THE MACOMBER AFFAIR (1947) because younger safari stud Gregory Peck plays the handsome man in a soon-to-be-fatal triangle. In MACOMBER, it's a very unhappy wife willing to fataly mis-shoot her disappointing husband and then attempting to blackmail safari-leader Peck into being her alibi - "It's an accident! It could happen to anyone!" Poor hubby... wives - don't let hubbies see THIS film. EVER. Or 1981's BODY HEAT. Men - you should see both films in your teens to learn a thing or two about life in the wild-!
It did leave the room for a very short moment, after Jeff fell out the window. But you're right, for the rest of the movie it was seemingly shot from within the apartment. I didn't notice that, thanks for pointing it out 😉👍
He spent most of the '40s and '50s movies as a vicious bad guy - the kind that canes little kids and splashed oil on someone before setting them on fire. I can understand why he was shipped off to Tokyo to mutate 1954's GOJIRA into the 1956 Americanized version of GODZILLA. He was NOT a nice guy in movies-!
Miss Lonelyhearts was not her actual name. The term comes from a novella of the same name by Nathanael West, published in 1933. West's novel, The Day of the Locust, is one the best ever written about Hollywood.
For Hitchcock movies, you really need to pay attention to the first few minutes. He will put in an establishing shot that sets up an important thing that has an impact on the remainder of the film. In this movie, there is a shot of a thermometer, which is only on screen for a few seconds. It establishes that the city is going through a heat wave with temperatures in the 90's. During this time period, air conditioning was not found in a lot of apartments (heck, even in the 1990's in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, where temperatures regularly get into the 100 degree range during the summer, you would be lucky to find a single wall air conditioning unit for a bedroom). So, you can imagine that with a brick apartment building, the temperature would be hotter inside an apartment than outside. That is why people were sleeping on the fire escape. For "North By Northwest", the important establishing shot happens in the first few minutes, but if you talk through it or aren't paying close attention, you will miss it. Very few reactors that I have seen react to that movie actually pay close enough attention to catch it (just like the thermometer in this one).
I "saw" the thermometer, but my brain didn't process it on the first watch 😂 I noticed it during editing though, and then I understood. You're right, it's very important to pay attention during a Hitchcock movie 👍🏻
CKent makes a powerful point that almost all audiences can't fathom or digest: Hitch's opening scenes often give an easily overlooked detail for the mystery's solution later on. But because it's an opening scene with soooo many reference points - none of which have any more importance than others - audiences often need rewatchings to pick those out. IF a filmmaker wants to ensure repeat rewatchings, they would all do this. Some producers - like the James Bond films - use an opening shock-of-action 5 minutes to ensnare the audience's attention. Hitch did some of that but he rewarded 2nd- and 3rd-ticket buyers will debating points as rewards - "Didn't you catch that in the opening moments?" "No... I'll go back and see it again." Of course, tix for $1 or $2 at the time, too.
N by NW is a lot of fun, Hitch's deliberately most mainstream film, with one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history and often cited as the prototype for the James Bond films of yesterday and today.
It is a fun mystery film. It moves along at a pretty entertaining pace. And none of the remakes even come close. I think the word you were seeking was compromise. What guy would not compromise for Grace Kelly's character. Intelligent. Rich. Doting. Attractive. She was the total package. People often slept on the fire escapes in summer because it was cooler. Good review.
I wasn't aware there were remakes, but I'm glad I watched this original one 👍 Hmm yes, the word was right at the tip of my tongue. I knew it was "something" 😉 Absolutely, "any man with half a brain who can get one eye open" would be willing to compromise for Lisa Fremont. I believe Jeff also felt that Lisa was too good for him, and he would hold her back. Thanks, hope you enjoyed it! 😊
@@henryellow One of the remakes starred Christopher Reeve, former Superman (also check him out in _Deathtrap_ and _Somewhere in Time),_ whose fall from a horse left him a paraplegic.
@@henryellow Indeed, as a 'wildlife photographer', Jeff understood the wilderness lifestyle might not fit well into Lisa's future. Just the year before, 1953's MOGAMBO explored a bad foreshadowing where Clark Gable is on a safari with both young and beautiful Grace AND with the slightly older brunette temptress Ava Gardner. That story amply supported Jeff's fears of Grace-in-the-Wild. ahem.
One thing that makes this movie work so well is how people in a movie audience are stuck in a seat where Hitchcock once said an audience in a suspenseful moment can't jump into the movie screen and save the day and Jeff is stuck in a chair watching little movies through window frames like a film learning about their characters and what results so Rear Window really has a meta quality about it. It's very subtle but quite deliberate. The only other early films I can think of that toy with sort of reflexive strategy are Buster Keaton's silent classic SHERLOCK JR., Stanley Donen's and Gene Kelly's SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and later on Woody Allen's THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO although those films are really all about movies in movies.
A decent film which fits Jimmy Stewart very well. But it's very overrated on TH-cam, the villain isn't very interesting. For a more interesting character dynamic watch Shadow of a Doubt.
The villain isn't supposed to be interesting. I don't think he's supposed to be the villain, in a way. He isn't the point. He's just some guy, and in the end, he is a cornered animal who feels harassed by Jeff. But the characters watching are the point. How they watch the people across the way reveals more about them.
oh i see, you have the single apartment, the just married apartment, the been married apartment, and the never married apartment
Henry, it’s not a balcony. It’s a fire escape and back before widespread air conditioning, in a heat wave folks would try to sleep outside and it’s also why all the windows are open.
My favorite Hitchcock...glad you enjoyed it.
I did 😊 Hope you enjoyed the reaction too!
When this movie was made, home air-conditioners of any kind were rare and very expensive. And cities are "heat islands." The couple is sleeping on the fire escape due to the heat in their apartment.
The big window you were asking about was called a "Chicago window" in architectural terms. The large pane was fixed, with ventilation provided by the side panel on each side. The design became a darling of the new houses in suburban developments after WWII (for just the living room), until ac became so common, it could just be a fixed glass picture window with no openings possible at all.
Minor note: In the era of telephone directories, the yellow pages were a listing of commercial services, with lots of bigger listings paid ads. So for instance, all the plumbers would be listed under "P." The white pages were listings of everyone that had a phone, in alphabetical order.
Oh, I see. But if it's hot inside, wouldn't it be blistering hot under the sun? 😂
Unless it's like "trapped heat" instead of "sunny heat", if that makes sense. (Edit: Oh right, they only sleep outside during the night, what was I thinking? 😅)
Oh wait, you mean the middle part of the "Chicago window" is glass? It's so transparent and clear, I couldn't even tell there's glass there!
Yes, I remember a "yellow pages book" in my grandfather's house right by the home phone. As a kid, I flipped through it but got bored quick. The countless words in small font felt daunting for my kid self.
Thanks for sharing! 😊
@@henryellow Not sure what time of day that scene takes place but it has to be in the morning, which is the people waking up from sleeping outside overnight - they appear to be in pajamas. During the day, they might sit outside but not lie there under covers. All things being equal, too, outside more chance of a breeze. (Also note the wife faces the other direction - surely a nod to the Hays Code which prevented even a married couple from being seen in a single bed.)
@@johnnehrich9601 Yea, that makes sense. Oh, so that's why she was facing the opposite direction! I forgot the Hays Code is still in effect at this time.
@@henryellow I am surprised Hitchcock got away with Lisa staying overnight in his apartment. Note the detective making remarks about how they were not letting the landlord know, which wasn't even a movie code problem but an actual one - the landlord could kick you out if you had an overnight guest of the opposite sex.
By the way, the hot weather in that era is a crucial part of the story, as it explains why everyone has their windows open, with no curtains or shades to obstruct the views. (Although in the afternoon as the sun gets lower, people would tend to close curtains and shades to keep the sunlight out.)
"Compromise," was the word that kept escaping you.
Nice reaction.
Looking forward to "vertigo"
Yup, that's the word 😂
It'll be out next 😉👍
Loved your review! Yes, "Rear Window" takes its viewers on a wild ride.
Glad you enjoyed it! 😊
I love that Film..But one thing is unrealistic...Why would a man look outside the rear window when there is Grace Kelly in his room? ;-) No way! ... Anyway..I like these Hitchcock Movies. Reminds my when I was a kid sitting in front of a black/white TV
Haha, that's true 😂
There's no need to stare outside when there's already something amazing to stare at inside his room 👍
The couple was sleeping outside to stay cool. The thermometer showed when Jimmy Stewart was first on screen, has a very high temperature.
The “insurance company nurse” would be like a home-health nurse today who checks a patient and provides minimal nursing care for a time, after someone has been discharged from the hospital.
Got it. Thanks for clarifying! 👍😊
Enjoyed your reaction !
Enjoyed your reaction !
I've seen this too many dozens of times and can't help but giggle at the notion that some Old Guy like Jimmy Stewart would rather watch a bleach-blonde Raymond Burr rather than devote every living moment to Grace Kelly. IT'S A RIDICULOUS PREMISE. And I laugh at it, every time. Hubby gets more ludicrous: "I don't care if Godzilla is stomping up and down that backstreet, I've still only got eyes for Grace. And, uh, you, darling. Of course." hrumph.
Another great review. Thelma Ritter stands in a long line of fantastic character actresses, usually snide, wise-crackin' sidekicks - as she is here.
I absolutely agree with you on that point. I guess for some people, doing (or seeing) something that's "forbidden" always has some attraction.
Your husband sure knows how save himself at the last second 😂
Such a great film. Witty, engaging, suspenseful. And that amazing set, the largest in Hollywood history at that time. And it’s based on an actual courtyard in Greenwich Village at the real address they gave in the film: 125 W. 9th St (aka Christopher St.). The buildings and the courtyrard still exist and they can be seen briefly in a scene in Woody Allen’s film Manhattan Murder Mystery. Oh, and the real 6th precinct is one block over from the real 125 W. 9th St. address, which is how the cops can get there so quickly.
Hope you’ll be reacting to Shadow of a Doubt (Hitchcock’s personal favorite of his own films) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 version).
I agree on Shadow of a Doubt, not so much on the other film.
Yes, it's an enjoyable movie.
Ah, I see. So the cops were very close by. That's good.
I have those two movies in my list too. I'll watch them in the future~
Thanks for sharing! 😊
Grace Kelly certainly looked like a princess here, years before she became one in real life. Another good Hitchcock film with her (and the great Cary Grsnt) is To Catch a Thief. Similar mixture of comedy and suspense.
I didn't know she became a real princess 👍🏻
I have that on my list 😉 I'll watch it eventually
@@henryellow She became Princess Grace of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III in 1956. She is from my hometown (Philadelphia) and I was lucky enough to see her in person. Just as lovely in real life!
"I wish I could be creative."
"Oh sweetie, you are. You have a great talent for creating difficult situations."
Grace Kelly, am I right? 😍
Fun Fact: All the apartments in Thorwald's (Raymond Burr) building had electricity and running water, and could be lived in.
Casting Notes Fact: Grace Kelly was offered this film and On The Waterfront (1954) at the same time. She chose this movie instead because she thought the role of Lisa, who worked in the world of fashion, as she once did, suited her better.
Natural Soundtrack Fact: All of the sound in this movie is diegetic, meaning that all the music, speech, and other sounds all come from within the world of the movie (with the exception of non-diegetic orchestral music heard in the first three shots of the movie).
Method Director Fact: According to Georgine Darcy, when the man and woman on the fire escape struggle to get in out of the rain was based on a prank by Sir Alfred Hitchcock. Each actor and actress in the apartment complex facing Jeff's (James Stewart) rear window wore an earpiece through which they could receive Hitchcock's directions. Hitchcock told the man to pull the mattress in one direction and told the woman to pull in the opposite direction. Unaware that they had received conflicting directions, the couple began to fight and struggled to get the mattress inside once the crew began filming. The resulting mayhem, in which one of the couple is tossed inside the window with the mattress, provided humor and a sense of authenticity, which Hitchcock liked. He was so pleased with the result that he did not order another take.
Indeed 😉
Good thing she chose Rear Window.
I see, that includes the music played by the songwriter in the other building.
Well, the prank turned out well 😂
Thanks for sharing the fun facts! 😊
My pleasure. 😁
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 🍽️
Go in Peace and Walk with God. 😎 👍
Eva Marie Saint won the Oscar for _On the Waterfront_ and still got to be a Hitchcock blonde (but only once, not the three times Kelly, who also won an Oscar later, did) in _North by Northwest)._
Thanks for the insight on this movie! You noticed things I never did.
My pleasure. Hope you enjoyed it! 😊
Unfortunate choice to edit out Grace Kelly's entrance; it is one the greatest moments in film history, imo.
In the movie, she seemingly came out of nowhere, like in a dream.
For a moment, I thought Jeff was dreaming 😉
@@henryellow Like a dream, indeed.
I still can't let Hubby watch that scene without hitting him. Just out of the blue, he claims. No... those smacks are done for a very specific reason. But obviously concussions don't phase men when it comes to Grace's appearance.
I suppose it is the fate of Classic Films to have oceans of 'additional, must-see actor catalogs'. This is written five months after your original posting and, while Grace Kelly gets deserved mentions, one film that many folks don't consider is her Oscar win for THE COUNTRY GIRL (1954) with Bing Crosby (her character's husband) and William Holden (her character's eventual escape-route romance). If you know the basic tale of A STAR IS BORN (famous big-time star meets young starlet, promotes her and she overtakes his popularity, leaving him to wallow in self-destruction and depression), THE COUNTRY GIRL follows this where drunken has-been Bing is sought out by a young lion William 'the Producer' Holden and wants put Bing into a glory-filled comeback film. And of course Holden meets Drunken Has-Been's downtrodden wife.
in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990), a career-long glam woman Shirley MacLaine appears in a hospital bed, sans wigs, make-up and even 'make-down' colorings because she's supposedly dying. It is a SHOCKING on-screen revelation. I was taken aback by Shirley's willingness to appear so 'bare'. Bereft. Even UGLY. Wow. In her interviews, she blamed Grace for this "50-year-old idea" for MacLaine. "If she can do it - in her most glamorous, most beautiful age - what about me?"
And in COUNTRY GIRL, it's not so much that un-glam'd, dowdy Grace appearance - it's her behavior. Like a beaten dog, flinching at every hint of a cussing-out tone from drunken has-been Bing. (And, sadly, Bing in real life had some experience of berating his family.) But we are treated to this performance by one of Hollywood's most beautiful stars suffering and flinching and denying the whole ordeal to William Holden. It is an Oscar-winning performance (I think "supporting actress" since she was not a central character - Bing and Wm Holden are).
Grace's career was relatively short-lived (giving up Hollywood to become Monaco's Princess - not Queen), starting in episode TV in 1950, a small role in the excellent 14 HOURS (1951, Richard Basehart thinks about a ledge-bound suicide scene for - you guessed it - 14 hours). Then she was handed her first plum role, married to a much older (and far more famous) Gary Cooper in 1952's HIGH NOON. The next year, she's sent off to Africa to charm big-game-hunter-tour-guide Clark Gable in MOGAMBO. Then she did 4 powerful films in 1954 - DIAL 'M' FOR MURDER (Hitchcock), REAR WINDOW (Hitch), THE COUNTRY GIRL (dir by old school George Seaton), and finally the lackluster BRIDGES OF TOKO-RI (with Wm Holden again). Holden had been known as The Golden Boy for at least 10 years by this time, the handsome 2nd Generation of Gary Grant wannabe's (or at least the studios wanted their own younger Cary Grants), so pairings with William Holden were coveted by most all actresses and filmmakers.
The next year (1955), Hitch called again and this time, they used The Real Thing - Cary Grant - in one of my favorite rewatchables - TO CATCH A THIEF which offers diamond necklaces in Cary's hand and fireworks out the hotel window. Also, some Monaco driving scenes, too.
Oooh, I mention MOGAMBO a few times but I often confuse that with a similiarly-but-more-vicious THE MACOMBER AFFAIR (1947) because younger safari stud Gregory Peck plays the handsome man in a soon-to-be-fatal triangle. In MACOMBER, it's a very unhappy wife willing to fataly mis-shoot her disappointing husband and then attempting to blackmail safari-leader Peck into being her alibi - "It's an accident! It could happen to anyone!" Poor hubby... wives - don't let hubbies see THIS film. EVER. Or 1981's BODY HEAT. Men - you should see both films in your teens to learn a thing or two about life in the wild-!
Great !! You just did Rope, and now Rear Window. Keep the classics coming.
Two more coming soon! 😊
The camera never left the apartment.
Until Jeff did, briefly, at the climax.
It did leave the room for a very short moment, after Jeff fell out the window.
But you're right, for the rest of the movie it was seemingly shot from within the apartment.
I didn't notice that, thanks for pointing it out 😉👍
Raymond Burr (Thorwald) had two big television successes as the defense attorney on _Perry Mason_ and the wheelchair-bound police chief on _Ironside._
He spent most of the '40s and '50s movies as a vicious bad guy - the kind that canes little kids and splashed oil on someone before setting them on fire. I can understand why he was shipped off to Tokyo to mutate 1954's GOJIRA into the 1956 Americanized version of GODZILLA. He was NOT a nice guy in movies-!
@@Cbcw76 True.
Miss Lonelyhearts was not her actual name. The term comes from a novella of the same name by Nathanael West, published in 1933. West's novel, The Day of the Locust, is one the best ever written about Hollywood.
I see, so it was a reference to the novella.
@@henryellow To the character, yes.
@@henryellow He nicknamed the neighbors--Miss Lonelyhearts for the lonely lady; Miss Torso for the dancer.
For Hitchcock movies, you really need to pay attention to the first few minutes. He will put in an establishing shot that sets up an important thing that has an impact on the remainder of the film. In this movie, there is a shot of a thermometer, which is only on screen for a few seconds. It establishes that the city is going through a heat wave with temperatures in the 90's. During this time period, air conditioning was not found in a lot of apartments (heck, even in the 1990's in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, where temperatures regularly get into the 100 degree range during the summer, you would be lucky to find a single wall air conditioning unit for a bedroom). So, you can imagine that with a brick apartment building, the temperature would be hotter inside an apartment than outside. That is why people were sleeping on the fire escape.
For "North By Northwest", the important establishing shot happens in the first few minutes, but if you talk through it or aren't paying close attention, you will miss it. Very few reactors that I have seen react to that movie actually pay close enough attention to catch it (just like the thermometer in this one).
I "saw" the thermometer, but my brain didn't process it on the first watch 😂
I noticed it during editing though, and then I understood. You're right, it's very important to pay attention during a Hitchcock movie 👍🏻
@@henryellow Another thing to look for is the Hitchcock cameo. Sometimes he will just be in a photograph the characters look at.
CKent makes a powerful point that almost all audiences can't fathom or digest: Hitch's opening scenes often give an easily overlooked detail for the mystery's solution later on. But because it's an opening scene with soooo many reference points - none of which have any more importance than others - audiences often need rewatchings to pick those out. IF a filmmaker wants to ensure repeat rewatchings, they would all do this. Some producers - like the James Bond films - use an opening shock-of-action 5 minutes to ensnare the audience's attention. Hitch did some of that but he rewarded 2nd- and 3rd-ticket buyers will debating points as rewards - "Didn't you catch that in the opening moments?" "No... I'll go back and see it again." Of course, tix for $1 or $2 at the time, too.
Next best Hitchcock is North by Northwet. Est Hitchcock IMO
N by NW is a lot of fun, Hitch's deliberately most mainstream film, with one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history and often cited as the prototype for the James Bond films of yesterday and today.
I'll be watching it soon 😉👍
@@flarrfan The 39 Steps is often seen as a precursor to NBN, and I like the casting in it.
I just realized that's not on my list. I'll add The 39 Steps too~ 😊
It is a fun mystery film. It moves along at a pretty entertaining pace.
And none of the remakes even come close.
I think the word you were seeking was compromise. What guy would not compromise for Grace Kelly's character. Intelligent. Rich. Doting. Attractive. She was the total package.
People often slept on the fire escapes in summer because it was cooler.
Good review.
I wasn't aware there were remakes, but I'm glad I watched this original one 👍
Hmm yes, the word was right at the tip of my tongue. I knew it was "something" 😉
Absolutely, "any man with half a brain who can get one eye open" would be willing to compromise for Lisa Fremont. I believe Jeff also felt that Lisa was too good for him, and he would hold her back.
Thanks, hope you enjoyed it! 😊
@@henryellow One of the remakes starred Christopher Reeve, former Superman (also check him out in _Deathtrap_ and _Somewhere in Time),_ whose fall from a horse left him a paraplegic.
@@henryellow Indeed, as a 'wildlife photographer', Jeff understood the wilderness lifestyle might not fit well into Lisa's future. Just the year before, 1953's MOGAMBO explored a bad foreshadowing where Clark Gable is on a safari with both young and beautiful Grace AND with the slightly older brunette temptress Ava Gardner. That story amply supported Jeff's fears of Grace-in-the-Wild. ahem.
One thing that makes this movie work so well is how people in a movie audience are stuck in a seat where Hitchcock once said an audience in a suspenseful moment can't jump into the movie screen and save the day and Jeff is stuck in a chair watching little movies through window frames like a film learning about their characters and what results so Rear Window really has a meta quality about it. It's very subtle but quite deliberate. The only other early films I can think of that toy with sort of reflexive strategy are Buster Keaton's silent classic SHERLOCK JR., Stanley Donen's and Gene Kelly's SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and later on Woody Allen's THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO although those films are really all about movies in movies.
Hmm, perhaps I'll add those to my list too.
Thanks for sharing! 😊
A decent film which fits Jimmy Stewart very well. But it's very overrated on TH-cam, the villain isn't very interesting.
For a more interesting character dynamic watch Shadow of a Doubt.
That's your opinion. Most would say they're both excellent.
@@glennwisniewski9536 Look at the difference on TH-cam, Rear Window has been reacted to a zillion times, I don't watch reactions to it anymore.
The villain isn't supposed to be interesting. I don't think he's supposed to be the villain, in a way. He isn't the point. He's just some guy, and in the end, he is a cornered animal who feels harassed by Jeff. But the characters watching are the point. How they watch the people across the way reveals more about them.
I can see why he wouldn't want to give up the kind of assignments he does for doing studio portraits.
Compromise?
If she were ordinary, she wouldn't want to travel around the world with a camera bum. She'll probably end up taking better pictures than he does. ;)