Rear Window ****

"That's no ordinary look. That's the kind of a look a man gives when he's afraid somebody might be watching him."

-L.B. Jeffries

When L.B. Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart) is laid up in his apartment with a broken leg, he gets to looking out of his window. As he observes, he begins to suspect a neighbor of murder, but cannot prove it. The film is an exploration of "rear window ethics". Says Jeffries, "I wonder if it is ethical to watch a man with binoculars and a long-focus lens. Do you, do you suppose it's ethical even if you prove that he didn't commit a crime?"

This film is remarkable in the fact that it is entirely filmed within Jeffries' apartment. It is not so much a credit to the brilliance of director Alfred Hitchcock that the movie was filmed from Jeffries' vantage point, but instead that the film is never dull. Instead, the incredibly complex apartment building courtyard is framed both by the apartment window and cinematographer Robert Burk's camera.

Rear Window is an incredibly complex film. Many essays can and have been written on this film. Every time you watch it you will find something new or make a new association. I could explore this film much more, but in the interest of your time I will merely encourage and hopefully, entice you into seeing this film. This is more than a **** film: it is a great film, one that can be chewed on and digested.