Sunday, October 14, 2007

Rear Window (1954)

Okay, Anastasia, I watched it. It wasn't that scary! You didn't explain that it was all about a man who seems to have already killed his wife! I thought I was going to spend the whole movie worrying that he was going to kill his wife. But when I watched it last weekend I was only worried that people were going to think Jimmy Stewart was an idiot!

Who knew I cared so much about Jimmy Stewart?

Here is what I love about this movie:

1. The set and the shot that pans across it!

In one long shot you see tons of these little scenes in people's windows! Genius!

2. Grace Kelly's outfits

Mandy Moore is quoted in this month's issue of "Lucky" magazine saying she would like to recreate every one of these outfits - I'm all for it! I was all for this after "Lady in the Lake"! Let's do it, Mandy!

3. A good mystery
There's no picture of clues leading to a conclusion, but it's fun to put clues together...who doesn't like clues?

4. Movie-based-on-a-play
I know this had to have been based on a play - how do I know it? There are four total characters and all the foreground action takes place in one room and all the other action is described in the dialogue - it's a play! Good plays make great movies because the dialog and the characters and the plot have to be strong because there is no music, no scenery, no movie stars, no close-ups and no fast cuts to take your mind off of the script.

Five stars. Will definitely watch again.
In other words, you were right, Anastasia - and Margo. Both of you were right.
Damn it.

2 comments:

Kevin Fiorenzo said...

It wasn't based on a play, it was adapted from a short story written by Cornell Woolrich. Even though its all based from Jimmy Stewart's apartment, it couldn't really work as a play because all the action isn't staged in his apartment. So much of it is us seeing what's going on across the courtyard and that seems to large scale for a play.

Kevin Fiorenzo said...

It wasn't based on a play, it was adapted from a short story written by Cornell Woolrich. Even though its all based from Jimmy Stewart's apartment, it couldn't really work as a play because all the action isn't staged in his apartment. So much of it is us seeing what's going on across the courtyard and that seems to large scale for a play.