Through the Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock made an inspirational body of work spanning many decades. In our latest video, Through The Rear Window, we explore not only the tremendously impressive, built-from-scratch film set and its innumerable details but also some of the more nuanced details and subtle themes that make this film one of our favorites.

0:00 Introduction/Through the Rear Window
1:10 Visual Inspiration
2:23 The Set
4:36 Characters
8:55 Themes
14:07 Editing and Cinematography
_______________________________________________________

FOLLOW US :
_______________________________________________________

MUSIC:
- E's Jammy Jams : Nighttime Stroll
- Esther Abrami : No. 7 Alone With My Thoughts
- Kevin MacLeod : I Knew A Guy
- TrackTribe : A Night Alone
_______________________________________________________

Allen, Woody. Manhattan Murder Mystery. TriStar Pictures and Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, 1993.

Brower, Sue. "Channeling Rear Window". Journal Of Popular Film And Television, vol 44, no. 2, 2016, pp. 89-98.

Hitchcock, Alfred. Rear Window. Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions, 1954.

Jackson, Peter. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. New Line Cinema, WingNut Films and The Saul Zaentz Company, 2002.

Jacobs, Steven. “Architecture of the Gaze: Jeffries Apartment & Courtyard.” Toward a New Interior : an Anthology of Interior Design Theory. ... New York, NY, USA: Princeton Architectural Press, 2011. 546–558.

Scott, Ridley. Apple Mac: 1984. Fairbanks - Film, RSA Films and TBWA/CHIAT/DAY, 1984.

Spielberg, Steven. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

All works appearing are the property of their respective owners.

[rolux]

I just love this movie so much!

No other movie I’ve ever scene has created such a “cozy” environment while being about a murder!
I love watching rear window late at night when I’m already a bit sleepy.
I don’t know why, but it feels like my mind is under a warm blanket, the epitome of comfortable.

Just looking in that backyard full of lovely little details gives me that feeling.
It’s like a perfect cozy world, something that only films from that era are capable of displaying.

I don’t know why and what it is, but I love it.

I will always remember watching that movie the first time and how it made me feel so embraced by comfort.
It was around 2 pm at night, my wife was sleeping besides me in our super comfortable bed and I felt like a good old movie I haven’t seen yet.

That’s how I discovered Rear Window and I love recreating the cozy feeling of watching it the first time!

[fbueller]

This is so great! ‘Rear Window’ is my favorite film and I learned so much from this.

[Ryglado]

After watching Vertigo on 4k last night, it took me down a YouTube rabbit hole and finding this great video on Rear Window. Lots of great detail here - the construction of the set was insane. I think I’ll take Rear Window for a spin tonight.

[BigDave]

I love this movie, so far I've watched 10 Hitchcock films, and I've seen Psycho and this film beats Psycho for me, I'm wondering if this will be my #1 Hitchcock film.

[timknight]

Good stuff! It always amazes me how much thought and work goes into the simplest (seeming) shots. True artists!

[pbziegler]

The first clip is from Strangers on a Train, not Shadow of a Doubt. Just for the record

[keith]

Shot at Paramount Studios I believe. This is a great movie but I always wondered. After living in the U.K in the 50's up through the mid 60s I became very familiar with British built cars, of which brings me to my point. You are obviously in America in this movie & yet when I spy a vehicle passing by down that narrow alleyway I see mainly British cars. They are either of the Consul or of the Zephyr MK1 models that were built by the Ford Motor Co. of England. I kind of found that aspect rather strange. Thought I'd just point that little oddity out.

[Oldag]

The "songwriter" in the apartment to the right in Hal's view was actually Dave Seville*** -- of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" fame. Simon? Theodore?

*** Ross Bagdasarian

[icrichton]

great video, I get it now and I appreciate the film so much more.

[savannahs]

Awesome video! Would love to see more Hitchock.

[CheckComedy]

Very informative! Great video as always 👏🏻

[poetcomic]

Concise and mercifully accurate review . Raymond Burr was chosen for his ominous bulk and directed by Hitchcock to move with a ponderous simplicity, inexpressive face and even walk in such a way that it effected us even across the courtyard. Burr himself was an erudite.and gentle gay man.

[chumcool]

13:43 Dig up the dog? That's not what was happening.

[lodb]

One of my favorite films. How could you not marry Grace Kelly?

[debbieking]

Good day boys and girls, if anyone is interested, 3 of the players in Rear Window, went on to be in episodes of PERRY MASON. Frank Cady. the owner of the little dog, Jesslyn Fax, Miss Hearing Aid, and of course the wonderful WENDELL COREY, as the policeman.😊

[gridley]

The mannered look (obviously no glass on the windows of the songwriter's apt) of a soundstage set of the distant past gives a melancholy 1950's glow to a re-creation of NYC. I like the city as it was idealized in Rear Window. I feel the same way by how Hitchcock portrayed SF/Northern Calif in The Birds or Vertigo. Part of that is also due to the old-timey quality of decades ago too. But I know a moviegoer who doesn't like that style of filmmaking. He instead prefers hip-real cinema verite, which is now also way too much CGI too. Today is much slicker, but also less charming.

[andilencapai]

I was thinking 🤔 about the theme....could it be interpreted that through technological advancements, we live through our smartphones and with ongoing social media participation and our ongoing use of the very same social media platforms, we in turn are the product in the end....

[paulsangiorgio]

Maybe this playlist i speak of is outdated is is supposed to be privated, but i thought the teaser playlist of videos was a very nice bit of audience engagement. I wonder why the videos are privated...we can’t see them anymore y’know.

[JT-rxeo]

Really great analysis. I learned some new things and new perspectives. I didn't realize the tenant down there was named miss hearing aid.
One thing though....the narrator defined voyeurism, which clarified that voyeur is not what the character Jefferies was. There was no sexual component in his motivation to watch.

[PrincessMadeira]

Please do Vertigo and talk about the makeover scene