Rear Window - 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital [4K UHD]

"REAR WINDOW" (1954) This is director Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller! Even professional reviewers often fail to realize that a movie's box office success is largely determined by the moviegoer’s subconscious thoughts and feelings rather than objective logical reasons. And promoters of movies and products use subliminal devices to influence consumer response and sales. (For example, I once bought a pair of forest green pants, and later I realized the reason was because they reminded me of the pants worn by the legendary hero Robin Hood in the classic movie!) In Rear Window, the hulk-like Canadian actor Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) portrays the sullen Lars Thorwald. The salesman’s suspected guilt of a hideous murder infuses the movie with an electrifying atmosphere of eerie suspense. And leaving the graphic details of the murder to the imagination of the audience made it infinitely more gruesome. The resulting involuntary chills of terror have been traveling up the spines of moviegoers for decades, and have made this movie a memorable horror classic. The salesman’s ill-fated wife and the unlucky little dog served as props for that purpose. The other inhabitants in the building were mere distractions. But neither the delightful Thelma Ritter nor the universal love for Jimmy Stewart and the Princess of Monaco would be enough to save this film from boredom, were it not for the sinister vibes of Raymond Burr’s malevolent Thorwald. This clearly illustrates how good CASTING can be even more important than good writing, acting, and directing. And if you doubt this, try visualizing Don Knotts as the evil menacing heavy :) And a final bit of trivia…Notice the reference to THOR, the angry Norse god of thunder, hidden in the name of the story’s villain, “Lars Thorwald”. This character’s name added a subliminal aura of the supernatural and alien darkness to the already unsavory salesman.

I was blown away by how great this classic looks on 4K Ultra HD. The picture quality is spectacular, with sharper details and richer contrast that really brings Hitchcock’s legendary sense of suspense to life. The shadows and lighting feel more natural and immersive than previous transfers I’ve seen, which makes every scene more engaging and cinematic. The audio is clean and faithful to the original mix, so the tension builds beautifully without distraction. This edition is a fantastic way to own one of the greatest thrillers ever made, and it’s absolutely worth having in your collection if you love classic cinema or just great filmmaking.

194us Rear window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954, 112') Written by John Michael Hayes (with whom there is a delightful interview in the features of the dvd, and who won a 1955 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture), based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film stars James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. It was screened at the 1954 Venice Film Festival. The film is considered by many filmgoers, critics and scholars to be one of Hitchcock's best. After breaking his leg during a dangerous assignment, professional photographer L B "Jeff" Jeffries (Stewart) is confined in his Greenwich Village apartment, using a wheelchair while he recuperates. His rear window looks out onto a small courtyard and several other apartments. During a summer heat wave, he passes the time by watching his neighbors, who keep their windows open to stay cool. They include a dancer ("Miss Torso", played by Georgine Darcy), a lonely woman ("Miss Lonelyheart"), a songwriter, several married couples, a middle-aged sculptor, and Lars Thorwald (Burr), a wholesale jewelry salesman with a bedridden wife. Jeff discusses his observations with his wealthy socialite girlfriend Lisa Fremont (Kelly) and his insurance company home-care nurse Stella (Ritter), and becomes obsessed with their theory that Thorwald murdered his wife. He explains their theory to his friend Tom Doyle (Corey), a New York City Police detective, who looks into the situation but finds nothing suspicious. A few days later, the heat has lifted. The lonely neighbor woman chats with the songwriter in his apartment, the dancer's lover returns home from the army, the couple whose dog was killed have a new dog, and the newly married couple are bickering. In the last scene of the film, Lisa reclines beside Jeff, appearing to read a book on foreign travel in order to please him, but as soon as he is asleep, she puts the book down and happily opens a fashion magazine. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and is considered one of Hitchcock's finest films. Time called it "just possibly the second most entertaining picture (after The 39 Steps) ever made by Alfred Hitchcock" and a film in which there is "never an instant ... when Director Hitchcock is not in minute and masterly control of his material." The same review did note "occasional studied lapses of taste and, more important, the eerie sense a Hitchcock audience has of reacting in a manner so carefully foreseen as to seem practically foreordained." François Truffaut in the Cahiers du cinéma in 1954 centers on the relationship between Jeff and the other side of the apartment block, seeing it as a symbolic relationship between spectator and screen. Film theorist Mary Ann Doane has made the argument that Jeff, representing the audience, becomes obsessed with the screen, where a collection of storylines are played out. This line of analysis has often followed a feminist approach to interpreting the film. In his book, Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window", John Belton addresses the underlying issues of voyeurism, scopophilia, patriarchy and feminism that are evident in the film. He quotes "Rear Window's story is "about" spectacle; it explores the fascination with looking and the attraction of that which is being looked at." Generally, Belton's book asserts that there is more to Hitchcock's thriller than what initially meets the eye. These issues that society faces today are all more than just present in the film, they are emphasized and strengthened. Hitchcock uses sound to convey the thematic elements behind Jeff's behavior and the audience's relationship to his subjective point of view. The music in Rear Window is entirely diegetic, and therefore every character in the courtyard hears the sound and acts based on what they hear. Hitchcock is less interested in reality than in how reality is perceived. Thus his use of entirely diegetic sound illustrates the idea that what we see as the audience is real. 194us - Rear window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954, 112') -Rare view - 10/10/2012

A guy stuck in his apartment with nowhere to go. What trouble could he get into? I watched this again the other night. Watch Stewart's eyes. His performance is virtually perfect. Grace Kelly looks fantastic and does very well as a spoiled rich girl trying to convince her would be lover that she has the right stuff to fit into his world. Strong supporting roles, an amazing set, and Kelly's wardrobe (that isn't too dated unlike many '50s film that turn attractive women into period stereotypes) make this a joy to watch. The Blue Ray features many extras and a fairly easy to navigate menu.

For my taste, the best of the Hitchcock movies with North by Northwest and Dial M for Murder close seconds. Great cast and outstanding execution. Refreshing to see a great movie without ridiculous computer-generated stunts that defy the laws of physics. 4K blu ray performance is good considering when the film was made. However, this movie doesn't rely as much on stunning visual scenes and plays well in standard def.

This is an classic Hitchcock film with an excellent plot and great casting. I already owned a copy and purchased this for my sister who had injured her knee and was on crutches, along with other leg injury-related items. She enjoyed the package and we will be watching the film together when I visit. It arrived in perfect condition.

DESCRIPTION: When professional photographer L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies (James Stuart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private lives of his neighbors play out across the courtyard. So when he suspects a salesman may have murdered his nagging wife, Jeff enlists the help of Lisa, his beautiful socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to investigate the highly suspicious and intriguing chain of events... Events that ultimately lead to an unforgettable and riveting finale. MY REVIEW: First of all I want to say that the picture quality of this Blu-Ray was superb compared to the original version. Although this was my first time ever viewing the movie, I watched the Theatrical Trailer in the Bonus Features and was amazed by the difference. The movie I watched was clear and vibrant and amazing as opposed to the original which looked washed out in comparison. When it says "Digitally Restored in High Definition" that description is right on the money and I almost had a hard time believing this movie just turned 64 years old! With that being said I have to admit I'm a bit surprised by all the five star reviews. I enjoyed the movie but I didn't love it like most people seemed to. The last thirty minutes or so was definitely the best and is where the action and suspense really pick up. As for Jeff and Lisa, I thought they were both charismatic and witty and that they made a cute couple too. But it was Stella (Jeff's nurse) who I adored and had me laughing out loud a few times. In the end I think this movie has stood up well over the years and am glad I finally got around to watching this classic thriller. NOTE: I really wish Amazon didn't mix up reviews and solely went off of an items ISBN. That's because there are so many different versions, many of which are better than others and often enhance a viewers experience. Each of them also contain varied Bonus Features. This Blu-Ray Edition I bought not only had a Documentary, Interviews, Production Photographs and Trailers, but much more... Below are some facts and information about the movie that I compiled from the back of the case or gathered from other sources. Release Year: 1954 Director: Alfred Hitchcock Running Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes Image: Color (Technicolor) Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense Rating: PG - Parental Guidance Ultraviolet (UV) Copy: Expires 12/31/2018

This is my favorite of Hitchcock's films. The action is confined to Jimmy Stewart's apartment and courtyard, the cast is excellent, and so is the photography. It has the high style of the best of 1950's Hollywood, and even though visual effects can be distractingly bad, they're very brief and infrequent. Grace Kelly is at her pinnacle of class, Raymond Burr is creepy and menacing, and Jimmy Stewart has plenty of room to work his iconic character. Ideally this film should be seen on as large a screen as possible, because so much use is made of the frame, which lingers and travels slowly to allow and direct reveals. It's high on tension and humor, and with the cast often intently looking just off-camera, is also very engaging. It's beautiful.