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James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr ... see more see more... , Judith Evelyn , Georgine Darcy , Sara Berner , Frank Cady , Rand Harper , Jesslyn Fax , Irene Winston , Havis Davenport , Bennie Bartlett , Iphigenie Castiglioni , Kathryn Grant , Marla English , Bess Flowers , Fred Graham , Len Hendry , Harry Landers , Alan Lee , Mike Mahoney , Eddie Parker , Ralph Smiley , Anthony Warde , James Cornell , Jerry Antes , Ross Bagdasarian Sr. , Dick Simmons

Laid up with a broken leg, photojournalist L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to his tiny, sweltering courtyard apartment. To pass the time between visits from his nurse (Thelma Ritter) and his... read more read more... fashion model girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly), the binocular-wielding Jeffries stares through the rear window of his apartment at the goings-on in the other apartments around his courtyard. As he watches his neighbors, he assigns them such roles and character names as "Miss Torso" (Georgine Darcy), a professional dancer with a healthy social life or "Miss Lonelyhearts" (Judith Evelyn), a middle-aged woman who entertains nonexistent gentlemen callers. Of particular interest is seemingly mild-mannered travelling salesman Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), who is saddled with a nagging, invalid wife. One afternoon, Thorwald pulls down his window shade, and his wife's incessant bray comes to a sudden halt. Out of boredom, Jeffries casually concocts a scenario in which Thorwald has murdered his wife and disposed of the body in gruesome fashion. Trouble is, Jeffries' musings just might happen to be the truth. One of Alfred Hitchcock's very best efforts, Rear Window is a crackling suspense film that also ranks with Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) as one of the movies' most trenchant dissections of voyeurism. As in most Hitchcock films, the protagonist is a seemingly ordinary man who gets himself in trouble for his secret desires. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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95% liked it

122,656 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

62 critics

PG, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: September 1, 1954

Keywords: suspense, suspenseful, old

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DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001

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Stats: 9,385 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (9,385)

  • paulkoh110
    May 16, 2012
    paulkoh110
    A masterpiece in cinema. I loved every frame and the auteurism shown by Hitchcock will make any film maker jealous. Amazing piece of film!
  • FiLmCrAzY
    March 30, 2012
    FiLmCrAzY
    I love Alfred Hitchcock he is a great director and makes really good movies, although this isnt my most favourite Hitchcock movie, it is still iconic and very uniquely impressive!
    Its suspenseful and seat gripping! A fan of Hitchcock then you'll love this movie!
  • ironclad1609
    December 7, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Classic Hitchcock thriller about a man with too much time on his hands, peeping at the neighborhood through his rear window. The film cleverly makes the audience his accomplice, sticking mostly to his point of view, with the adorable backyard making a very limited but special set... read moreting. The film takes its time introducing the protagonist, his views on marriage and the world and the people he is looking at. But once things get more interesting the movie defines the excitement of having to witness something without being able to interfere. It's fun to see how the film plays with the audience's suspicions, expectations and the peeping tom in all of us. For its time that was an outstanding and unique film, that feels dated now but still has its perks.
  • fb1664868775
    November 13, 2011
    fb1664868775
    As close to "a perfect film" as you can get. In Hitchcock's greatest effort, everything comes together. Spectacular set design, amazing performances and ofcourse Hitchcock's trademark pitch perfect suspense.
  • fb100002384654145
    October 31, 2011
    fb100002384654145
    A suspenseful yet very fun masterpiece. James Stewart gives a very charismatic performance.
  • fb729949618
    August 1, 2011
    fb729949618
    If you are a person who won't view an "old" movie, think again! Trust me this movie is just as exciting as anything made today. Hitchcock is truly a genius, no joke.
  • spielberg00
    June 14, 2011
    spielberg00
    Hard to sit through.
  • thmtsang
    February 12, 2011
    thmtsang
    Classic Alfred Hitchcock. A housebound photographer suspects his neighbour of murdering his neighbour's wife. Stars James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It reminds me of What Lies Beneath and Disturbia.
  • jamers2011
    January 5, 2011
    jamers2011
    For my first Hitchcock film ever, I was very pleased. A classic film that upholds its reputation as one of the best. It's such a great thriller, not only through the main story, but also the small stories of all the neighbors as well. I love all the characters and their developme... read morent. Brilliant! I also loved the romance, very memorable, it gives more depth to the film. James Stewart gives a very layed back performance. He's very real, and believable. Grace Kelly is simply stunning and beautiful!
    Great film! So glad I finally got to watch it.
  • ajv2688
    November 8, 2010
    ajv2688
    Another fantastic thriller from Hitchcock. It's really a must see movie whether or not you're a fan of his. If you like thrillers you need to see this movie.

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Critic Reviews

Michael Sragow
March 5, 2012
Michael Sragow, New Yorker

It's one of Alfred Hitchcock's inspired audience-participation films: watching it, you feel titillated, horrified, and, ultimately, purged. Full Review

April 20, 2009
TIME Magazine

Just possibly the second most entertaining picture (after The 39 Steps) ever made by Alfred Hitchcock. Full Review

Jeff Millar
July 21, 2005
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

The deliciousness of watching the film as it's intended to be seen is that the big screen gives Rear Window back its claustrophobia. Full Review

Glenn Lovell
May 28, 2004
Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News

Don't resist the urge -- steal a peek at it now, and be reminded why Hitchcock is still without equal in the clammy thrills department.

Lisa Schwarzbaum
January 1, 2000
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Masterpiece of voyeurism. Full Review

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Belatedly, I'm nominating a film from 1954 as the best picture of 2000. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

One of the finest ever committed to celluloid! Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

In an impressive oeuvre, Rear Window is arguably the most exquisitely handcrafted feature, because Hitchcock mastered the spatial as well as behavioral coordinates of his chosen universe inch by inch. Full Review

Vincent Canby
January 1, 2000
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Its appeal, which goes beyond that of other, equally masterly Hitchcock works, remains undiminished. Full Review

J. Hoberman
January 1, 2000
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Restored to its original Technicolor grandeur! Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Stella the nurse: I can hear you now, 'Get out of my life, you wonderful woman. You're too good for me.'
    • Lisa Carol Fremont: Why would Thorwald want to kill a little dog? Because it knew too much?
    • Lisa Carol Fremont: Where does a man get inspiration to write a song like that?
    • L.B. Jeffries (Jeff): He gets it from the landlady once a month.
    • Stella the nurse: Intelligence. Nothing has caused the human race so much trouble as intelligence.
    • Lisa Carol Fremont: A murderer would never parade his crime in front of an open window.
    • Stella the nurse: Oh, no thanks - I don't want any part of her.
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Rear Window Trivia

  • Who directed Rear Window and Vertigo?  Answer »
  • Name the three Alfred Hitchcock movies that James Stewart has starred in.  Answer »
  • A short paunchy man directed Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, Rear Window, Man Who Knew Too Much. Name him.  Answer »
  • Who directed Rear Window and Vertigo?  Answer »
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