Rear Window (1954)
A glimpse of what visual storytelling is all about.
Presentation:
Alfred Hitchcock utilizes a novel premise that creates the foundation for future voyeuristic films like Disturbia. There is true magic in the simplicity of the cinematography for this plot of a man witnessing a crime through the window. The story was meant to be presented through the use of zoom lenses emulating the curious peeking through binoculars. A film like this could never go out of style because it’s one of the earliest films to truly implement visual storytelling in an age of dialogue motivated cinematography. Captivatingly presented.
Conclusion:
This is one of Hitchcock’s most important films, which I think doesn’t get enough credit. People will cite Vertigo as his masterpiece, which I’m not emphatically against, but this film has so much influence and you can see its DNA in future thrillers. It’s impossible not to like this film if you enjoy cinema as it’s a visual narrative in its purest form. Us watching someone else watching is so meta especially for 1954. It’s why we love cinema, we enjoy watching people and this film unknowingly captures the essence of human curiosity of motion pictures. Even if you dislike the dialogue of older films, it’s the story that will keep you hooked. This will always be relevant, this is cinema.
Recommendations
A war thriller at the peak of the French wave.