The Director's Series: Alfred Hitchcock, No. 3


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Rear Window (1954)
Starring: Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
About: At a certain period in the height of his career, Hitchcock was the master of setting a scene that helped drive the tension in the story. This film is great in that respect. We have a tight courtyard and a sweltering stretch of summer. You can feel the heat in the air and the semi-claustrophobic way these people are living their lives on top of one another. Into that comes Stewart, a photographer who is bored with a broken leg that prevents him from moving. And we get plunged into a mystery. The tension and the shot composition is beautiful. That's one of the reasons that this film has stood the test of time. I love the craft that's used here and the story is incredibly engaging. Hitchcock was the master of mood and tension, and he brings that to full effect here.

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