... and if you ever want to introduce somebody to Hitchcock start here. Highly regarded and often spoofed, Hitchcock's ultimate "cabin-fever" thriller still knocks down imitators almost 70 years after its release.
James Stewart is a photojournalist injured in the line of duty and holed-up in his studio apartment with a crippling leg break. Wheelchair-bound and longing to return to his previous adventure life, he spends his days and (hot summer nights) spying on the occupants of the apartments in his New York City alley courtyard, and manages to eye (via telephoto lens) mysterious neighbor Raymond Burr possibly committing (and cleaning-up after) the murder of his invalid wife. Stewart's haunting convictions about what he believes he saw, clash with the romantic agenda of long-suffering glamorous girlfriend Grace Kelly, who wants nothing more than to lure Stewart into a boring life in polite society, forcing him to give up his dangerous and inquisitive nature to settle down and start a family. A film full of suspense, sexy innuendo, a fabulous Franz Waxman score (be it partially recycled from some of his older films), and enough haute-couture Kelly threads to keep the pages of a vintage Vogue fully-dressed, this is essential viewing due to its timeless statement about voyeurism and suspicion - that what you think you know about your neighbors may or may not be stranger than what is actually going on behind closed doors.
Of course the most unbelievable thing in the entire plot to a modern viewer is an insurance company nurse who makes house calls, does massages, and cooks breakfast in the person of wise cracking Thelma Ritter, but I digress. Highly recommended.
James Stewart is a photojournalist injured in the line of duty and holed-up in his studio apartment with a crippling leg break. Wheelchair-bound and longing to return to his previous adventure life, he spends his days and (hot summer nights) spying on the occupants of the apartments in his New York City alley courtyard, and manages to eye (via telephoto lens) mysterious neighbor Raymond Burr possibly committing (and cleaning-up after) the murder of his invalid wife. Stewart's haunting convictions about what he believes he saw, clash with the romantic agenda of long-suffering glamorous girlfriend Grace Kelly, who wants nothing more than to lure Stewart into a boring life in polite society, forcing him to give up his dangerous and inquisitive nature to settle down and start a family. A film full of suspense, sexy innuendo, a fabulous Franz Waxman score (be it partially recycled from some of his older films), and enough haute-couture Kelly threads to keep the pages of a vintage Vogue fully-dressed, this is essential viewing due to its timeless statement about voyeurism and suspicion - that what you think you know about your neighbors may or may not be stranger than what is actually going on behind closed doors.
Of course the most unbelievable thing in the entire plot to a modern viewer is an insurance company nurse who makes house calls, does massages, and cooks breakfast in the person of wise cracking Thelma Ritter, but I digress. Highly recommended.