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Rear Window
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Rear Window (1954) More at IMDbPro »

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Rear Window (1954) -- A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Rear Window (1954) -- A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 17% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers:
Cornell Woolrich (short story "It Had to Be Murder")
John Michael Hayes (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Rear Window on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 January 1955 (Japan) more
Tagline:
Through his rear window and the eye of his powerful camera he watched a great city tell on itself, expose its cheating ways...and Murder! more
Plot:
A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(26 articles)
May Flowers, Princess Grace of Monaco
 (From FilmExperience. 6 May 2009, 8:00 PM, PDT)

The Ultimate Guide to TCM's 31 Days of Oscar Begins Here
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 31 January 2009, 5:56 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Well of course when you've got nothing better to do with a broken leg you will accuse your neighbor of murder! more

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

James Stewart ... L. B. 'Jeff' Jefferies

Grace Kelly ... Lisa Carol Fremont
Wendell Corey ... Det. Lt. Thomas J. Doyle
Thelma Ritter ... Stella
Raymond Burr ... Lars Thorwald
Judith Evelyn ... Miss Lonelyhearts
Ross Bagdasarian ... Songwriter
Georgine Darcy ... Miss Torso
Sara Berner ... Wife living above Thorwalds
Frank Cady ... Husband living above Thorwalds
Jesslyn Fax ... Sculpting neighbor with hearing aid
Rand Harper ... Newlywed man
Irene Winston ... Mrs. Anna Thorwald
Havis Davenport ... Newlywed woman
Marla English ... Girl at songwriter's party
Kathryn Grant ... Girl at songwriter's party (as Kathryn Grandstaff)
Alan Lee ... Newlyweds' landlord

Anthony Warde ... Detective
Benny Bartlett ... Man with Miss Torso
Fred Graham ... Detective
Harry Landers ... Man with Miss Lonelyheart
Dick Simmons ... Man with Miss Torso
Iphigenie Castiglioni ... Woman with bird
Ralph Smiley ... Carl, waiter from 21
Eddie Parker ... Detective (as Edwin Parker)
Len Hendry ... Policeman
Mike Mahoney ... Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jerry Antes ... Dancer with Miss Torso (uncredited)
Barbara Bailey ... Choreographer with Miss Torso (uncredited)
Nick Borgani ... Minor Role (uncredited)
Sue Casey ... Sunbather (uncredited)
James Cornell ... Minor Role (uncredited)
Don Dunning ... Detective (uncredited)
Bess Flowers ... Songwriter's party guest with poodle (uncredited)
Art Gilmore ... Radio announcer / Trailer narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Alfred Hitchcock ... Man winding clock in songwriter's apartment (uncredited)
Jonni Paris ... Sunbather (uncredited)
Jack Stoney ... Ice Man (uncredited)
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Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock 
 
Writing credits
Cornell Woolrich (short story "It Had to Be Murder")

John Michael Hayes (screenplay)

Produced by
James C. Katz .... producer (1998 restoration)
Alfred Hitchcock .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Franz Waxman 
 
Cinematography by
Robert Burks (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
George Tomasini 
 
Art Direction by
J. McMillan Johnson  (as Joseph MacMillan Johnson)
Hal Pereira 
 
Set Decoration by
Sam Comer 
Ray Moyer 
 
Makeup Department
Wally Westmore .... makeup supervisor
 
Production Management
C.O. Erickson .... unit production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert Coleman .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Dorothea Holt .... illustrator (uncredited)
Gene Lauritzen .... construction coordinator (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
John Cope .... sound recordist
Harry Lindgren .... sound recordist
Harry E. Snodgrass .... sound editor (1998 restoration)
Richard LeGrand Jr. .... supervising sound editor (1998 restoration) (uncredited)
Loren L. Ryder .... sound recording mixer (uncredited)
Samuel Webb .... assistant sound editor: 1998 restoration (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
John P. Fulton .... special photographic effects
 
Visual Effects by
Scott Dougherty .... digital restoration producer: Cinesite (uncredited)
Jerry Pooler .... digital restoration supervisor (uncredited)
Irmin Roberts .... special visual effects (uncredited)
Tiffany Smith .... digital restoration coordinator: Cinesite (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Fred Graham .... stunt detective (uncredited)
Ted Mapes .... stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker .... stunt detective (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
William Schurr .... camera operator (uncredited)
Leonard J. South .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head .... costumes
 
Editorial Department
Steve Johnson .... colorist
Richard Mueller .... color consultant: Technicolor
Jeff Smithwick .... color timer: Technicolor (1998 restoration) (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Ray Evans .... composer: song "Mona Lisa"
 
Other crew
Robert A. Harris .... 1998 reconstruction and restoration
James C. Katz .... film restoration producer: 1998
Bob Landry .... technical advisor
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (USA) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor) (negative) | Color (Technicolor) (prints)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
USA:PG (re-rating) (1983) (cerfiticate no. 27069) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (1983) | Canada:G (Quebec) (1983) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #16938) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Iceland:L | Germany:12 | West Germany:16 (f) | Brazil:12 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1984) | Sweden:15 (original rating) (1955) | New Zealand:PG | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-8 | France:U (2000 re-release) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:16 | South Korea:15 | UK:PG | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film was unavailable for decades because its rights (together with four other pictures of the same period) were bought back by Alfred Hitchcock and left as part of his legacy to his daughter. They've been known for long as the infamous "Five Lost Hitchcocks" among film buffs, and were re-released in theatres around 1984 after a 30-year absence. The others are The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Rope (1948), The Trouble with Harry (1955), and Vertigo (1958). However, prior to the theatrical re-releases in the 1980's, "Rear Window" was televised once, in 1971, on ABC, although the network technically did not have the legal right to do so. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Lisa goes to Jeff's house to celebrate his last week with his cast, she places two candles onto the table next to him, the candles are not lit. A little later in the same scene, Lisa walks into the kitchen, and when she returns, the candles are lit. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Voice on radio: Men, are you over 40? When you wake up in the morning, do you feel tired and rundown? Do you have that listless feeling...
[the camera pans around the courtyard; cut to later in the day]
Jeff: [answering phone] Jefferies.
Gunnison: Congratulations, Jeff!
Jeff: For what?
Gunnison: For getting rid of that cast!
Jeff: Who said I was getting rid of it?
Gunnison: This is Wednesday; seven weeks from the day you broke your leg. Yes or no?
Jeff: Gunnison, how did you ever get to be such a big editor with such a small memory?
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Mimic: Sentinel (2003) (V) more
Soundtrack:
To See You (Is to Love You) more

FAQ

What happened to Miss Lonelyheart in the end?
Where is Hitchcock's cameo in "Rear Window"?
Is "Rear Window" based on a novel?
more
69 out of 94 people found the following comment useful:-
Well of course when you've got nothing better to do with a broken leg you will accuse your neighbor of murder!, 3 December 2005
10/10
Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois

Finally, I watched "Rear Window" by famous Alfred Hitchcock. First off, I saw this movie on the top 250, and it's #14 on top of that! I mean, it's gotta be great or a classic, right? Also, I'm a fan of the Simpsons, and I got the 6th season where Bart breaks his leg and has to watch the kids outside and accuses Flanders of murdering his wife, Maude. I watched it with commentary and the writers said this was taken from the movie "Rear Window", I had to see this movie! I know it sounds silly that I was more inspired by a show, but it's a good reference if it's from The Simpsons.

"Rear Window" is an excellent movie and a great classic that should never be forgotten! After 51 years, this is still a well talked about movie and I can see why. Jimmy Stewart, he's just so great as L.B., I loved his madness and his dark comical role. He doesn't even try, but you can't help but laugh at a lot of his lines, the way he looks, and the way he presents every scene. He didn't have a lot of movement, he is confined to a wheel chair, but he is so effective and perfect. No one could have replaced him as L.B., he's a terrific actor! Grace Kelly, what a beauty! Beauty and talent, what a great combination and she had it. Playing Liza, I loved her character so much. She started out as this extremely feminine lovely woman who is struggling with L.B., because he is having doubts about marrying her, and you can tell she loves him so much and is willing to do anything for him and to make their lives work, despite his adventurous side as a photographer and her being an indoor kitten. When L.B. talks of the murder to Liza, she is doubtful but never dismisses that it could be a possibility, and stays with him into the end. She finally goes into danger and grabs it by the you know what and wins L.B.'s heart.

I loved the ending, to me it was just one more good laugh with L.B. and Liza. I won't tell, you'll just have to trust me, it was a brilliant way to breath and smile again after all the suspense and drama. "Rear Window" is a true classic and I'm extremely grateful to the reviewers of IMDb who saw this movie and gave it great reviews, and the writers of The Simpsons! If it were not for you guys, I nor other members of my generation would probably not view it! Let's keep this classic alive!

10/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Rear Window (1954)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Biggest let down ever miladp18
Grace Kelly hyperchipper
Some of you on this board... BrainGremlin
'Spying on neighbours' - movies warstrikesback
Not a movie I'd watch twice. KingFritzLang
Lisa's job???? suaheli
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