1954 thrillerRating: 19/20 (Jen: 17/20)
Plot: A magazine photographer named Jimmy Stewart is cooped up in his apartment because he broke his leg jumping off a bridge to save an angel in another movie. With lots of time on his hands and nothing else to do, he sits in his wheelchair and spies on the neighbors across the courtyard. He also tries to figure out whether his girlfriend, a stylish socialite, is somebody he should marry. With one week to go before the cast comes off, he notices one neighbor acting very suspiciously and begins to suspect that there's been foul play. He gets help from his girlfriend, his nurse, and a detective pal.
Is there another movie where we get to see Jimmy Stewart's nipples? My favorite things about this movie--Miss Torso and the cigarette burning in darkness of Thorwald's apartment. My least favorite things about this movie--the flashbulb thing at the end and the fact that Jimmy Stewart's nipples are only displayed twice. I really like how the little stories in each of the windows unfold and how each seems to represent a different part of the protagonist's psyche--lust, fear, desires, creativity, hunger. I'll have to think about that more, but those little stories seem to characterize Stewart's character as much as his actions and words do. One of Hitchcock's best.
Maybe I should change the name of this blog from 365 Movies to Jimmy Stewart's Nipples.
Maybe Hitchcock's best, but it faces pretty stiff competition. Grace Kelly might be the most attractive woman in movie history and even Charlie Stewart does a great job. I never thought of the neighbors as facets of his psyche, but it is a very interesting idea. You're either very perceptive or full of it. A 19.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I'm full of it. And that's probably the case here.
ReplyDelete