Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock titillates the voyeur in all of us

Comments (0) By Olivia Flores Alvarez Thursday, Feb 4 2010

Viewers have to remember Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window was made in 1954. It helps explain ice princess Grace Kelly's pre-Gloria Steinem brand of feminism. Kelly plays Lisa, girlfriend to Jeff (Jimmy Stewart). Jeff's got a broken leg, so he's confined to his apartment. He spends his days napping and watching the neighbors. When he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors committed murder, Lisa jumps in to help him prove it. Kelly's Lisa is a mix of assertive and coy, modern and traditional. She bravely breaks into the suspect's apartment to retrieve possible evidence, but she does it in a flowing, full-skirted after-five dress and pearls. She invites herself to spend the night with Jeff, but later pointedly ignores his claim that he isn't interested in marriage.

More About

Rear Window is considered one of Hitchcock's best, not only because of its stellar cast (along with Kelly and Stewart, Thelma Ritter plays Jeff's no-nonsense nurse and a young Raymond Burr is the suspect), but because all of the action is set in Jeff's claustrophobic one-room apartment and the courtyard just outside his rear window. 11:55 p.m. Friday and Saturday. River Oaks Theatre, 2009 West Gray. For information, call 713-866-8881 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com. $6.50 to $9.50.
Fri., Feb. 5, 11:55 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 6, 11:55 p.m., 2010