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Rear Window
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Wednesday, October 25, 7 pm

“Of all Hitchcock’s films, this in the one which most reveals the man.” —Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Rear Window is an intriguing, brilliant, macabre visual study of obsessive human curiosity and voyeurism. It was made entirely on one confined set built at Paramount Studios—a realistic courtyard composed of 32 apartments—providing the perfect vantage point for tenant L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries (James Stewart) to keep tabs on everyone through his “rear window.” Shot from the vantage point of Jeffries’ apartment, the viewer shares in his voyeuristic surveillance.

Jeffries, a magazine photographer who is confined to a wheelchair while recuperating in his Greenwich Village apartment struggles to overcome his noncommittal feelings and reluctance to get married to his high-fashion model fiancée-girlfriend (the resplendent Grace Kelly). When Jeffries’ peeping may have witnessed murder, all hell breaks loose.

This film—one of Hitchcock’s greatest thrillers, especially in its final twenty minutes, received four Academy Award nominations: Best Director, Best Screenplay (John Michael Hayes), Best Color Cinematography (Robert Burks), and Best Sound Recording. 1954, U.S., DCP, 112 minutes. Rated PG.

James Katz: Preserving Hitchcock

The former President and Founder of the Universal Pictures Classics Division, James Katz made a monumental impact on film history through his preservation and re-release of five Alfred Hitchcock’s films in the early 1980s. The success of these films led to other monumental restorations such as Spartacus, My Fair Lady, and Lawrence of Arabia. His efforts in preserving film history included the production of oral histories that were eventually included in home video releases providing the first opportunities for viewers to have access to media literacy in addition to viewing landmarks in the history of cinema.

Katz now lives part-time in Kentucky and will share his wealth of knowledge in two post-screening discussions.