Rear Window

In New York City, Jeff, a professional photographer, is stuck in his apartment recovering from a broken leg. To pass the time, he has been looking out of his rear window, spying on his neighbors. He observes them and is immersed in their personal drama by looking into their apartments. He watches “Miss Torso” who is a ballet dancer; “Miss Lonelyhearts” is a single woman in her late thirties; a music composer who lives in the studio apartment; a pair of newlyweds and a nosey woman. However, he is most interested in Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald. Lars Thorwald is a salesman with a controlling wife stuck in bed. Jeff’s girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, is rich New York City socialite. Lisa wants to marry Jeff and travel the world with him for his photography job. However, Jeff believes that they are from two separate lives and that their relationship would not work. One night, Jeff hears a scream and the sound of glass breaking. He soon falls asleep and when he wakes up early in the morning, he sees Lars Thorwald leaving his apartment several times with a briefcase. The next morning, Jeff notices that Mrs. Thorwald is nowhere to be seen. Later, he sees Mr. Thorwald with a knife, handsaw, and a large trunk. His suspicions grow as Lars Thorwald continues to act like a murderer. He decides to tell Stella, the insurance company nurse, who comes daily to massage Jeff’s legs and she becomes invested in the mystery of Lars Thorwald. Jeff also tells Lisa and she eventually believes him. He tells Tom Doyle, his friend, who is a police detective. Doyle finds no evidence that shows that Lars murdered his wife, so he isn’t convinced that it happened. Doyle discovers that Mrs. Thorwald is in another town with lots of evidence showing that she is alive. When one of the neighbor’s dogs is found dead, everyone but Thorwald is seen outside trying to see what happened. Jeff sends Lisa to put a note, saying that they know that Mr. Thorwald killed his wife, under his apartment door. He calls Thorwald to distract him while Lisa and Stella investigate the flower beds that seem to have shrunk. Unexpectedly, Lisa takes a risk and she sneaks into Thorwald’s apartment to find evidence. Before Thorwald and the police come, Lisa finds Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring. Jeff calls Doyle to tell him what happened and sends Stella to get help for Lisa. Thorwald comes over to Jeff’s apartment, now aware of who has been threatening him. Using flashbulbs, Jeff temporarily blinds Thorwald when he attacks him. Jeff is thrown out of the rear window and the police catch him. Thorwald confesses to the murder, and the film ends with Jeff having two broken legs with Lisa reading next to him.

James Stewart as L.B. Jefferies ‘Jeff’

L.B. Jefferies is a talented and famous photographer for various magazines. He travels the world in harsh conditions, sometimes going days without proper hygiene. His complete opposite Lisa Fremont, a wealthy, kind, and carefree socialite, falls in love with him. They are dating when the movie starts, and Jeff slowly wonders if they are a good match. He is not willing to work as a fashion photographer in New York City, while she is not willing to travel the world with him for his desired jobs. He thinks that they come from two different worlds and their relationship just can’t work. Because he gets hurt during his photography job, his whole leg is in a cast which leads him to cope by spying on his neighbors through his rear window. He becomes increasingly paranoid about Lars Thorwald, who Jeff believes, killed his wife named Mrs. Thorwald. Jeff and Lisa work as a team to gather evidence and turn him in. In the end, Jeff has two casts on both of his legs, due to falling from his apartment, and he smiles in his sleep with Lisa reading next to him.

Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont

Lisa Fremont is a rich and caring socialite who is completely in love with L. B. Jefferies. She wants to travel the world with him and throw away her life in New York, where she works at a fashion magazine. She slowly grows an interest in Lars Thorwald as Jeff explains his suspicions to her. To turn Mr. Thorwald into the police, Lisa makes a big risk and she climbs into the Thorwalds’ apartment to get evidence. Motivated by the rush of adrenaline, Lisa illegally investigates. She saves Jeff by bringing the police and they capture Lars Thorwald. The last scene is Jeff sleeping soundly with Lisa reading an adventure book next to him. However, when she sees that Jeff fell asleep, she exchanges her book for a fashion magazine.