James Stewart and Grace Kelly in "Rear Window."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter Director: Alfred Hitchcock Rated: PG, with mild violence Length: 114 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Mar. 10, 2000) -- When it was released in 1954, Rear Window prompted a critic to complain that James Stewart's character was nothing but a peeping Tom. Director Alfred Hitchcock responded:

"Sure, he's a snooper, but aren't we all?

"I'll bet you that nine out of 10 people, if they see a woman across the courtyard undressing for bed, or even a man puttering around in his room, will stay and look."

That is the point of this masterpiece: We may not care to admit it, but we've always been a nation of peeping Toms. To prove it, Hitchcock uses this great film to make us voyeurs along with Stewart's housebound character.

We share his guilt as a nosy neighbor. We share his triumph when he discovers a murder. And we share his terror as the killer approaches.

After 17 years, Rear Window is returning to theaters, looking better than ever in a print restored by archivists Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz. Over the last decade, the pair also restored the grandeur of Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus and Hitchcock's Vertigo.

Compared to other projects, Rear Window's restoration is less of a spectacle: No fabled lost segments were discovered, no drastic errors were fixed, no splashy colors explode from the screen.

Instead, Harris and Katz employed preservation techniques, along with Technicolor's much-admired dye-transfer system (see accompanying story), to spiff up the film so it looks more vibrantly realistic than ever before.

Small details are now vivid, from characters' blue eyes to the red glow on a cigar tip, from the details in a tavern across the street to the red-orange textures of bricks. The clarity allows you to see new things amid the familiar images.

Also greatly improved are the film's darker scenes: The color black is richer, and various details previously hidden in shadow are now evident.

But while the restoration is superb -- and most welcome -- the true blessing is that it returns Rear Window to the big screen. Although it will still be enjoyable in the video and DVD editions that will probably follow this restoration, I highly recommend seeing it at least once in the theater.

Wheelchair-bound photographer L.B. Jeffries (Stewart) uses his telephoto lens to watch various stories unfold among his neighbors in a half-dozen apartments outside his windows. Since they're all vignettes framed small within the context of the larger movie -- similar to the picture-within-picture option on some of today's television sets -- Rear Window benefits from a large screen more than almost any other famous film.

The story's mystery arises when Jeffries discovers suspicious behavior in an apartment across the courtyard. He begins to think the tenant may have murdered his wife. Add to that one of Hitchcock's most delicious romances: The elegant Grace Kelly co-stars as Lisa Fremont, a Madison Avenue society woman who's deeply in love with Jeffries. He feels the same, but sees little hope for their affair.

Delightfully, the mystery and the romance dovetail, as Lisa proves her mettle as an amateur sleuth.

Hitchcock made more than a half-dozen films that lesser directors would gladly claim as a masterpiece. None surpasses the suspense, romance, wit and wisdom of Rear Window. Since moviegoing itself is a voyeuristic habit, seeing a film that explores the idea is essential.

And now that the windows are sparkling clean, the view is better than ever.