The Film: Watched in its entirety, Rear Window is a thrilling offering from Hitchcock and his everyman muse, Jimmy Stewart. But peel back the layers on this pulpy story - Stewart's bedbound photographer uses all of his kit to spy on a creepy neighbour he suspects of offing his wife - and there is a heady tapestry of Freudian analysis. Stewart's plastered leg and reliance on a phallic lens is a dead on signifier for latent sexuality, especially in the presence of a radiant Grace Kelly. Also filled with technical magic (Hitch bought a apartment block to life in the Paramount studio lot) to unravel. It's this blend of aesthetics that make this a standout entry on Hitchcock's CV. Classic Moment: The barks and bangs off the apartment block send Stewart into a slumber that takes him through to nightfall, only to be awoken by a bloodcurdling scream. An iconic turning point.
Shaun is a former contributor for a number of Future Publishing titles and more recently worked as a staffer at Imagine Publishing.
He can now be found banking in the daytime and writing a variety of articles for What Culture, namely around his favourite topics of film, retro gaming, music, TV and, when he's feeling clever, literature.
