Only Alfred Hitchcock could turn such a minimalist experiment into one of the most pulsating thrillers ever made. Shot almost entirely on one massive set using mostly diegetic sound and a wheelchair-bound protagonist, the 'Master of Suspense' lives up to his name as Rear Window cranks up the tension throughout the slow-burning narrative. James Stewart stars as L.B. Jeffries, a housebound photographer who is convinced that one of his neighbors has killed their wife. With the basic premise established, Hitchcock leaves it up to the audience to decide the facts, with the director describing Rear Window as 'entirely a mental process, done by use of the visual'. The movie is full of great dialogue, character development and a twisting plot, with the recurring theme of voyeurism prevalent in both Jeffries' constant spying and the audience seeing things only from his perspective. Rear Window earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Screenplay and Cinematography, as well as becoming a commercial success, earning $35m at the box office (over $300m when adjusted for inflation). The movie is number one on his filmography when it comes to audience participation, and arguably his best ever.
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