2. Rear Window (1954)
Our final entry into the list of Hitchcock's limited setting movies, Rear Window easily transcends them all. The plot is simple enough and, while original at the time, has been retold enough that it doesn't necessarily sound so fresh nowadays. However, if you watch it, it will take on a whole new life. The story is that L.B. Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart, again) is a photographer who broke his leg while trying to photograph an accident at a racetrack, and is now confined to his apartment. Bored beyond belief, he begins using binoculars to watch his neighbors, even assigning nicknames to the ones he doesn't know. However, he begins to suspect that the man directly across from him has murdered his wife, and sets out trying to gather proof without being able to leave his room. The brilliance of the movie though, is the atmosphere it provides. Each character Jeffries watches has a fully developed story that you can follow, even though they're not given any lines. You begin to sympathize with Miss Lonelyhearts, and you understand the pain that Miss Torso is going through. Finally, the music. Because everything you see and experience in the movie is restricted to what Jeffries sees and experiences, wouldn't having an effective musical score be difficult? Nope! They make one of the neighbors a pianist/songwriter, and the music he plays or listens to becomes the soundtrack for the scene. Seriously, watch this movie. And the bigger the screen, the better, that way you can immerse yourself in the tiny world that's been constructed so well.