Rear Window Resources

The Hitchcock Zone covers all things Hitch, and they have a page set aside for Rear Window.

Remember when AMC showed movies instead of spin-offs of The Walking Dead? Neither do we, but apparently they did. Here's their write-up on Rear Window.

The American Film Institute loves putting out Top 100 lists to commemorate great movies. Rear Window has graced three of them, as the AFI's website is happy to tell you about.

The movie was based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich called "It Had to Be Murder." Here's a copy of it for your perusing pleasure.

TV remakes of established classics usually give us the hives, but in 1998, one showed up that actually did quite well. It starred Christopher Reeve in the James Stewart role. The actor was paralyzed from the neck down following a horseback riding accident in 1995, and his character suffered from a similar malady. It made for a nice twist on Hitchcock's formula and gave this version enough distinction to justify the exercise.

At press time, a stage version of Rear Window, also based on Woolrich's short story, is totally sold out in Hartford, Connecticut. The reason? Hartford theatergoers are the most sophisticated in the whole world. Just kidding. It's because Kevin Bacon is playing the role of Jeff.

As homages go, it's pretty subtle, but the classic '80s horror movie Fright Night (and the not-at-all-bad 2011 remake) takes a big page from Rear Window's playbook. The only difference is that the guy our hero is spying on just happens to be a vampire. Nice twist, guys. (And, parental warning: this scene has some nudity.)

In 2007, another remake was attempted, featuring Shia LaBeouf as a teenager under house arrest instead of a man with a broken leg. Please forgive us for mentioning LaBeouf. We promise we won't do it again.

A show like The Simpsons couldn't resist taking a crack at a pop culture icon this big. Bart breaks his leg one summer, forcing him to stay inside while the other kids enjoy his swimming pool. Soon enough, he begins spying on the neighbors, and a familiar, if much funnier, pattern starts to emerge. He even has a girl named Lisa to help him out.

The late, great Roger Ebert hits us with his thoughts on one of Hitchcock's greatest films. Verdict: Thumbs up.

The good people at TCM know classic movies; here's their take on Rear Window.

Here's a really insightful look at why the script for Rear Window works so well.

No Film School gives us a clip-heavy look at Rear Window's editing.

The Guardian showers the masterpiece with a whole lotta love.

Another great piece on the film, for your reading pleasure.

A comparison of Grace Kelly's sheer peignoir with what Daryl Hannah wore in the 1998 remake. Hmm, sheer negligee or power suit, that is the question …

Back before video, they'd re-release movies into the theaters in order to get a little more money. Here's a trailer for a re-release of Rear Window after the success of Psycho.

Filmmaker Jeff Desom recut Rear Window into a time-lapse panoramic video using just the views out of the window. He thought it was amazing that Hitchcock filmed the movie in a way that made this possible. Here's the 3-minute version; it's pretty cool.

You know who loves this movie? Martin Scorsese. Here, let him tell you about it.

A television interview with Hitch about his filmmaking technique.

The show Masters of Cinema speaks with Hitchcock.

Another interview, this one with newsman Tom Snyder on NBC in 1973.

French director Francois Truffaut turned his 1962 interviews with Hitchcock into a book that had an enormous influence on later directors. In this 2015 film, well-known contemporary directors talk about what the book meant to them and their work. If you're interested in listening to the tapes of the original interviews, see our "Audio" section.

Jimmy Stewart speaks to Armed Forces Radio during the premiere of the film. (Stewart served combat duty in World War II, so he was well disposed toward our boys in uniform.)

Here's a vintage interview with Alfred Hitchcock, who talks about Rear Window and a whole lot more.

Here are some highlights of the famous interviews between Hitch and iconic French director Francois Truffaut. Truffaut idolized Hitchcock and interviewed him over the course of a week in 1962.

A snazzy-looking one sheet from the film's release.

Here's another retro poster, helping the two stars look their best.

Here's a rather cheeky poster for the film's re-release after Psycho. A small word of explanation: before Psycho, movies didn't have set start times. You just went into the theater, and if you showed up in the middle of the movie, you stayed until the end and then watched the first part. (Hence the expression: "this is where I came in.") Psycho changed that because Hitchcock didn't want anyone finding out what happened to Janet Leigh in the shower, so they set specific start times for that film. With this poster, the studio is obviously hoping to catch some of the same mojo for Rear Window.

The director gives some advice to his leading lady.

Here's an awesome reimagining of the movie in swell poster form.

Another reimagined poster from the wilds of Deviant Art.

Stewart gets intimate with Georgine Darcy, aka Miss Torso.

Universal's cover for the DVD release cuts to the chase, as it were.

We don't normally put up stills from the film in this section, but this one bears noting: it's the picture Jeff supposedly took that landed him in the cast.

Stewart poses for a publicity still for the movie.

Hitchcock with his leading man and lady.