Rear Window – Remastered
Today I got the new Universal Legacy edition of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. It’s one of my favorite movies, and I actually have never owned it on DVD. I can only judge by the version I’ve seen on TV and VHS, but I can definitely see an improvement in the sharpness, the colors, and the clarity. The special features were also fascinating, however they were included on earlier editions, so they won’t be anything new if you already have it on DVD.
I’m not an expert in film restoration, so I won’t try to break down the differences compared to other editions. Some people criticize that the new version is too grainy, and I can see what they are saying, but I personally like this better. Here’s a before and after comparison so you can see the difference from older DVD versions of Rear Window:
An interesting fact about the movie is how the stage was built. It was filmed inside, as most movies were back then. The challenge was that Hitchcock wanted a complete set that appears in New York’s Greenwich Village. All of the apartments were actual rooms, and there is even an outside courtyard, alley, and busy street in the background.
Paramount Studios simply didn’t have a way to do this inside. The ceilings were not tall enough to build anything close to what Hitchcock wanted. So to meet his requests, they actually pulled up the floor and assembled a fake courtyard in the basement! What you see on the “ground” level is actually underground, and the main apartments where James Stewart lives are the 1st floor.
The top levels were at the very height of the studio ceilings, so the lighting crew and some of the cast members were absolutely miserable because it was so hot up there. But as always, Hitchcock knew exactly what he wanted and I think it was worth it. The set really does make the movie. Rear Window is on the list of AFI’s Top 100 movies and will always be one of the best in my book.
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It is one of my most favorite films.
One thing which bothers me is what was the end? I don’t get it correctly i.e the conversation at the end. Was the woman really murdered by the husband or Stewart’s suspicion was proved to be in vain? If yes, then how and where ?
Please reply if anyone can and reply mentioning the mail subject as ” Rear Window end”
Bye.
I agree with you scorpiee. I do like the version. If people don’t like the grainy version, they can just wear their grandma’s spectacles… hahahaha