30 Day Film Challenge-Day 23

​A film made by a director that is dead

After yesterday’s downer pick, you’ll be happy to know that all but one of the remaining films this month are on the happier side.

Today we need to pick a movie that is made by a director who has passed away. Given the 100+ year history of films, there are plenty to pick from, but there was really only one option for me since I hadn’t used any of his films for other categories on this list, Hitchcock.

Now, a little background here before I go on. When I was in college, I completed a minor in Film Studies. One of the courses I took to complete this was an entire class about Hitchcock films. We learned a great deal about the films themselves, along with the techniques that Hitchcock used throughout his career. Over the course of the semester, we watched some of his most famous films, along with some lesser known gems. I remember watching The 39 Steps, Dial M for Murder, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and The Birds. Vertigo stood out to me at the time and I have returned to that film several times, but the one that really stuck with me was Rear Window.

The film stars Jimmy Stewart as L. B. Jefferies, or Jeff, who is stuck in a wheelchair in his apartment as he recovers from a broken leg. He spends his time watching out the back window of his apartment which opens onto a courtyard, providing him plenty of people to observe throughout his days. As he continues to observe the goings on, he thinks that he witnesses a murder in one of the apartments and calls a friend at the police station to investigate. When the investigation turns up nothing, Jeff enlists his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) to help figure out the murder.

I don’t want to give away too much more, but suffice to say this is a fantastic film that will have you on the edge of your seat. Even though it was made nearly 70 years ago, it holds up rather well. Yes, some of the props and settings may be a bit dated, but the concept would work just as well for a thriller today as it did in the 1950s. In fact, the film has been remade at least twice, first in 1998 as a TV movie starring Christopher Reeve, who himself was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995. The 2007 film Disturbia is also a modern retelling of the story starring Shia LaBeouf as the man under house arrest this time.

This was another film I had intended to re-watch prior to this month’s challenge, but just ran out of time. I have it on my short list for future watching and will likely post a full review when that happens.

Day 22 – A film that made you angry | Day 24 – A film you wish you saw in theaters

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