Spellbound by a classic

Make sure you close your blinds!

Recently I was flipping through the channels in the wee hours of the morning and stopped on Turner Classic Movies. It was between films, so I watched the promos and proceeded to become entranced until they began talking about the upcoming feature.

It turned out the flick they were speaking of was Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" starring Jimmy Stewart. I have a confession to make; I'm not the biggest Stewart fan in the world. I love "It's a Wonderful Life" but I think that has become engrained into our DNA over the years. That is as close to a perfect film as one can come.

"Rear Window" started and I'm introduced to a wheelchair-bound, profusely sweating Jimmy Stewart. Not exactly an image I want seared into my memory, but after getting past that I was spellbound.

I loved how the film takes something as innocent as looking out your window and spins it into a complete adrenaline rush. Albeit, Jeffries goes a little beyond just looking out his window but it says a lot about how we perceive the world.

This flick elevated Stewart in my book. I thought he did a wonderful job of building the suspense in the film by tightening his performance as the film went along. Grace Kelly still remains an enigma for me. Obviously a very beautiful woman, but I have yet to find a film she's appeared in that I thought she did more that just an OK job in.

I loved to play "Find Alfred" every time I watch a Hitchcock film and it was nice to see that suspense master winding a clock in the piano player's loft. I think I might need to have a Hitchcock Film Extravaganza sometime this summer. I'll have to fit it in somewhere between my Star Wars and Indiana Jones all-nighters, but I think I can manage.

For anyone who has seen "Rear Window," I'm considering building a second story onto my home in order to rig a hoist for my dog. How cool was that? Dog need to go out -- lower the rope; when you want him in for the night -- whistle, he jumps in the basket and up he goes. My dog is completely neurotic, so she would run around the basket, barking at imaginary things like she does all the time.

In short, I would recommend this film to all. For people who liked the updated version of this classic called "Disturbia", check out the original vision and enjoy.

Until then, Ciao.