Rear Window: this film is, to put it simply, a masterpiece. Alfred Hitchcock was in full command of the language; that is clear by the fact of how many stories he is able to tell, mostly visually (and with just hints of sound). They form a mosaic, but the centerpiece is the suspense story, of course; it’s a slow burner, but not one bit less effective for that. It’s a great-looking cast (one can’t go wrong with James Stewart and Thelma Ritter, but Grace Kelly isn’t as convincing, despite the fact that she looks absolutely gorgeous). Some of Robert Burks’ shots in this film are incredible, traveling around the whole set before landing back in the main characters. The viewer-viewee relationship subtext, essential to film-watching, is icing on the cake.