50 Greatest Hitchcock Moments

All hail the Master of Suspense

By Simon KinnearFeb 4th 2013
12

Flash!

The Film: Rear Window (1954).

The Moment: L. B. Jeffries (James Stewart) scrabbles around for a weapon as murderer Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr) raids his apartment, and settles on the use of flash bulbs to temporarily blind his assailant.

Why It's Great: Not only a brilliantly economic, in character solution (Jeffries is a photographer) but it underlines the film's subtext - look too hard, and you'll get hurt.

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Comments

    • Chufferstud

      Feb 4th 2013, 9:04

      Rear Window is still my all time favorite film. Just an amazing example of cinema. The scene where you see Thorwald's cigarette glowing in the dark should have been included. But for the first time I don't think the infamous TF top 50 list is long enough :)

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    • nostrebornod

      Feb 4th 2013, 20:42

      For once a good list. Although I am laughing at the fact that the ending of The Birds is listed as #25 Greatest Hitchcock Moment, while it is also listed as #48 Most Illogical Movie Ending. Maybe Total Film's writers should be on the same page, or at least not make contradictory statements three days of each other.

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