MonHqv. November. 98 1983The Daily Tar Heel3
'Rear Window' is quintessential Hitchcock CamPus Calendar
By JEFF GROVE
Arts Editor
One of this year's best movies is actually one of 1954's best
movies.
Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, first released almost 30 years
ago but unavailable to audiences since then, is back in general
release. Seeing the film is like being reunited with a long-lost
friend. Its sterling cast, excellent technical work and brilliant con
struction make it hard to avoid the cliche that they don't make
'em like this anymore.
Review
Rear Window is one of five films the others are Rope, The
Trouble With Harry, Vertigo and the 1954 re-make of The Man
Who Knew Too Much to which Hitchcock retained all
distribution rights after their initial release. He kept them out of
circulation and off television. After his death in 1980, negotia
tions began between distributors and Hitchcock's estate. In the
end, Universal Qassics won the right to exhibit the films. After '
screenings at this year's New York Film Festival, the movies
began making their way around the nation's art houses.
Some of the films have been more popular than others. The
Trouble With Harry is still regarded as a minor Hitchcock effort,
and Rope was a box-office bomb when first released. Rear Win
. dow, however, was fifth on Variety's 1954 list of top-grossing
films, having earned over $5 million. It went on to be nominated
for three Academy Awards. Rear Widow's current release is
repeating its initial success; it has earned f 1 million in its first four
weeks of limited engagements.
There is legitimate reasoa for the film to be so popular. It is
quintessential Hitchcock, blending sophisticated humor and
nerve-grinding suspense in a delicate but complementary balance.
In James Stewart and Grace Kelly the film has an All-American
hero and a beautiful, classy heroine.
Stewart plays L.B. Jeffries, a photographer whose leg and hip
are in a cast because of an occupational injury and who is con
fined to his New York City apartment for seven weeks while he
heals. Kelly is Lisa, his financee, who drops by in the evenings to
bring him dinner and keep him company. Stella, an insurance
company nurse played to perfection bv veteran character actress
Thelma Ritter, gives him back rubs and wisecracks each morning.
Jeffries is still left with a great deal of time alone, and he spends it
observing his neighbors through his window.
Jeffries has a view of a courtyard surrounded by four apart
ment buildings.
Some of the characters Jeffries watches are included for the
sake of humor. There is a busybody who is also a would-be artist,
a dancer (dubbed "Miss Torso" by Jeffries) who does warm-up
exercises on her balcony, and a newlywed couple who rarely inter
rupt their lovemakingjong enough to pull their shades up.
Other characters afVmore pathetic. A childless, middle-aged
couple lavish parental affection on their dog. In a first-floor
apartment, a lonely spinster has candlelit dinners with imaginary
suitors.
Then there are the neighbors directly across the way. Lars
Thorwald, a salesman played menacingly by Raymond Burr,
must constantly attend his invalid wife. One day, after they have a
bitter argument, the wife seems to mysteriously disappear. Jeffries
is convinced that Thorwald has murdered his wife, and the ma
jority of the film revolves about Jeffries' efforts to get Lisa and
Stella, as well as the police, to investigate.
Perfect elements, then, for a suspense story. It is no wonder
that John Michael Hayes' screenplay picked up an Oscar nomina
tion. But added to the tale are Hitchcock's fascination with the in
terplay of light and dark, his obsession with clocks (which pro
vides the means for his obligatory cameo appearance), the usual
"Hitchcockian" camera angles and a concentration on lenses,
glasses and windows.
In many ways, Rear Window exhibits the best features of
Hitchcock's style. This alone makes it a good choice to be the first
film of the five to be re-released. Add to that the engrossing per
formances by Stewart, Kelly and Ritter and the acting gems pro
vided by the various neighbors, and the film would deserve even
more consideration.
Above all, though, the film remains relevant. When one
neighbor cries out accusingly at the others that they don't know
how to be neighbors, that they don't care if anyone lives or dies,
the accusation still hits home after 30 years.
It's just another proof that Hitchcock was as concerned with
people as with suspense, and it's another good reason to see Rear
Window.
The Carolina "Student FundlDTH
Campus Calendar, wiJL appear every
Monday and,, ,Th'rsdaVirAnnounce
ments to be run on Monday must be
placed in the box outside trie Carolina
Student Fund office on he third floor
of South Building by 5 pirn, the Friday
before they ;arqto(iLtt. Announce
rnenisjioJafciun paJWjrsdayjnusi be
placed in thatdx-by lmot the pre
ceding TuesdayliiuTtnounbements
from Universlty'fecognized and cam
pus organizations will be printed.
Today
3:30 p.m. S.T.A.N.D. meeting upstairs
Campus Y. Call Bill. Popper
at 967-5503 for more info.
4 p.m. Hunger Responsibility Meet
ing upstairs Campus Y.
5:30 p.m. Christian Aerobics at the
Baptist Student Union.
i Wednesday
11 a.m.
I
I 4 p.m.
I
I
RA Awareness Day spon
sored by RA Programming
Advisory Committee in the
Pit. Rain date is Dec. 1. For
more info contact Cindy
Johnson at 933-2722.
Professor Robert Schommer
of Rutgers University will
speak on "The Expansion
Rate of the Universe" in 265
Phillips Hall.
6 p.m. Channukah Celebration and
Deli-style dinner for Hillel
and Newman Center mem
bers and guests at the Hillel
Foundation. This will be fol
lowed by Dr. David Halperin's
speech oh "Christianity and
Judaism: Some Historical
Links" at 7:30 p.m. at the
Newman Center.
6:15 p.m. Baptist Student Union Coun
cil meeting.
Tuesday
6:30 p.m. North Carolina Student
Legislature Christmas Party
at Mr. Gatti's back room.
For more info call 962-NCSL.
7 p.m. STOW Residence College
Fashion Show in Great Hall.
50C admission proceeds go
to Cancer Research Center.
" Call 933-5851 for more info.
8 p.m. UNC College Republicans
general meeting at the
Carolina Union.
Thursday
2:30 p.m. The African and Afro
American Studies Depart
ment presents a Dramatic
Presentation of African
Literature, "The Pumpkin in
the Old Homestead Must Not
Be Uprooted," in the Union.
Call Ron Dixon at 933-3367
for more info.
5:45 p.m. Baptist Student Union Christ
mas worship service at the
Battle House. This is the first
of three Christmas Worship
Services.
sanctuary
From page 1
If the group did take someone into sanctuary, a legal
person would prepare an application for political
asylum, about a two-week process, Bunch said.
"As soon as he gets the paperwork processed, they're
free to go," she said. "The INS can't touch them."
Fulton said that while he is not sure what would hap
pen in Chapel Hill, it was' his impression that other
sanctuary groups did not prepare the application for
political asylum until forced to because so few are
granted to Salvadorans.
Because the Reagan administration is supporting the
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Salvadoran government, it would be inconsistent to
grant political asylum to immigrants from El Salvador
because it would be "an admission that the human
rights condition is not good in El Salvador," said Alex
Chams, a Durham attorney and 1982 UNC graduate.
He now is representing four Salvadoran refugees, ar
rested earlier this year, who are seeking asylum.
McGough said the groups working for sanctuary did
not hold any illusions about gaining political asylum for
the refugees they worked with, but filed because the
process takes eight months to a year. "That gives us
time to maneuver," he said.
The groups hope the United States will get out of
Central America, and are pushing for extended volun
tary departure status for immigrants, McGough said.
Extended voluntary departure status means that the
immigrant is allowed to stay in this country until the
situation at home improves.
"They want to go back. Even the ones we've worked
with, they all say, 'I want to go back when it's safe,' "
McGough said.
Brigham said he did not have statistics on the number
of asylums granted and denied to Salvadorans, but he
.said that just because a person was from El Salvador
did not mean he would be denied asylum.
Brigham said the United States' relationship with an
applicant's government was a consideration but not an
overriding one.
"They have to articulate what it is that they fear and
we try to ascertain if that is in fact a justifiable claim,"
he said.
Brigham said the INS followed judicial process and
did not arrest people and put them on a plane in the
middle of the night.
If a person is arrested, he has the opportunity to ap
ply for asylum, he said. "(The) individual is apprised of
his rights every step of the way."
Bunch said it had been her experience that the im
migration service did not follow the rules. "If they did
follow them, we would have no need of a sanctuary
program," Bunch said. "Basically, we don't trust
them."
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