POSITIVES:
1) James Stewart and Grace Kelly are both brilliant actors and the chemistry they have on screen is always great to watch. They really carry the film and keep you engaged as an audience 2) As the title of this review states, I think this film is a great example of filmmaking on a low budget. The budget for this film is listed as a million dollars, which equates to around 11.5million dollars in today's money, which is absolutely nothing in filmmaking terms. Despite this, Hitchcock manages to use the acting and the set and the camera work to create a really good mystery 3) The more that the film progresses, the more engrossed in the mystery that you become, I just wish that the start was as good as the finish
NEGATIVES:
1) I do find parts of the film, especially in the first half, to be a struggle to watch. It's very slow and plodding and I know that that's how films were during this period, but that doesn't make it enjoyable to watch in this modern day era. I really struggled to keep my attention span focused on the film when there is lots of unengaging dialogue scenes or shots of the scenery that really don't hold up in 2024 2) I think the film is very dated when it comes to its attitude towards women. Grace Kelly is hopelessly head over heels for James Stewart despite the fact that he treats her awfully and she is clearly so much more successful and out of his league, which is hard to swallow in 2024. Also, the ballet dancer is a completely one dimensional object who's only there to be leered at.
1) James Stewart and Grace Kelly are both brilliant actors and the chemistry they have on screen is always great to watch. They really carry the film and keep you engaged as an audience 2) As the title of this review states, I think this film is a great example of filmmaking on a low budget. The budget for this film is listed as a million dollars, which equates to around 11.5million dollars in today's money, which is absolutely nothing in filmmaking terms. Despite this, Hitchcock manages to use the acting and the set and the camera work to create a really good mystery 3) The more that the film progresses, the more engrossed in the mystery that you become, I just wish that the start was as good as the finish
NEGATIVES:
1) I do find parts of the film, especially in the first half, to be a struggle to watch. It's very slow and plodding and I know that that's how films were during this period, but that doesn't make it enjoyable to watch in this modern day era. I really struggled to keep my attention span focused on the film when there is lots of unengaging dialogue scenes or shots of the scenery that really don't hold up in 2024 2) I think the film is very dated when it comes to its attitude towards women. Grace Kelly is hopelessly head over heels for James Stewart despite the fact that he treats her awfully and she is clearly so much more successful and out of his league, which is hard to swallow in 2024. Also, the ballet dancer is a completely one dimensional object who's only there to be leered at.