| SCI ON FILM
By Marjorie Cohen
Directed by Jeff Bleckner. Teleplay by Eric Overmyer and Larry Gross, based on a story by Cornell Woolrich
I love Alfred Hitchcock. He is without a doubt the master of suspense. And I’ve always felt “Hitch” got more than a little kick out of teasing his audiences. He’d let us in on the fact that his hero or heroine was heading into some kind of danger. I’d picture him rubbing his hands together, as he pictured us sitting there helpless, screaming under our collective breath, “Don’t go there!”
Of course in what I think was his ultimate exercise in suspense, Rear Window (1954), he took it a step further by making his hero, a photojournalist immobilized by a badly broken leg (played brilliantly by James Stewart) into what we in the audience were: helpless voyeurs.
As much as I admire the original Rear Window, that’s how much I dislike its remakes. And there have been many. So it was with anticipation mixed with dread that I began to watch Christopher Reeve’s retelling of the classic. And for the first 20 minutes or so, I thought my fears had come to fruition.
In an effort to bring more attention to the needs of those with spinal cord injury (SCI), Reeve spends much of the beginning of the film at Burke Rehabilitation Center exercising, in preparation for the cure he’s convinced will come, and discussing the plight of the disabled. Other than the fact that his character, Jason Kemp was injured in a car accident, there is no real reason for most of this footage. It’s irrelevant to the plot of the movie and throws off its pacing. Still knowing Reeve’s passion, I forgave him this foible.
Once Jason moves into his loft in downtown Manhattan and begins watching his neighbors across the air shaft, the plot finally gets underway. And as it begins to move along we join Jason and his colleague, Claudia Henderson played nicely by Daryl Hannah, as they become more and more intrigued by his neighbors—one in particular. And it’s also here, when Jason moves from being just a bored ‘peeping tom’ to an actual sleuth, where the movie begins to grab us.
The movie does a good job of updating itself, via the use of high tech voice-activated computers for Jason, a spy cam, cell phones and walkie-talkies. The writers also adapt the story fittingly to Jason’s particular disability, even including his SCI as a plot point. The question is, does the film make us feel his helplessness? Does it build the suspense to that point of discomfort which makes us squirm? Yes and No.
This film was made as a movie for television and one can easily see where the commercials would have been inserted. Unfortunately one of those moments interrupts one of the most suspenseful points in the film. While the movie has some fear filled instances, they have more to do with Jason than Claudia. This is all wrong for Rear Window and it‘s one plot point that cannot be forgiven. The story also takes some interesting twists and turns and while it gives a new and updated slant to the plot and adds a few suspenseful moments, ultimately the viewer never feels that ‘edge of your seat’ fear for either Jason or Claudia.
There is good news, however. The writers, much like Hitchcock, never resort to cheap thrills to frighten us. They, too, know that the real suspense is emotional. You won’t hear phones ringing at opportune times or shadows popping up in mirrors. And the acting on everyone’s part is excellent. If you wondered if Christopher Reeve still had the acting chops he exhibited in his earlier films, you’ll be very pleased. He still does and then some. Too bad his writers didn’t serve him as well as he served his role of Jason.
I’ve always seen Reeves as a far better actor than he’s been given credit for. Superman (1979) may be a comic book hero but essentially Reeve had to play two roles. He also had to infuse a certain amount of wit, without going over the top, and make his hero believable. He did all of the above with aplomb and then rather than rest on those laurels, he followed up Superman with excellent acting in movies such as The Bostonians, Remains of the Day and Deathtrap. So if his voice is a bit weak here, it never effects his acting. Reeve is totally committed and in command of Jason Kemp and it’s a pleasure to see him in such good form.
And the movie is far from bad. If one has never seen the original Rear Window, they may be pleasantly surprised. Or one may like this new more modern version. Of course there have been more remakes that have come out since 1954 and 1998; the 2007 Disturbia being one. But I believe that there are new stories to be explored rather than constantly remaking classics.
I suppose I feel the same way about a perfect film as I do about the wheel. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Marjorie Cohen watches movies in New York City. She is also the voice behind Action’s audio version, which is available on CD by e-mailing action@unitedspinal.org.
