What do you think?
Rate this book
Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age
The definitive, in-depth look inside the making of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window—the all-time classic of voyeurism, paranoia, and murder that became one of Hollywood’s greatest achievements and turned generations of viewers into “a race of Peeping Toms.” . . .
Before the internet and social media offered voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of others, the acclaimed Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, exposed the dangers and delights of looking—and knowing—too much in his 1954 masterpiece Rear Window. Widely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, it stars James Stewart and Grace Kelly at the top of their game but, in an unusual gamble, is shot entirely from within a Greenwich Village apartment . . .
Using this limited point of view, Hitchcock forces his audience to participate in his protagonist’s voyeuristic impulses and darkest obsessions—a bold move in the era of the Hollywood Blacklist and restrictive Hays Code. But the gamble paid off, and Rear Window became a timeless classic.
This eye-opening book goes straight to the source of Rear Window’s genius by mining the original papers of Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, and Thelma Ritter, revealing little-known facts behind the Why taking the role of Lisa Fremont was one of the toughest decisions Grace Kelly ever made; How Hitchcock intertwined suspense and romance with inspiration from Ingrid Bergman; How he used a topless scene to distract the censors from other scenes to which they may have objected; and how Hitchcock crafted the film’s unforgettable villain, Lars Thorwald, by modeling him on a producer he loathed—the infamous David O. Selznick.
Filled with eye-catching photographs, outrageous anecdotes, and delicious details, this exciting book pulls back the curtain on a classic thriller that’s as relevant today as ever—and every bit as thrilling.
Before the internet and social media offered voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of others, the acclaimed Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, exposed the dangers and delights of looking—and knowing—too much in his 1954 masterpiece Rear Window. Widely hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, it stars James Stewart and Grace Kelly at the top of their game but, in an unusual gamble, is shot entirely from within a Greenwich Village apartment . . .
Using this limited point of view, Hitchcock forces his audience to participate in his protagonist’s voyeuristic impulses and darkest obsessions—a bold move in the era of the Hollywood Blacklist and restrictive Hays Code. But the gamble paid off, and Rear Window became a timeless classic.
This eye-opening book goes straight to the source of Rear Window’s genius by mining the original papers of Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, and Thelma Ritter, revealing little-known facts behind the Why taking the role of Lisa Fremont was one of the toughest decisions Grace Kelly ever made; How Hitchcock intertwined suspense and romance with inspiration from Ingrid Bergman; How he used a topless scene to distract the censors from other scenes to which they may have objected; and how Hitchcock crafted the film’s unforgettable villain, Lars Thorwald, by modeling him on a producer he loathed—the infamous David O. Selznick.
Filled with eye-catching photographs, outrageous anecdotes, and delicious details, this exciting book pulls back the curtain on a classic thriller that’s as relevant today as ever—and every bit as thrilling.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2025
37 people are currently reading
2976 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
September 30, 2025
Sitting on the sofa with my father to watch Alfred Hitchcock Presents is a fond memory of mine.
Being a lover of the thriller genre as well as enjoying both reading books and watching documentaries that have to do with Old Hollywood made me grab this book the minute I saw it. So very pleased I did.
Jennifer O'Callaghan served up the making of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window on a platter and I ate it up. It was fascinating to read about what it took to put the details of this Masterpiece together:
● The building of the innovative set
● The casting of the actors Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr and more
● The costume designs by the genius Edith Head
● The music and sound tracts
● The innovation of earpieces to communicate with the actors across the “street”
● Working around the standards commitees as so much of this movie was considered risqué in 1954
● The story boarding
● The camera work
● His wife being an intregal working part behind the scenes of all his movies
It was very interesting to learn about this quirky man in the black and white suit which he evidently wore even to meetings in his own home. It was intriguing to learn how he worked and communicated with his cast and crew as well as to go deep into his personality and shortcomings.
There was conjecture provided by the author into what drove Hitchcock. O'Callaghan provided a lot of insight into the director, his relationships with others in the profession,his actors and writers by interviewing quite a few children, relatives, friends of those working closely with “Hitch” as well as many notables in the industry.
She also dove into this innovative man's artistry and the impact he had on other directors, his audiences as well as the imprint he had left on the filmmaking industry. She discussed his stubborn nature as well as his daring.
There are a lot of great directors that worked during his time and many who came after but there definitely will never be another Alfred Hitchcock.
This was a 4.75 stars read for me. If you like to read about either innovators in film making, the thriller genre or Old Hollywood definetely pick up this book. It was well researched and a joy for me to read.
A special thank you to Jennifer O'Callaghan, her publisher Citadel Press and NetGalley for my copy.
Being a lover of the thriller genre as well as enjoying both reading books and watching documentaries that have to do with Old Hollywood made me grab this book the minute I saw it. So very pleased I did.
Jennifer O'Callaghan served up the making of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window on a platter and I ate it up. It was fascinating to read about what it took to put the details of this Masterpiece together:
● The building of the innovative set
● The casting of the actors Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr and more
● The costume designs by the genius Edith Head
● The music and sound tracts
● The innovation of earpieces to communicate with the actors across the “street”
● Working around the standards commitees as so much of this movie was considered risqué in 1954
● The story boarding
● The camera work
● His wife being an intregal working part behind the scenes of all his movies
It was very interesting to learn about this quirky man in the black and white suit which he evidently wore even to meetings in his own home. It was intriguing to learn how he worked and communicated with his cast and crew as well as to go deep into his personality and shortcomings.
There was conjecture provided by the author into what drove Hitchcock. O'Callaghan provided a lot of insight into the director, his relationships with others in the profession,his actors and writers by interviewing quite a few children, relatives, friends of those working closely with “Hitch” as well as many notables in the industry.
She also dove into this innovative man's artistry and the impact he had on other directors, his audiences as well as the imprint he had left on the filmmaking industry. She discussed his stubborn nature as well as his daring.
There are a lot of great directors that worked during his time and many who came after but there definitely will never be another Alfred Hitchcock.
This was a 4.75 stars read for me. If you like to read about either innovators in film making, the thriller genre or Old Hollywood definetely pick up this book. It was well researched and a joy for me to read.
A special thank you to Jennifer O'Callaghan, her publisher Citadel Press and NetGalley for my copy.
July 15, 2025
I got an advance copy through NetGalley.
This was a book of a lot of interesting information on a movie I absolutely adore, but I felt like the book lacked focus. The book goes on long tangents, most notably where it comes to Grace Kelly's time in Monaco, and beyond! (The vignette about John McCain's late-night casino night in Monaco long after Grace Kelly had passed away is fun, but I thought this book was about the production and legacy of Rear Window?) I think the book was going for what Sam Wasson's The Big Goodbye did for Chinatown, where it used the biographies of Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, and Robert Towne; the reason that book worked so well is because that film had so much of their past in it. This book struggles to tie those elements in.
The time it spends on these tangents takes away from discussing the movie's actual culture impact. It does name-check various movies that were clearly influenced by the movie, but there could've been discussed with more depth. DePalma could've had his own chapter!
I learned a lot of things, and the book was really accessible for someone who doesn't read a ton about film theory or history. I just think it needed a little more thematic focus.
This was a book of a lot of interesting information on a movie I absolutely adore, but I felt like the book lacked focus. The book goes on long tangents, most notably where it comes to Grace Kelly's time in Monaco, and beyond! (The vignette about John McCain's late-night casino night in Monaco long after Grace Kelly had passed away is fun, but I thought this book was about the production and legacy of Rear Window?) I think the book was going for what Sam Wasson's The Big Goodbye did for Chinatown, where it used the biographies of Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, and Robert Towne; the reason that book worked so well is because that film had so much of their past in it. This book struggles to tie those elements in.
The time it spends on these tangents takes away from discussing the movie's actual culture impact. It does name-check various movies that were clearly influenced by the movie, but there could've been discussed with more depth. DePalma could've had his own chapter!
I learned a lot of things, and the book was really accessible for someone who doesn't read a ton about film theory or history. I just think it needed a little more thematic focus.
May 29, 2025
This cinematic gem opens the curtains on the creation of my favorite Hitchcock film--one of the most highly regarded in movie history.
I found it thrilling to learn all the deets from the idea; to a look at Hitch's career; the actors Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr; the iconic set that perfectly captures NYC after WWII, and my favorite chapter on the glorious Edith-Head-designed costumes for Grace, which played as important a role as any of the actors.
The author has an intensive entertainment reporting background and it shows in this beautifully written book that unscrolls like a movie. Rear Window scenes played through my head as I read, and when I reached the last page, I started again. Hurrah!
I found it thrilling to learn all the deets from the idea; to a look at Hitch's career; the actors Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr; the iconic set that perfectly captures NYC after WWII, and my favorite chapter on the glorious Edith-Head-designed costumes for Grace, which played as important a role as any of the actors.
The author has an intensive entertainment reporting background and it shows in this beautifully written book that unscrolls like a movie. Rear Window scenes played through my head as I read, and when I reached the last page, I started again. Hurrah!
September 28, 2025
The first half of Jennifer O'Callaghan's Rear Window is a concise, entertaining and thoughtful account of the production of a move classic. This half is comparable in quality to two quite good recent books I've read and reviewed:
Criss-Cross
about the making of Strangers on a Train, and
Ready for my Close-up
about Sunset Boulevard. The author clearly knows her subject well, and is an astute interpreter of the movie's themes and how it fits into the Hitchcock canon. While the other two titles went into great detail about the movies' shootings (a bit dull at times, but also making these titles more definitive accounts), the concise version here is more along the lines of what a casual fan would want.
The second half, which assesses the movie's legacy, is a bit odd. While the accounts of the movie's revival and restoration certainly belong, when covering the participants' afterlives this section is super digressive - essentially giving us all of the interesting tidbits the author found out about while interviewing her sources. For example, she clearly had long discussions with former Secretary of Navy John Lehman (a cousin of Grace Kelly - who knew?), and tells us about how he helped Jerry Bruckheimer gain Navy access for Top Gun. I was never bored but I was constantly asking myself why particular details made the cut.
All in all, this is an entertaining account of the making and afterlife of a great movie. It makes me want to see it again. Thanks to Netgalley and Citadel for providing an egalley for early review.
The second half, which assesses the movie's legacy, is a bit odd. While the accounts of the movie's revival and restoration certainly belong, when covering the participants' afterlives this section is super digressive - essentially giving us all of the interesting tidbits the author found out about while interviewing her sources. For example, she clearly had long discussions with former Secretary of Navy John Lehman (a cousin of Grace Kelly - who knew?), and tells us about how he helped Jerry Bruckheimer gain Navy access for Top Gun. I was never bored but I was constantly asking myself why particular details made the cut.
All in all, this is an entertaining account of the making and afterlife of a great movie. It makes me want to see it again. Thanks to Netgalley and Citadel for providing an egalley for early review.
November 2, 2025
I should start this out by saying I'm a HUGE Hitchcock fan, so I was already going to be into this book. Add to that, that Rear Window is my 2nd favorite Hitchcock film after North By Northwest and I'm the easiest sale in the world. I've lost count of how many people I already recommended this book to while I was mid-read.
I have taken some film classes, so know a lot of the basics of film studies and film theory, but I really appreciated the way O'Callaghan made aspects of film studies accessible to readers without that background. She explains things like the Kuleshov effect and montage in ways that any layperson can easily understand.
The historical research that went into the background of Rear Window, from the author of the short story it was based on, to in depth analysis of how the sound department worked, is clear through every minute of the book. Plus, knowing the historical context of what was going on in the world at large always helps inform our understanding of a film. I also enjoyed the way O'Callaghan contextualized Rear Window in the whole of Hitchcock's filmography. In particular, some of the background about Rope.
I feel like the only place the book lost me a bit was in the section about the 1970s to the present. I'm unsure if it was the writing or the narration, though. Sometimes I felt like O'Callaghan was giving Hitchcock a pass for his bad behavior towards women like Tippi Hedron; especially with this being written in a post #MeToo world. It also seemed like she lionized Grace Kelly's time in Monaco a bit too much. But, as I said, I'm unsure if that was the actual writing or the way Christine Williams narrated the words. Tone makes such a difference in understanding.
Which brings me to the narration. I was not the biggest fan of Williams as a narrator. She didn't always seem to connect to the material and was more just reciting the words than really bringing them to life.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book, but do wonder if, in the last 3rd, I would have loved it had there been a different narrator.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media for access to this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
I have taken some film classes, so know a lot of the basics of film studies and film theory, but I really appreciated the way O'Callaghan made aspects of film studies accessible to readers without that background. She explains things like the Kuleshov effect and montage in ways that any layperson can easily understand.
The historical research that went into the background of Rear Window, from the author of the short story it was based on, to in depth analysis of how the sound department worked, is clear through every minute of the book. Plus, knowing the historical context of what was going on in the world at large always helps inform our understanding of a film. I also enjoyed the way O'Callaghan contextualized Rear Window in the whole of Hitchcock's filmography. In particular, some of the background about Rope.
I feel like the only place the book lost me a bit was in the section about the 1970s to the present. I'm unsure if it was the writing or the narration, though. Sometimes I felt like O'Callaghan was giving Hitchcock a pass for his bad behavior towards women like Tippi Hedron; especially with this being written in a post #MeToo world. It also seemed like she lionized Grace Kelly's time in Monaco a bit too much. But, as I said, I'm unsure if that was the actual writing or the way Christine Williams narrated the words. Tone makes such a difference in understanding.
Which brings me to the narration. I was not the biggest fan of Williams as a narrator. She didn't always seem to connect to the material and was more just reciting the words than really bringing them to life.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book, but do wonder if, in the last 3rd, I would have loved it had there been a different narrator.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media for access to this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
July 14, 2025
I am a massive fan of classic film, and Hitchcock is a director who has always interested me.
This excellent book looks at the process by which Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to be Murder” became an outstanding example of the Hollywood studio systems in its dying years.
For those unfamiliar with the 1954 film Rear Window, James Stewart stars as LB “Jeff” Jeffries, an intrepid photographer laid up in his Greenwich Village apartment with a broken leg after a motor-racing assignment. Bored, he starts to spy on his neighbours with his telephoto lens and begins to suspect that one of them may be a murderer. Confined to his wheelchair all he can do is watch, but Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont – a society beauty whose lifestyle Jeff abhors as superficial – starts to take practical steps to support his ’investigation’, putting them both in danger.
Jennifer O'Callaghan paints a vivid picture of the times in which Hitchcock and his team worked to produce this timeless classic, the challenges they faced and the twists of luck and fate which brought it to life. She shows us the way in which Rear Window fitted into, and impacted the future of, the careers of its stars and the character actors which surrounded them. Full of revealing detail, these sections of the book were a film-buff’s delight.
Hitchcock himself is depicted in all his shades; a mordant wit, a master of visual storytelling, an innovative filmmaker, and a thin-skinned obsessive with unhealthy behaviours.
The film-MAKING takes up about half of the book. The rest covers the fascinating after-life of the film, its disappearance, restoration, and rediscovery. O'Callaghan does some very insightful work around the film’s themes and their relation to the intervening years between its initial release and the present day, finding rich parallels in Stewart’s judgemental voyeurism and the additive pleasures of social media.
A meticulous, illuminating study, which is also hugely enjoyable.
This excellent book looks at the process by which Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to be Murder” became an outstanding example of the Hollywood studio systems in its dying years.
For those unfamiliar with the 1954 film Rear Window, James Stewart stars as LB “Jeff” Jeffries, an intrepid photographer laid up in his Greenwich Village apartment with a broken leg after a motor-racing assignment. Bored, he starts to spy on his neighbours with his telephoto lens and begins to suspect that one of them may be a murderer. Confined to his wheelchair all he can do is watch, but Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont – a society beauty whose lifestyle Jeff abhors as superficial – starts to take practical steps to support his ’investigation’, putting them both in danger.
Jennifer O'Callaghan paints a vivid picture of the times in which Hitchcock and his team worked to produce this timeless classic, the challenges they faced and the twists of luck and fate which brought it to life. She shows us the way in which Rear Window fitted into, and impacted the future of, the careers of its stars and the character actors which surrounded them. Full of revealing detail, these sections of the book were a film-buff’s delight.
Hitchcock himself is depicted in all his shades; a mordant wit, a master of visual storytelling, an innovative filmmaker, and a thin-skinned obsessive with unhealthy behaviours.
The film-MAKING takes up about half of the book. The rest covers the fascinating after-life of the film, its disappearance, restoration, and rediscovery. O'Callaghan does some very insightful work around the film’s themes and their relation to the intervening years between its initial release and the present day, finding rich parallels in Stewart’s judgemental voyeurism and the additive pleasures of social media.
A meticulous, illuminating study, which is also hugely enjoyable.
September 29, 2025
Thank you to Goodreads and Citadel Press Books/Kensington Publishing Corp. for the opportunity to read this fascinating book.
"Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age" caught my attention because it was a movie I watched in my undergrad History of Film class. I remember enjoying the movie and the discussions we had around it. Reading this book brought those discussions back to me, and I appreciated the author's in-depth look at not only how the movie was produced, but the effect it had on film and the lives of the actors.
While reading the book I found myself telling my family little facts that interested me. Such as "Did you know that the man who wrote the Alvin and the Chipmunks song was in Rear Window?". I often stopped reading so I could do some research on Google and Wikipedia to learn more about what was being written. As a reader, I know that I am reading a good book when I want to learn more.
The story of "Rear Window" didn't stop when filming ended. The author made numerous connections to that movie as well as several movies that came after it. She also connected present-day issues such as the #MeToo movement and the effects of COVID-19 to Hitchcock and the film industry. I was impressed by how she wrote about a film produced in 1953 and made it relevant to 2024.
This was a well-researched and enjoyable read.
"Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age" caught my attention because it was a movie I watched in my undergrad History of Film class. I remember enjoying the movie and the discussions we had around it. Reading this book brought those discussions back to me, and I appreciated the author's in-depth look at not only how the movie was produced, but the effect it had on film and the lives of the actors.
While reading the book I found myself telling my family little facts that interested me. Such as "Did you know that the man who wrote the Alvin and the Chipmunks song was in Rear Window?". I often stopped reading so I could do some research on Google and Wikipedia to learn more about what was being written. As a reader, I know that I am reading a good book when I want to learn more.
The story of "Rear Window" didn't stop when filming ended. The author made numerous connections to that movie as well as several movies that came after it. She also connected present-day issues such as the #MeToo movement and the effects of COVID-19 to Hitchcock and the film industry. I was impressed by how she wrote about a film produced in 1953 and made it relevant to 2024.
This was a well-researched and enjoyable read.
October 23, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer O'Callaghan, Christine Williams - Narrator, Kensington Publishing/Citadel, and Tantor Media/Tantor Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.
November 25, 2025
As someone who really enjoys this movie, finding out all the crazy information about how the production came together and the lives of important figures (both actors and production) was really amazing. I will never be able to watch this movie without also thinking about Alvin and the Chipmunks, and I never saw myself crying over Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart the way that I did finishing this. What an amazing companion book to a genre-defining film.
June 15, 2025
Thorough account of the making of what is perhaps Alfred Hitchcock’s best film - where suspense and comedy and romance come together in a manner unique in the master’s filmography. The author shows how the filmmaker subverted the Hollywood censorship of the period through his clever suggestion of violence and voyeurism. The book takes us through each stage of the film’s production and then on through the successful revival in the early 1980s (after the film had gone out of circulation for decades). We also get to see the unique relationship between the director and his female star Grace Kelly who got to play an unusually complex and independent heroine in the pre-feminist era.
September 21, 2025
In the dim glow of a Greenwich Village courtyard, Alfred Hitchcock didn't just craft a thriller—he built a mirror to our own nosy souls. His 1954 gem Rear Window, with James Stewart as the leg-bound photographer spying on his neighbors' secrets, remains a voyeur's delight, probing the thin line between curiosity and obsession. But what if the real drama unfolded not on screen, but in the smoke-filled backrooms of Paramount Studios? That's the tantalizing premise of Jennifer O'Callaghan's Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age, a brisk, archive-driven dive into how Hitchcock turned a simple short story into cinema's ultimate act of peeping.O'Callaghan, a Toronto-based journalist with a knack for red-carpet scoops and celebrity interviews, approaches her subject like a seasoned Hitchcock heroine: elegant, probing, and unafraid of the shadows. Drawing from untouched troves of personal papers belonging to Hitchcock, Stewart, and the scene-stealing Thelma Ritter, she reconstructs the film's gestation with the precision of a dolly zoom. This isn't a dry production log; it's a lively backstage pass to an era when the Hays Code loomed like a censorious landlord, and the Hollywood Blacklist whispered threats in every script conference. O'Callaghan shines brightest in her excavation of the film's cheeky subversion of those constraints—Hitchcock, ever the sly fox, reportedly slipped in a fleeting topless moment (quickly cut) to distract prudes from the story's simmering sexual undercurrents. It's the kind of anecdote that makes you grin, realizing the Master of Suspense was as much a con artist as a storyteller.The book's heart lies in its character sketches, painted with fresh inks from the archives. Grace Kelly's Lisa Fremont, that epitome of poised glamour, emerges not as a fairy-tale princess but a woman wrestling real demons: O'Callaghan uncovers letters revealing how Kelly agonized over the role, torn between her rising stardom and the character's risky blend of romance and recklessness. (Was it worth ditching The Country Girl Oscar buzz for a chance to drape herself in Edith Head gowns while flirting with danger?) Stewart's Jeffries, meanwhile, gets a deeper psychological polish—O'Callaghan ties his character's immobility to the actor's own post-war anxieties, making the wheelchair a metaphor for Hollywood's gilded cage. And then there's the villain, Raymond Burr's hulking Lars Thorwald, whom Hitchcock modeled on David O. Selznick, the producer whose micromanaging had long rankled him. It's a petty revenge served cold, and O'Callaghan serves it up with relish, quoting memos that drip with Hitchcock's dry wit.What elevates this beyond fan service is O'Callaghan's threading of the film's themes—voyeurism, isolation, the thrill of the forbidden—through its creation. She argues convincingly that Rear Window's single-set gamble (a massive, 31-apartment soundstage marvel) wasn't just budgetary thrift but a deliberate echo of post-McCarthy paranoia: everyone watching everyone, trust eroded by unseen eyes. In one standout chapter, she dissects how Hitchcock borrowed romantic sparks from Ingrid Bergman's rumored affair with Roberto Rossellini, infusing Kelly and Stewart's will-they-won't-they with electric tension. Yet, for all its revelations, the book occasionally strains under its own enthusiasm. Some tangents on studio politics feel like obligatory detours, and while the prose is crisp, it leans a tad too heavily on breathless exclamations ("What a thrill!"). At 288 pages, it's concise, but cinephiles craving frame-by-frame breakdowns might wish for more visual aids or a filmography appendix.Still, Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece is a window worth lingering at—especially now, in our era of endless TikTok scrolls and Ring doorbell feeds, where Hitchcock's warning about "knowing too much" feels prophetic. O'Callaghan doesn't just chronicle a classic; she reminds us why it endures, pulling back the curtain on the human frailties that made a confined thriller feel boundless. Hitchcock fans will devour it like Jeff's pain pills; newcomers, take note: this is how you turn movie trivia into mesmerizing history. Four and a half broken legs out of five—compelling, if not quite vertigo-inducing.
August 8, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing -Citadel for an advance copy of this book which tells not only of the creation of a movie classic, but the effect the movie had on its creators, cast, and crew, the legacy of the movie, and why it is still important today.
We live in a time of remakes, homages, swipes and steals. For every original idea there are a thousand uses of the same idea. A movie about a person who sees something they shouldn't is not new, nor was it new almost seventy five years ago. The person tries to tell others, but no one believes him, friends, family, lovers, even the police. As the person investigates, bad things start to happen. Sounds like a Lifetime movie, or a streaming show. However Rear Window was far more than that. What Alfred Hitchcock did was make a movie where the audience was as complicit as the hero, watching others judging them through their open windows, maybe even feeling attraction. Until it went wrong. The movie has a hold over audiences, one that speaks much about us as a people. A true classic in many ways. And this book tells how it came about. Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age by Jennifer O'Callaghan is not only a behind the scenes story of the movie and its inception, and reception, but a look at Hollywood as it changed, the cast who made the film, and legacy the film still has, even after all these years.
The early 50's were not wine and roses, no matter how much people tend to romanticize it. Duck and cover was accepted survival policy for a nuclear war, many though were coming. Reds were everywhere, women and minorities lacked rights. Worst of all, at least to the Hollywood studios, no one was going to the movie theaters when they could watch television in their, or their friends homes. Alfred Hitchcock was also on a bit of down slide, with his last movies not doing as well critically or box office wise. Plus he was missing his muse, the Hitchcock damsel in distress that was so important to his films. Luckily he found a project, and a new muse in Grace Kelly. The film was Rear Window, a movie about murder, voyeurism, and romance, in the Hitchcock style. An elaborate set was created, new technology introduced, a leading man in Jimmy Stewart, and a classic film was created. However that is only the start of the story.
There have been a lot of books about HItchcock coming out recently, covering the women in his life, his movies and more. This one is probably the most comprehensive about the making of a movie, and his life after. I knew about the director from his collection of spooky tales, and his cameo in a book series I read as a boy, The Three Investigators. I never knew about his film or television work until much later, and am always surprised that there are movies I have not seen. I saw Rear Window years ago, but after reading this I have to watch it again. O'Callaghan does a great job of setting up how the movie was written and even more importantly the set, who was probably the lead character in the movie. A set so tall, they had to dig into the earth of the sound stage, causing the set to be drained from water that kept flooding it. Discussions about costumes, the radio packs that Hitchcock used to talk to his actors on his large set. Stories about the filming, the life of the cast after the film and how the film was locked away for years. O'Callaghan even goes into how films are restored, as Rear Window needed to be, an fascinating bit of information.
The book reads well, and is packed with information about the Golden years of Hollywood, and the sad ending of many of the cast. I really well done book I quite enjoyed. I look forward to more books by Jennifer O'Callaghan.
We live in a time of remakes, homages, swipes and steals. For every original idea there are a thousand uses of the same idea. A movie about a person who sees something they shouldn't is not new, nor was it new almost seventy five years ago. The person tries to tell others, but no one believes him, friends, family, lovers, even the police. As the person investigates, bad things start to happen. Sounds like a Lifetime movie, or a streaming show. However Rear Window was far more than that. What Alfred Hitchcock did was make a movie where the audience was as complicit as the hero, watching others judging them through their open windows, maybe even feeling attraction. Until it went wrong. The movie has a hold over audiences, one that speaks much about us as a people. A true classic in many ways. And this book tells how it came about. Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age by Jennifer O'Callaghan is not only a behind the scenes story of the movie and its inception, and reception, but a look at Hollywood as it changed, the cast who made the film, and legacy the film still has, even after all these years.
The early 50's were not wine and roses, no matter how much people tend to romanticize it. Duck and cover was accepted survival policy for a nuclear war, many though were coming. Reds were everywhere, women and minorities lacked rights. Worst of all, at least to the Hollywood studios, no one was going to the movie theaters when they could watch television in their, or their friends homes. Alfred Hitchcock was also on a bit of down slide, with his last movies not doing as well critically or box office wise. Plus he was missing his muse, the Hitchcock damsel in distress that was so important to his films. Luckily he found a project, and a new muse in Grace Kelly. The film was Rear Window, a movie about murder, voyeurism, and romance, in the Hitchcock style. An elaborate set was created, new technology introduced, a leading man in Jimmy Stewart, and a classic film was created. However that is only the start of the story.
There have been a lot of books about HItchcock coming out recently, covering the women in his life, his movies and more. This one is probably the most comprehensive about the making of a movie, and his life after. I knew about the director from his collection of spooky tales, and his cameo in a book series I read as a boy, The Three Investigators. I never knew about his film or television work until much later, and am always surprised that there are movies I have not seen. I saw Rear Window years ago, but after reading this I have to watch it again. O'Callaghan does a great job of setting up how the movie was written and even more importantly the set, who was probably the lead character in the movie. A set so tall, they had to dig into the earth of the sound stage, causing the set to be drained from water that kept flooding it. Discussions about costumes, the radio packs that Hitchcock used to talk to his actors on his large set. Stories about the filming, the life of the cast after the film and how the film was locked away for years. O'Callaghan even goes into how films are restored, as Rear Window needed to be, an fascinating bit of information.
The book reads well, and is packed with information about the Golden years of Hollywood, and the sad ending of many of the cast. I really well done book I quite enjoyed. I look forward to more books by Jennifer O'Callaghan.
July 14, 2025
Jennifer O'Callaghan, Rear Window The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age, Kensington Publishing | Citadel, September 2025.
Thank you, NetGallery, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
This is an enticing read, with Rear Window providing the core around which a host of detailed and information about areas which usually would be only of secondary interest are woven. However, here so much becomes of direct interest because of the deft linking of fields of interest beyond matters directly related to the production of Rear Window. Naturally, there is a focus on the set. Its role in achieving Hitchcock’s aim, both artistically and foiling the intransigence of the Production Code Administration Office using the Hays Code guidelines, is intrinsic to the work. However, not only Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart’s roles, before and after Rear Window, are discussed. Detail about their personalities, aspirations, and activities before and after the film is revealed. Directly relevant to the film, is Kelly’s wardrobe – the costumes, what they signified, and what happened to them. And so too, is the significance of the costume designer, Edith Head. However, her professional status, past and after Rear Window is also explored. Speculation about Hitchcock’s treatment of women, particularly Tippi Hedren, and the impact of #Me Too is covered, along with Hitchcock’s relationships with other cast members and crew. Understanding Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock and his directorial ability, the actors and the script is foremost. However, by the time the book is finished the analysis of Rear Window has served to provide exceptional insight into the world in which the film was made, its past and the future.
Accompanying text refers to the ‘eye-catching photographs’ which I cannot refer to as they are not available on my kindle version. Although there is no bibliography or citations, the acknowledgements cover the large and significant range of primary and secondary sources, including interviews with relevant authorities to a degree that gives this work the imprimatur of thoughtful authenticity.
Examples of the chapter titles are worth recounting as they depict faithfully the complexities that Jennifer O'Callaghan unearths. ‘Just a Little Neighbourhood’ conveys the closeness, voyeurism, intimate knowledge about relative strangers that will be the focus of the film. ‘Juggling Wolves in Hollywood’ covers, as expected the Production Code Association but also moves on to Dial M for Murder, the impact of television, Hitchcock’s shortcomings along with others and the impact on screenwriters, producers, and directors of the McCarthy period. Technical problems are also advanced as part of the difficulties of bringing Rear Window to fruition. As with all the succeeding chapters, the multitude of information is balanced and well organised.
The balance, organisation, and streamlining of events, information about personalities together with the ever-present Hitchcock and details about the film make for a wonderful read. Jennifer O'Callaghan has written an engrossing narrative, which reads almost as though she has employed the best of fictional writing while producing a non-fiction text.
Thank you, NetGallery, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
This is an enticing read, with Rear Window providing the core around which a host of detailed and information about areas which usually would be only of secondary interest are woven. However, here so much becomes of direct interest because of the deft linking of fields of interest beyond matters directly related to the production of Rear Window. Naturally, there is a focus on the set. Its role in achieving Hitchcock’s aim, both artistically and foiling the intransigence of the Production Code Administration Office using the Hays Code guidelines, is intrinsic to the work. However, not only Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart’s roles, before and after Rear Window, are discussed. Detail about their personalities, aspirations, and activities before and after the film is revealed. Directly relevant to the film, is Kelly’s wardrobe – the costumes, what they signified, and what happened to them. And so too, is the significance of the costume designer, Edith Head. However, her professional status, past and after Rear Window is also explored. Speculation about Hitchcock’s treatment of women, particularly Tippi Hedren, and the impact of #Me Too is covered, along with Hitchcock’s relationships with other cast members and crew. Understanding Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock and his directorial ability, the actors and the script is foremost. However, by the time the book is finished the analysis of Rear Window has served to provide exceptional insight into the world in which the film was made, its past and the future.
Accompanying text refers to the ‘eye-catching photographs’ which I cannot refer to as they are not available on my kindle version. Although there is no bibliography or citations, the acknowledgements cover the large and significant range of primary and secondary sources, including interviews with relevant authorities to a degree that gives this work the imprimatur of thoughtful authenticity.
Examples of the chapter titles are worth recounting as they depict faithfully the complexities that Jennifer O'Callaghan unearths. ‘Just a Little Neighbourhood’ conveys the closeness, voyeurism, intimate knowledge about relative strangers that will be the focus of the film. ‘Juggling Wolves in Hollywood’ covers, as expected the Production Code Association but also moves on to Dial M for Murder, the impact of television, Hitchcock’s shortcomings along with others and the impact on screenwriters, producers, and directors of the McCarthy period. Technical problems are also advanced as part of the difficulties of bringing Rear Window to fruition. As with all the succeeding chapters, the multitude of information is balanced and well organised.
The balance, organisation, and streamlining of events, information about personalities together with the ever-present Hitchcock and details about the film make for a wonderful read. Jennifer O'Callaghan has written an engrossing narrative, which reads almost as though she has employed the best of fictional writing while producing a non-fiction text.
October 14, 2025
The main strength of Jennifer O’Callaghan’s book on Rear Window is its thoroughness. Her Acknowledgments page lists a number of interviews she conducted—with James Stewart’s daughter, with three of Grace Kelly’s family and friends, with film restorers Jim Katz and Robert Harris, as well as with writer Joseph McBride and others. She clearly made an effort to find fresh information about a 71-year-old classic film as well as to research available insights from books and articles. All this she uses quite richly. She tells us that James Stewart earned profit points on Rear Window and that Thelma Ritter was the highest paid salaried actor ($25,694) on the film. At times, as it continues, the book takes on the traits of a partial biography of Hitchcock, at times of Stewart, and at times of Grace Kelly.
Fans of the film will excuse what other readers might call digressions and enjoy the branches of the discussion. O’Callaghan explores, for example, the restoration and re-issue of the film, Hitchcock’s AFI tribute a year before he died, the difficulty the director had earning respect as a serious filmmaker, screenwriter John Michael Hayes’s collaborations and later falling out with Hitchcock, the issue of the director’s mistreatment of women, Steven Spielberg’s frustrated efforts at age 19 to observe Hitchcock filming Torn Curtain and even later Family Plot (made after Spielberg was famous but still unsuccessful at getting to meet his idol).
Surprises turn up. James Stewart, in spite of his conservatism and age, loved The Graduate. Princess Grace, appearing at Stewart’s AFI tribute in 1980, looked out over the names on the backs of the chairs at a rehearsal and asked, “Who’s Tom Bosley?” O’Callaghan is excellent at using in-text attribution to tell us the sources of many of these comments. It will make some readers regret that she did not include a documentation section to do that job even better. The book devotes pages to Georgine Darcy (Miss Torso) but only gives two paragraphs to the Kuleshov effect (which could be explained better), Hitchcock’s beloved three-part editing strategy, but that only reveals that the book is meant for the general reader more than for film students and scholars. All in all, it is an impressive job. If you, like me, have been fascinated with Rear Window since seeing it and re-seeing it as a young person, you will want this book and will savor reading it. I got a reading copy from Netgalley and am ordering a hard copy to have for future re-reading
Fans of the film will excuse what other readers might call digressions and enjoy the branches of the discussion. O’Callaghan explores, for example, the restoration and re-issue of the film, Hitchcock’s AFI tribute a year before he died, the difficulty the director had earning respect as a serious filmmaker, screenwriter John Michael Hayes’s collaborations and later falling out with Hitchcock, the issue of the director’s mistreatment of women, Steven Spielberg’s frustrated efforts at age 19 to observe Hitchcock filming Torn Curtain and even later Family Plot (made after Spielberg was famous but still unsuccessful at getting to meet his idol).
Surprises turn up. James Stewart, in spite of his conservatism and age, loved The Graduate. Princess Grace, appearing at Stewart’s AFI tribute in 1980, looked out over the names on the backs of the chairs at a rehearsal and asked, “Who’s Tom Bosley?” O’Callaghan is excellent at using in-text attribution to tell us the sources of many of these comments. It will make some readers regret that she did not include a documentation section to do that job even better. The book devotes pages to Georgine Darcy (Miss Torso) but only gives two paragraphs to the Kuleshov effect (which could be explained better), Hitchcock’s beloved three-part editing strategy, but that only reveals that the book is meant for the general reader more than for film students and scholars. All in all, it is an impressive job. If you, like me, have been fascinated with Rear Window since seeing it and re-seeing it as a young person, you will want this book and will savor reading it. I got a reading copy from Netgalley and am ordering a hard copy to have for future re-reading
September 30, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley, Citadel, and Tantor Media for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
When I was in middle school, I started watching Alfred Hitchcock films. My best friend’s family had a small selection of films they had on VHS (I did not have a VCR at my house), and they had the Grace Kelly/Alfred Hitchcock trio: Dial M For Murder, To Catch a Thief, and Rear Window. While I loved all the films, it was Rear Window that I never tired of.
This book does a deep dive into not only the film, but the principle’s lives as well. There are plenty of biographical stories involving Hitchcock, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr. Also included in this book are all the technical details of filming on such a large set. After all, a three-story building was constructed meant to resemble Greenwich Village in New York City.
There are many well-known stories about the making of the film, but there are also plenty of lesser-known anecdotes. And that’s what makes this book work. I’ve read a ton of books on Hitchcock, Grace Kelly, and Jimmy Stewart, but there were some new stories about them and the making of the film that I had never heard of.
The last 1/3 of the book is a look at how Rear Window was received years after the film was released. For those not old enough to remember, in the 1960s and 1970s, there were occasional re-releases into theaters, and in some cases, shown on TV, but Hitchcock rarely did that with his films. It was only after his death and the rise of VCRs in the 1980s that Rear Window became even bigger than when the film was first released in 1954. That time period coincides with my burgeoning obsession with Hitchcock films.
Also included in the book are the trajectories of the principal people involved in the film. Hitchcock’s entire post-Rear Window life is examined, including the creepy vibes he gave off to his leading ladies. Tippi Hedren even accused Hitch of sexually assaulting her. Yet, despite the allegations, for the most part, the “master of suspense” and his films have largely remained unscathed, even in the #MeeToo era.
The audiobook was narrated by Christine Williams; she has a very pleasant voice and her delivery was excellent. I was already interested in the subject matter, and the time flew by as I listened to the book. I’d definitely listen to another book narrated by her.
When I was in middle school, I started watching Alfred Hitchcock films. My best friend’s family had a small selection of films they had on VHS (I did not have a VCR at my house), and they had the Grace Kelly/Alfred Hitchcock trio: Dial M For Murder, To Catch a Thief, and Rear Window. While I loved all the films, it was Rear Window that I never tired of.
This book does a deep dive into not only the film, but the principle’s lives as well. There are plenty of biographical stories involving Hitchcock, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr. Also included in this book are all the technical details of filming on such a large set. After all, a three-story building was constructed meant to resemble Greenwich Village in New York City.
There are many well-known stories about the making of the film, but there are also plenty of lesser-known anecdotes. And that’s what makes this book work. I’ve read a ton of books on Hitchcock, Grace Kelly, and Jimmy Stewart, but there were some new stories about them and the making of the film that I had never heard of.
The last 1/3 of the book is a look at how Rear Window was received years after the film was released. For those not old enough to remember, in the 1960s and 1970s, there were occasional re-releases into theaters, and in some cases, shown on TV, but Hitchcock rarely did that with his films. It was only after his death and the rise of VCRs in the 1980s that Rear Window became even bigger than when the film was first released in 1954. That time period coincides with my burgeoning obsession with Hitchcock films.
Also included in the book are the trajectories of the principal people involved in the film. Hitchcock’s entire post-Rear Window life is examined, including the creepy vibes he gave off to his leading ladies. Tippi Hedren even accused Hitch of sexually assaulting her. Yet, despite the allegations, for the most part, the “master of suspense” and his films have largely remained unscathed, even in the #MeeToo era.
The audiobook was narrated by Christine Williams; she has a very pleasant voice and her delivery was excellent. I was already interested in the subject matter, and the time flew by as I listened to the book. I’d definitely listen to another book narrated by her.
September 23, 2025
Rear Window - or the history of film, really, by Jennifer O'Callaghan and narrated by Christine Williams is an intriguing unveiling of how a film - a very good film - was a precursor to the sensor code starting to wither on the vine. This book's relevancy is helped by the fact that the actress, who became a princess was, for a very short time, a true star, the lead actor was part of Hollywood's Golden Age and the director's reputation - personal and professional - remains a source of interest 45 years after his death. Thanks Tantor Media and NetGalley for the ARC.
We all know the film's story, or at least, if you're reading this, you likely should. James Stewart's confirmed bachelor status is uprooted by Grace Kelly's visits. Jeff (Stewart) can't commit until the thorny mystery of a potential murder is solved, which Lisa (Kelly) ends up being involved in. To quote my beloved Desperate Housewives, I mean, how much do we really know about our neighbours? This remains the precursor.
O'Callaghan, however, has put her years of film study to great effect. There's several chapters about the pre- and production of the film, followed by the film managing to become a source of inspiration, after it was put out of circulation for a few few decades, by other directors and artists. O'Callaghan summarises how the cast and crew lived throughout their lives (Hitch's desires are put under the microscope, of course) before an engaging chapter on how Rear Window is what we're living through now with social media. It's not exactly the same but it's framed however you like with Rear Window, as the film seems to have a blueprint on what voyeurism is.
O'Callaghan, however, has put her years of film study to great effect. There's several chapters about the pre- and production of the film, followed by the film managing to become a source of inspiration, after it was put out of circulation for a few few decades, by other directors and artists. O'Callaghan summarises how the cast and crew lived throughout their lives (Hitch's desires are put under the microscope, of course) before an engaging chapter on how Rear Window is what we're living through now with social media. It's not exactly the same but it's framed however you like with Rear Window, as the film seems to have a blueprint on what voyeurism is.
We all know the film's story, or at least, if you're reading this, you likely should. James Stewart's confirmed bachelor status is uprooted by Grace Kelly's visits. Jeff (Stewart) can't commit until the thorny mystery of a potential murder is solved, which Lisa (Kelly) ends up being involved in. To quote my beloved Desperate Housewives, I mean, how much do we really know about our neighbours? This remains the precursor.
O'Callaghan, however, has put her years of film study to great effect. There's several chapters about the pre- and production of the film, followed by the film managing to become a source of inspiration, after it was put out of circulation for a few few decades, by other directors and artists. O'Callaghan summarises how the cast and crew lived throughout their lives (Hitch's desires are put under the microscope, of course) before an engaging chapter on how Rear Window is what we're living through now with social media. It's not exactly the same but it's framed however you like with Rear Window, as the film seems to have a blueprint on what voyeurism is.
O'Callaghan, however, has put her years of film study to great effect. There's several chapters about the pre- and production of the film, followed by the film managing to become a source of inspiration, after it was put out of circulation for a few few decades, by other directors and artists. O'Callaghan summarises how the cast and crew lived throughout their lives (Hitch's desires are put under the microscope, of course) before an engaging chapter on how Rear Window is what we're living through now with social media. It's not exactly the same but it's framed however you like with Rear Window, as the film seems to have a blueprint on what voyeurism is.
October 3, 2025
I do not typically read non-fiction. However, I make this exception for anything having to do with Rear Window (and Hitchcock in particular). I find the mythos surrounding Hitchcock (for better or worse) and his films to be infinitely interesting and Rear Window is one of my favorite movies.
I remember when I first watched it, just being so taken in by the setting and how it's filmed. Now, normally I don't go into movies with that kind of eye. I simply enjoy, but there's no denying it is a strikingly and cleverly shot film.
Everything kind of circles around the production. Like Rear Window itself is the base of the tree and the branches are the actors, Hitchcock himself, the dynamic of Hollywood at the time, etc.
We get a well-rounded account of what was happening outside of and leading up to Rear Window and how that influenced decisions on the movie.
After the fact, we see how the movie impacted those involved who would go on to other (and sometimes greater) things.
The book did tend to almost talk in circles and lacked a linear direction. At any given time we might be talking about a moment on set or about Grace Kelly's wedding a couple of years later then to her tragic death and back again.
When the story would drift, I found myself doing so as well to the point where I would almost forget where the chapter started and the point it was trying to convey.
Besides this, I thought it was a very interesting look at the movie and its impact which I honestly never really sat down connecting the dots before. I especially enjoyed the moments that talked about the restoration and the various re-releases throughout the decades showing how relevancy can continue to be found for its subject matter and stylistic choices.
Although Rear Window is posited here as Hitchcock's centrifugal masterpiece from which his other works radiate out and around, I'm very interested to read about more of Hitchcock's classics - of which there are many. I do appreciate that Jennifer O'Callaghan doesn't shy away from brining up his other films - especially considering the people he worked with on Rear Window (i.e. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly) also worked on other films with the director - but here Rear Window is the star.
I remember when I first watched it, just being so taken in by the setting and how it's filmed. Now, normally I don't go into movies with that kind of eye. I simply enjoy, but there's no denying it is a strikingly and cleverly shot film.
Everything kind of circles around the production. Like Rear Window itself is the base of the tree and the branches are the actors, Hitchcock himself, the dynamic of Hollywood at the time, etc.
We get a well-rounded account of what was happening outside of and leading up to Rear Window and how that influenced decisions on the movie.
After the fact, we see how the movie impacted those involved who would go on to other (and sometimes greater) things.
The book did tend to almost talk in circles and lacked a linear direction. At any given time we might be talking about a moment on set or about Grace Kelly's wedding a couple of years later then to her tragic death and back again.
When the story would drift, I found myself doing so as well to the point where I would almost forget where the chapter started and the point it was trying to convey.
Besides this, I thought it was a very interesting look at the movie and its impact which I honestly never really sat down connecting the dots before. I especially enjoyed the moments that talked about the restoration and the various re-releases throughout the decades showing how relevancy can continue to be found for its subject matter and stylistic choices.
Although Rear Window is posited here as Hitchcock's centrifugal masterpiece from which his other works radiate out and around, I'm very interested to read about more of Hitchcock's classics - of which there are many. I do appreciate that Jennifer O'Callaghan doesn't shy away from brining up his other films - especially considering the people he worked with on Rear Window (i.e. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly) also worked on other films with the director - but here Rear Window is the star.
September 20, 2025
A cool history of a masterpiece of a film, how it came about and why it is a masterpiece, if also tending towards a high schooler trying to nail a page count on a term paper.
This book is a history of the movie Rear Window. Starting with the biographies of the people who made it, it starts with the story that would inspire the movie and tells the story through casting, production, post-production, reception, and re-reception.
Overall pretty neat. It is accessible and covers a lot of ground. Most interesting is the portrait of the director, Alfred Hitchcock, whom the author treats as someone who had a sort of vision for realizing what could be, not only in a filmic sense but also with actors and staff, an ability to see what someone was capable of, not what they were doing. While the book touches on the recent negative views of his sketchy behavior, it remains on his side, at most alleging a sort of change in his personality as he aged to explain the difference in how actors viewed working with him (to which I think that there are some unexamined cracks, but I am not one to turn down a contrarian take).
This is one of those books where the weakness is the strength. The author takes a highly broad view of what should be included in a book about the film. Some are pretty interesting digressions, like the story about the rights to the original story, or the quirky turns that some of the minor character's lives would take. Others are boring to tenuous, particularly when getting deep into Stuart and Kelly's biographies and more general discussions about movies. Some are plain wrong or grievously unexplored, specifically the attempt to bring Rear Window into reckoning with modern life and technology. Basically, it sometimes feels like the author was being paid by the word and so felt justified talking about anything even casually related to the film.
Overall though it is one of those what it says on the tin books, and contains enough info to satisfy any interested party.
My thanks to the author, Jennifer O'Callaghan, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Kensington Publishing, for making the ARC available to me.
This book is a history of the movie Rear Window. Starting with the biographies of the people who made it, it starts with the story that would inspire the movie and tells the story through casting, production, post-production, reception, and re-reception.
Overall pretty neat. It is accessible and covers a lot of ground. Most interesting is the portrait of the director, Alfred Hitchcock, whom the author treats as someone who had a sort of vision for realizing what could be, not only in a filmic sense but also with actors and staff, an ability to see what someone was capable of, not what they were doing. While the book touches on the recent negative views of his sketchy behavior, it remains on his side, at most alleging a sort of change in his personality as he aged to explain the difference in how actors viewed working with him (to which I think that there are some unexamined cracks, but I am not one to turn down a contrarian take).
This is one of those books where the weakness is the strength. The author takes a highly broad view of what should be included in a book about the film. Some are pretty interesting digressions, like the story about the rights to the original story, or the quirky turns that some of the minor character's lives would take. Others are boring to tenuous, particularly when getting deep into Stuart and Kelly's biographies and more general discussions about movies. Some are plain wrong or grievously unexplored, specifically the attempt to bring Rear Window into reckoning with modern life and technology. Basically, it sometimes feels like the author was being paid by the word and so felt justified talking about anything even casually related to the film.
Overall though it is one of those what it says on the tin books, and contains enough info to satisfy any interested party.
My thanks to the author, Jennifer O'Callaghan, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Kensington Publishing, for making the ARC available to me.
October 1, 2025
I had high hopes going into this book as a long time Hitchcock buff. The sections about the making and casting of the film, the development of the set (and what a set!) are fascinating. It also shines in depiction of how the film came together and the influence of the film into the present day. The work tends to fall apart a little bit at the end where the author ties to the Me Too movement and other contemporary events. Over the long term, I believe these will result in dating the book. Also, despite acknowledgements of using archives and multiple sources, it lacks a bibliography or any form of footnoting. This is important because if you've read more than one book on the life and films of Alfred Hitchcock, you might be aware of how controversial the Donald Spoto (alluded to in this book) can be. Not everyone embraces it. I prefer Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light by Patrick McGilligan as an example, finding it more balanced. This work is shorter and easy to read but does meander a little bit. Nevertheless, Hitchcock fans may enjoy another chance to revisit this favorite film from his Golden Age. I received this review copy courtesy of Kensington Books via the Goodreads Giveaway. #goodreadsgiveaway #KensingtonBooks #Citadel
July 23, 2025
This is a deep look into arguably the best director’s possibly best film. I remember watching Rear Window as a child (after reading this book, I now know that it must have been the 1983 reissue) and understanding the magic of movies. O'Callaghan discussed its creation with the descendants of many of the people involved. From the building of the set (you don’t think about how elaborate it is, considering it’s effortless), to the casting, the writing of the screenplay and Hitch’s unfailing direction. The author includes the background of the main team, how they got to the point in their careers that made this masterpiece possible; as well as what happened to them after its completion. We all know how Grace Kelly became a real princess, but what happened to “Miss Torso” or to costume designer Edith Head? A few lines are also included about the business side of this, as well as the life of the movie itself. Any casual movie fan will enjoy it, but it will bring immeasurable pleasure to Hitchcock fans.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Kensington Publishing | Citadel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Kensington Publishing | Citadel.
June 12, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Citadel Press Books/Kensington Publishing Corp. for the opportunity to read "Rear Window: The Making of a Hitchcock Masterpiece in the Hollywood Golden Age" in exchange for my honest opinion.
Ms. O'Callaghan has captured the essence of this film with descriptions that will have the movie playing in your head as you read her words. We learn that the movie was based on Cornell Woolrich's "It Had To Be Murder". The process behind the movie from first idea until the credits rolled on the finished film are described in wonderful detail. How the casting behind Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr came about. How the set cost an unheard of $72,000 to build in 1953.
There are beautiful descriptions of the fantastic wardrobe that Grace Kelly wore in the film, her elegance and professionalism.
We also learn about the Productions Codes of the time, censorship and the McCarthy Era
Highly recommend this books to fans of "Rear Window" and any of Hitchcock's films.
Ms. O'Callaghan has captured the essence of this film with descriptions that will have the movie playing in your head as you read her words. We learn that the movie was based on Cornell Woolrich's "It Had To Be Murder". The process behind the movie from first idea until the credits rolled on the finished film are described in wonderful detail. How the casting behind Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly and Raymond Burr came about. How the set cost an unheard of $72,000 to build in 1953.
There are beautiful descriptions of the fantastic wardrobe that Grace Kelly wore in the film, her elegance and professionalism.
We also learn about the Productions Codes of the time, censorship and the McCarthy Era
Highly recommend this books to fans of "Rear Window" and any of Hitchcock's films.
October 5, 2025
I’m a Jimmy Stewart and and Alfred Hitchcockmovie fan and have watched the Rear Window many times, but I had no idea what was involved with creating it. I don’t know much about the movie industry so reading what it took to get the the movie green lit, fighting for the script, the casting, the costumes, and the set, the PR and many other aspects of getting a movie made was just fascinating. I didn’t realize how this was seen as a provocative movie and in what they had to do to get through the censors. It also gave insight into Hitchcock and the stars. It was interesting to read about Grace Kelly’s wedding with tidbits about why Edith Head didn’t make her wedding dress. Very interesting look at 1950s Hollywood.
Thank you to the author, Citadel Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Thank you to the author, Citadel Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
October 12, 2025
I’m a big fan of Hitchcock films; in many ways ahead of their time. Hitchcock was something if an enigma with quirks and directing style that was very particular. But he created some timeless classics and Rear Window is among them. This book is a real look behind the scenes, not only at the film, but the whole movie industry at that time, how his films were made and the relationship between the stars, director, movie company and more. I listened to the Audio version, exceptionally well narrated throughout. It’s provided real insight and I’ll watch the film again from a completely different perspective. It’s a must for any film buff ( there’s loads if fascinating trivia) but it’s also of social history interest as it reflects a bygone time within living memory. A truly riveting read.
September 15, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Citadel for the eARC!
Rear Window is one of my favorite movies, and so I was immediately enchanted when I saw this book. I think it does a great job of telling the story of Rear Window, but it does also wander down roads that felt unnecessary. While it was nice to hear a little bit about the actors, I'm not sure full biographies were needed, especially since the treatment of Grace Kelly took up a large chunk of the book (and only sort of tied back to Rear Window).
I did really appreciate the layout - chapter broken into smaller chunks made the text flow easily and made it feel like you were quickly making progress in the book.
Rear Window is one of my favorite movies, and so I was immediately enchanted when I saw this book. I think it does a great job of telling the story of Rear Window, but it does also wander down roads that felt unnecessary. While it was nice to hear a little bit about the actors, I'm not sure full biographies were needed, especially since the treatment of Grace Kelly took up a large chunk of the book (and only sort of tied back to Rear Window).
I did really appreciate the layout - chapter broken into smaller chunks made the text flow easily and made it feel like you were quickly making progress in the book.
October 10, 2025
A book about the making of Rear Window that often seems uninterested in the making of Rear Window. There is a good setup here, particularly in the development of the gigantic set of the film, but the author veers off into tangents more and more often. She dotes on the life of Grace Kelly to the point of making a person wonder if that's the subject she really wanted to cover. Rear Window is one of the greatest movies of all time. I still remember the way the audience responded at a showing back in the 1980s as one of the best times I ever had at a cinema. It deserves all the attention it gets. This book is just OK, but you're left wanting more.
December 22, 2025
A history rather than “making of”
“Making of” is a bit of a misnomer. In the days of film, little time was wasted taking behind the scenes shots. No one foresaw the value of documenting the movie making. Little remains except some reminiscences and a few photos.
This is a well written history of the film, chock full of biographies, plus the impact of the movie on the actors’ lives and the film industry. I would have loved to have seen even more pictures and have them integrated throughout the book rather than a gallery at the end.
If you love film study, this is a place to start on this masterpiece.
“Making of” is a bit of a misnomer. In the days of film, little time was wasted taking behind the scenes shots. No one foresaw the value of documenting the movie making. Little remains except some reminiscences and a few photos.
This is a well written history of the film, chock full of biographies, plus the impact of the movie on the actors’ lives and the film industry. I would have loved to have seen even more pictures and have them integrated throughout the book rather than a gallery at the end.
If you love film study, this is a place to start on this masterpiece.
September 28, 2025
An informative and entertaining read not only about the movie Rear Window, but Alfred Hitchcock himself. I enjoyed how the author took us completely through the process of making Rear Window. She also covers the lives of the main characters and some of the secondary characters in relation to being in this movie. She touches upon how censorship for movies has changed over the years and how it affected Rear Window at it’s time. Lots of detailed information delivered in an easy reading style. I highly recommend.
My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.
My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.
October 4, 2025
Thank you to Kensignton Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!
I'm trying so hard to get more into reading nonfiction and figured this would be a good one to start with because I love Rear Window, but I just couldn't get into it and ended up skimming most of the book.
It's a good read if you're into cinema history but I feel like I would have liked this more if it was just focused on the casting and production of the film, and therefore would have been a shorter book and then I could read a memoir about Grace Kelly and James Stewart if I wanted.
I'm trying so hard to get more into reading nonfiction and figured this would be a good one to start with because I love Rear Window, but I just couldn't get into it and ended up skimming most of the book.
It's a good read if you're into cinema history but I feel like I would have liked this more if it was just focused on the casting and production of the film, and therefore would have been a shorter book and then I could read a memoir about Grace Kelly and James Stewart if I wanted.
November 3, 2025
It's entertaining to look back, it's a great movie and twas a great time for movies ... To make an entire book of Rear Window the author made a bunch of "connections" some perfectly logical, some quite a stretch ... The parts about the people in the movie are the best parts, the parts attempting to define the movie's legacy and its relation to the modern world are a labor ... I wanna say that they "don't make movies like that any more," but since no one goes to the movies today and I personally haven't been to a theatre in 30 years, maybe they do and we/I just don't know about it
August 28, 2025
I was able to read a copy of this through NetGalley.
Overall, this was a very engaging and insightful read. The chapters being broke up into short-ish sections made it easy to read over the course of a few days and it was well organized.
I wish that the section on the legacy/influence of Rear Window had been expanded upon. That being said, the actual making of the film took up over half of the book length, which seems like the proper amount of space to devote to it.
Overall, this was a very engaging and insightful read. The chapters being broke up into short-ish sections made it easy to read over the course of a few days and it was well organized.
I wish that the section on the legacy/influence of Rear Window had been expanded upon. That being said, the actual making of the film took up over half of the book length, which seems like the proper amount of space to devote to it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews