History Film / RearWindow

* BookEnds: The film begins and ends with Jeff resting in his wheelchair, except in the end, both of his legs are in cast.

* KickTheDog: Subverted. Jeff and the neighbors fear for the dog because it messes with Thorwald's flowers, and he's a murderer. When he first encounters the dog digging in his flower bed, however, he gently shoos it away. [[spoiler:The dog later turns up dead, however, and Jeff immediately identifies Thorwald as the killer from his reaction]].

* IncriminatingIndifference: Jeff and Lisa have begun to have doubts about Thorwald's guilt until they notice his reaction--that is ''none at all''--to the woman hysterically shrieking about her murdered dog--everyone else comes to their window to see what the fuss is all about while he continues to smoke in his dark apartment.

* InterruptedSuicide: Miss Lonelyhearts sets a fistful of pills beside a glass of water by her bedside, sits down with a Bible, and later can be seen writing something out at her desk. Jeff doesn't catch on until it's almost too late and calls the cops. [[spoiler:Luckily, she's inspired by the Composer's music to call it off]].
* KickTheDog: Subverted. Jeff and the neighbors fear for the dog because it messes with Thorwald's flowers, and he's a murderer. When he first encounters the dog digging in his flower bed, however, he gently shoos it away. [[spoiler:The dog later turns up dead, however, and Jeff immediately identifies Thorwald as the killer]].

** Thorwald gets blinded by Jeff's flashbulbs four times in a row. After the first time, you'd expect that he'd know what was about to happen when Jeff swaps out a new bulb, slaps his hand over his eyes, and holds up his camera. Instead, Thorwald stops, winces, adjusts his glasses and waits for his eyes to recover each and every time.

* IncriminatingIndifference: Jeff and Lisa have begun to have doubts about Thorwald's guilt when they notice his reaction--that is ''none at all''--to the woman hysterically shrieking about her murdered dog--everyone else comes to their window to see what the fuss is all about while he continues to smoke in his dark apartment.

* MaybeEverAfter: Jeff and Lisa are a couple at the end - the question is whether they are going to last. Early on, Jeff says that their relationship can't work out, because their lifestyles are too different. Lisa can't really counter this, but they still remain together. The ending scene shows the ambiguity of their future; Lisa is wearing a shirt and pants instead of her earlier, impractical high fashion outfits, and she reads a book called ''Beyond the High Himalayas.'' However, once she notices that Jeff has fallen asleep, she trades the for a fashion magazine and smiles, suggesting that she hasn't quite given up on her fashionista lifestyle.

* MsFanservice: One of Jeff's neighbours, "Miss Torso," is a ballet dancer, who dances around in her bra and panties.

* RearWindowInvestigation: The TropeNamer. Lisa sneaks into Thorwald's apartment while is is out to look for evidence to prove Jeff's theory.
* RearWindowWitness: The TropeNamer. Jeff is laid up with a broken leg and sees enough to make him suspect that his neighbour has murdered his wife. Later he can only watch as the might-be killer returns to the apartment while his girlfriend is searching it.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: The woman who's dog gets killed is so distraught that one of her neighbors is likely responsible that she directs an angry rant at the entire apartment block:

* UglyGuyHotWife: The pretty ballet dancer who has spent the film fending off the advances of several male model types is seen happily welcoming home her chubby, bespectacled lover at the end of the movie.* UnlimitedWardrobe: Lisa, even lampshaded.

* UglyGuyHotWife: The pretty ballet dancer who has spent the film fending off the advances of several male model types is seen happily welcoming home her chubby, bespectacled lover at the end of the movie.
* UnbuiltTrope: Lisa wasn't a very common female name in America at the time (in fact, this film seems to have contributed to its future popularity), so at the time the European pronunciation "Leeza" was more common and that's what gets used in the film.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: Lisa, even lampshaded.

* TheHecateSisters: Lisa is the maiden, as Jeff's perky, beautiful, and [[EverybodyLovesBlondes blonde]] girlfriend. Stella is the mother/matron as the nurse who is tasked with looking after Jeff. Thorwald's nagging and unwanted wife is the crone. (Stella has the positive qualities of the crone, kindness and snarkiness).

* ConvictionByCounterfactualClue: Lisa argues to Jeff that no woman would go on a trip and leave her wedding ring behind, and he agrees. So when [[spoiler:Lisa finds Anna Thorwald's ring in the Thorwald apartment, this is seen as irrefutable evidence something has happened to her, and even the previously incredulous Doyle is now convinced Lars Thorwald may have murdered his wife.]] In real life, there might be numerous reason why someone wouldn't wear their wedding ring, especially if they're going through marital strife, as was the case with Mrs. Thorwald. That said, it's downplayed somewhat by not being clinching proof -- it's just Jeff showing Doyle he needs to look deeper. Also, Jeff points out there would be no need for Thorwald's wife to call him if she'd just telegrammed him. None of this is definitive, but it would likely be enough probable cause for Doyle to question Thorwald, who would probably break pretty easily.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Miss Lonely Hearts wears a ''dark'' green dress on an especially bad night for her--she brings a man home, but he tries to rape her. She wears a ''light'' green one at the film's conclusion as she and the composer are hitting it off.

* ConvictionByCounterfactualClue: Lisa argues to Jeff that no woman would go on a trip and leave her wedding ring behind, and he agrees. So when [[spoiler: Lisa finds Anna Thorwald's ring in the Thorwald apartment, this is seen as irrefutable evidence something has happened to her, and even the previously incredulous Doyle is now convinced Lars Thorwald may have murdered his wife.]] In real life, there might be numerous reason why someone wouldn't wear their wedding ring, especially if they're going through marital strife, as was the case with Mrs. Thorwald. That said, it's downplayed somewhat by not being clinching proof -- it's just Jeff showing Doyle he needs to look deeper. Also, Jeff points out there would be no need for Thorwald's wife to call him if she'd just telegrammed him. None of this is definitive, but it would likely be enough probable cause for Doyle to question Thorwald, who would probably break pretty easily.

* HenpeckedHusband: A running theme. Jeff notes that the Thorwalds across the street consist of a nagging wife and her husband. He claims that all women inevitably start nagging when they get married, and he fears that Lisa will do the same should he marry her. Doyle seems perpetually unenthusiastic about returning home to his wife. When he wryly claims that modern women don't "nag," they "discuss," it sounds like he's repeating something his wife told him. In the end, we see that the young newlywed wife across the way has already started nagging her husband.[[note]]Granted, he apparently quit his job before they married and didn't tell her, which would give her a valid reason to be cross.[[/note]]

-->'''Lisa''': You and me with long faces, plunged into despair because we find out a man ''didn't'' kill his wife. We're two of the most frightening ghouls I've ever known. You'd think we could be a little bit happier that the poor woman is alive and well. Whatever happened to that old saying: "Love thy neighbor"?

* NoNameGiven: Jeff's first name is never revealed, and neither is Stella's last name. Aside from Thorwald, none of the people living in the apartment are given names either, only nick names such as "Miss Torso" or "Miss Lonely-Hearts."

* PairTheSpares: [[spoiler: Miss Lonely-Hearts and Songwriter, who spent the whole movie bemoaning their lack of luck at love,]] meet and fall in love at the end.

* RedheadInGreen: Miss Lonely-Hearts has auburn hair and tends to wear green dresses in the film.

* ShadowArchetype: Miss Torso and Miss Lonely-Hearts are this to Lisa, and she draws a comparison between them. Many of the movements Miss Lonely-Hearts makes are similar to Lisa's in the same scene, and Lisa empathizes with Miss Torso fending off advances of "wolves."

--> '''Lisa''': (removing jacket) Why don't I slip into something more comfortable?\\
'''Jeff''': Oh, by all means.\\
'''Lisa''': I mean like the kitchen and make us some coffee.

--> '''Lisa''': Preview of coming attractions.

--> '''Jeff''': I wonder if it is ethical to watch a man with binoculars and a long focus lens. Do you, do you suppose it's ethical even if you prove that he didn't commit a crime?\\