If you go to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, you likely know that James Stewart was born and raised in Indiana before embarking on his legendary acting career. Stewart was known for having great pride in his hometown and visited it many times over the years, including in 1959 when the local airport was renamed after him, and in September 1974 to receive an Honorary Degree of Letters from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Indiana is even home to the Jimmy Stewart Museum.
With the fall season upon us and winter on the horizon, it is a great time to enjoy some of Stewart’s best movies, including some of my personal favorites:
Rope (1948)
This psychological crime thriller is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and centers on Brandon (John Dall) and Phillip (Farley Granger) who murder their old classmate to prove their intellectual superiority, stash his body in a trunk, and then host a dinner party on the trunk. The roommates invite their former prep school headmaster, Rupert Cadell (Stewart), to their party and he grows increasingly suspicious of what is transpiring. You will have to watch for yourself to see if Rupert is actually partially guilty. This film is famous for its use of hidden cuts, making it look like one continuous shot (remarkable for 1948). Check out D. A. Miller’s 2013 essay “Hitchcock’s Understyle: A Too-Close View of Rope” for a close analysis of Hitchcock’s crafty cinematography and technical perfectionism. This movie marked the first of four collaborations between Hitchcock and Stewart.
Rear Window (1954)
In this thriller film directed and produced by Hitchcock, Stewart stars alongside Grace Kelly as a photojournalist who breaks his leg and, while recuperating beside his window, resorts to spying on his neighbors. Stewart as L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies comes to suspect his neighbor has murdered his wife, and so begins the suspense. This film has led to numerous modern remakes and loosely reimagined versions, but nothing tops the original.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
This film is yet another suspense thriller directed and produced by none other than Alfred Hitchcock and starring Stewart as American doctor Ben McKenna. Ben is vacationing in French Morocco with his wife Jo (Doris Day) and their son, Hank. The couple meet a mysterious man, Louis Bernard, who is soon after stabbed in the back, leaving Ben with his dying words. Ben goes to the police, but then receives a call that his son is kidnapped and harm will come to him if Ben reveals the secret message to the authorities. Ben and his wife must race against time to save their son and try to stop an assassination plot. This film is a remake of Hitchcock’s 1934 film of the same name and it features Doris Day singing her memorable song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”
Vertigo (1958)
Another psychological thriller directed and produced by Hitchcock and starring Stewart as John “Scottie” Ferguson alongside Kim Novak as Madeleine Elster. Scottie has retired from being a police detective due to acrophobia and vertigo, but he is hired as a private investigator to follow an acquaintance’s wife (yes, more voyeurism), leading to an obsession first with Madeleine and then with her lookalike, Judy Barton. Illusions abound, and you will have to watch the film to find out the connection Madeleine and Judy have with one another.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
You knew this one was coming….this is probably Stewart’s most famous film since it is shown every Christmas Eve. Stewart stars as George Bailey, someone who has sacrificed his own dreams to help others. George finds himself contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve, faced with a financial discrepancy that means ruin for his business, but an angel intervenes to show him the value of his life. This film is not directed by Hitchcock but instead Frank Capra (shocking, I know), and stars Donna Reed as George’s wife. It’s a classic for a reason!
The new biopic Jimmy, directed by Aaron Burns and starring Keneti James Fitzgerald “KJ” Apa as Stewart, is set to hit theaters nationwide starting November 6th, so now is the time to watch (or rewatch) some of Stewart’s most notable films. Happy viewing!