Greatest movies of all time

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” launches Burlington Capitol Theater’s Classic American Movie Series this week. Show times are 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Capitol Theater, 211 N. Third St., downtown Burlington. Great River Health Systems sponsors the series. Each month, the theater will show a selection from the American Film Institute’s “100 Greatest American Films.” A jury of 1,500 artists, critics and historians created the list in 1997. The institute updates the list every 10 years. “Rear Window” ranks as the 48th greatest American movie in the institute’s current rankings.

 Released in 1954, “Rear Window” stars James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. The movie tells the story of photojournalist L.B. Jeffries (Stewart), confined to his sweltering courtyard apartment with a broken leg. Between visits from his nurse (Ritter) and his girlfriend (Kelly), the binocular-wielding Jefferies spies on the activities in the other courtyard apartments from his rear window. Of particular interest are mild-mannered salesman Lars Thorwald (Burr) and his nagging, invalid wife. One afternoon, Thorwald pulls down his window shade, and his wife's incessant braying halts. Jeffries casually concocts the notion that Thorwald murdered his wife and disposed of her body. The more Jeffries considers this, the more he believes it to be true.

Besides the Classic American Movie Series, the Capitol Theater also offers an Independent Film Series every Thursday at 7 p.m. This series gives audiences the chance to see new award-winning independent films. Upcoming independent films include:

“Madame Presidenta: Why Not Us?,” July 23

“The Wanted 18,” July 30

 Admission to either the Classic American Movie Series or the Independent Film Series is $7 per person. For more information, call the Burlington Capitol Theater