In this Hitchcock movie, the amiable but earnest Jimmy Stewart is confined to his New York apartment by a broken leg and thinks he has witnessed a murder. Sitting at his window he sees nearly all the activities in the apartments opposite. The gorgeous Grace Kelly is sceptical but gamely volunteers to help him with his investigations.
It's a wonderful cross-section of New York life, capturing the mundane and the personal touches of lives across the way.
And it really isn't clear whether he has witnessed a murder, as there could be other explanations for what he has seen.
The major delight of this movie is the way in which Hitchcock builds up the suspense. One of the minor delights is the way it portrays everyday life, including people having their meals.
What would it be like if they put the movie cameras on your kitchen window? Or next to the sofa when you are watching TV? Or by the refrigerator? Or anywhere you eat food? Would you eat differently?
It's a thought, isn't it? Choosing healthy foods, using the posh cutlery, stir frying instead of deep frying, cooking from scratch instead of eating ready meals. Skipping the cake for fruit. Having one helping not two. Going for low fat instead of high fat. Having the fish and not the burger. Drinking the water and not the wine.
We might do it all differently if we were being filmed for a movie.
So the next time you are foraging in the fridge and you don't know whether you can be bothered to cook, decide to be the star of your own movie.
We can't all eat perfectly all of the time, but think of changing one or two things on a daily basis, such as
* Using a smaller plate for the main evening meal (it really does work!)
* Having fruit at the end of the meal (save the pudding/sweet/cake for a once-a-week event)
* Drinking water first (with juice or alcohol only for taste, not for thirst)
* Having one less takeaway a week
There are lots of things you could do. Choose one or two things that you will do, and do them consistently, no matter what. Small consistent improvements will make a big difference once they become habits - you won't have to think about them and you will have a new way of eating. Decide on one or two strategies you can use straightaway, this week, today. And do it!
Whatever is going on in the apartment above or below, or the house next door, there is no reason why you should not be the Healthy Eating Queen! Or the King of the Posh Nosh!
