Alfred Hitchcock is an amazing filmmaker who finds great inspiration in an amazing artist, Edward Hopper. Hitchcock imitates Hopper’s work in many of his films. In the movie Rear Window, Hitchcock uses some of Hopper’s paintings that give off an unsettling feeling. In the movie Vertigo, Hitchcock creates feelings of isolation and imitates the scenery in Hoppers paintings. Both films contain moods, sceneries, and visual imagery that are similar to some of Edward Hopper’s best works of art. Compare scenes from the film Vertigo and Hopper’s paintings. Not only does the film portray sexual obsession, it also conveys isolation and anxiety. The realm Hopper evokes, a distinctly personal vision with the impact of intense colors and figures that are established strongly, is offset by the introspective melancholy that is so profoundly characterised by the individuals in his paintings. The strong lines emphasize the impression of alienation. This is immediately clear while looking at Hopper’s painting “Nighthawks” and or “Automat”. Both paintings are similar in mood and theme. Hitchcock imitates these paintings when Jimmy Stewart follows Kim Novak around to analyse her odd behavior and activities. Also, Hitchcock imitates the aggressive color palette and atmosphere of “Western Motel” and “The City”. These paintings are shown at any outdoor or bright sunlight scene in the film. Edward Hopper has long been called a voyeuristic painter who stands outside, looking in at his

subjects, often in private at night. Naturally, that brings the film Rear Window to mind­ Hitchcocks testament on the subject. The film and the works of Hopper are both concerned with isolation. Looking at “Early Sunday Morning” there is not a warm, fuzzy sense of community. Likewise, in Rear Window, the occupants of the apartments are isolated from each other. Many of Hopper’s paintings portray New York City lifestyles and “Night Windows” is no exception. In the painting, the woman is completely unaware of the stage she is on, and furthermore, is unaware of the front row seat its observer occupies. Its semi­erotic story is shown in Rear Window, and captures vividly the experience of living in New York City. “Apartment House” is also another similarity to Rear Window/ Not only is the scene voyeuristic, but the apartments proximity to other buildings remind us that it is less a home and more of a fishbowl. After tons of research, I have found something very interesting about the relationship between Hopper and Hitchcock. There is one image that, to my knowledge, Hopper never painted. If his subjects ever caught him peeking, he never recorded it. But in Rear Window, Thorwald catches Jefferies in his tracks. And when he looks straight across the courtyard at him, it is one of the films most chilling moments. The Moral of Rear Window (if there is one exactly) is that we are all voyeurs. Hitchcock calls us out on it. The connections between Alfred Hitchcock and Edward Hopper do not stop there. There are many more similarities and imitations in the films where Hitchcock shows his inspiration. Hopper is an inspiration to all imaginative artists and will always serve as an example of true art. Hitchcock is a master filmmaker with the creativity to not only create his own original masterpiece, but to imitate others strong works of art.