...Film Analysis: Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock The scene in the film Rear Window was about the community and the protagonist named L.B. Jefferies. The scene started with the window. Then came the cat walking in the alley. From that moment, the audience can see the whole set of the neighborhood early in the morning and L.B. Jefferies sleeping when he was sweaty. Next, the viewer can see the old fashioned thermometer, the composer shaving his beard, the couple sleeping outside their balcony, the dancing woman in a pink undergarment, the dog’s leash tied to the lamppost, and the woman with a pet bird. Then back to the L.B. Jefferies. At that moment, the viewer can see him taking a nap in his pajamas, in a wheelchair, his leg in a cast with his name on it, his broken camera, his black and white pictures, and a magazine of a woman. Overall, Alfred Hitchcock filmed this scene to deliver the audience the idea of what the neighborhood looks like, who are the people in the neighborhood, and what they do in their everyday life. Not only about the neighborhood but also the protagonist. He also wants to show what kind of a person L.B. Jefferies is and why is the protagonist of the story. In general, Alfred Hitchcock delivered his beautiful art of mise-en-scene and cinematography to convey this scene. In terms of mise-en-scene, the most noticeable elements observed in the scene were the production design and acting. For the production design, the 1950’s feel of the movie was effective...
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...Rear Window is a movie that clearly defines gender roles in society. From Jeff’s depiction in the film, it is evident that men control the look while women are looked at, meaning that they are virtually powerless. Comparatively, the modern world currently is male dominated. Men influence most of the decisions that are made and the contribution that women make is negligible. It is also important to note that men are visual beings. They are significantly influenced by what they see. Their emotions are also often dictated by what they see. Women, on the other hand, are looked at by men. They are not visual beings such as men hence they do not command that power. In the movie, women are looked at and been portrayed as sexual beings, similarly in the current surveillance state, the government tries to...
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...I have to agree with Campany’s point of view on the “complex balance of gender and power”, the movie Rear Window does a complete switch of gender roles and in the 1950’s it was the man doing everything and the women always being saved. Lisa was the star women in the film, she seemed to be in a higher career than Jeffries, she seemed to dress better and prepare herself much better , she really did not seem like the correct women for Jeffries, but rather a women in his dreams. Jeffries seemed to be much more vulnerable than Lisa, she seemed as though she was wearing the pants in the relationship and Jeffries only had her, without her he really would be nowhere and in the 1950’s that was very strange. A scene that really is unusual for the time was Lisa in her expensive dress inside of Jeffries worn out apartment where everything seems to be cheap, but Lisa in the room made the backdrop seem even worse. The scene is very unusual because in the 1950’s the man was supposed to provide everything nice the women owned including the dress and even the dinner Lisa ordered from the expensive restaurant. At the end Lisa was not known as the passive female but rather the heroine. She was the one to come up with all of the plans of going over to Lars Thornwalds and digging up the garden, in search of the body that Jeffries had suspected. When Lisa was caught by Thornwald she showed Jeffries, how much she really cared for him when she cried to him and all he could do was sit in the wheelchair...
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...Rear Window Film Review Dawn B ARTS/100 Introduction to the Visual and Performing Arts June 24, 2013 Alfred Hitchcock was considered the master of suspense, and with very good reason. Hitchcock had a very productive film making career in which he made 53 major films. His production of Rear Window, a movie based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich titled, “It Had to be Murder” ("A Work In Progress,” 2013) is one of his most famous. I have seen Rear Window several times over the years, the first time in an art house theater in Lake Tahoe, California. It is my favorite Hitchcock film, and I looked forward to watching again. I relaxed in my recliner with a glass of wine to enjoy this Hitchcock masterpiece after everyone had gone to bed on Thursday evening, June the 20th. Rear Window opens on an apartment complex courtyard- peering into the windows of the people who live there. The camera tracks up and shows the audience a woman getting ready for the day. The camera tracks down and to the left to see the milkman walking away and into the street behind the building before tracking back around to the protagonist, L.B. Jeff Jefferies (James Stewart) in his apartment. A close up on Jefferies reveals the sweat on his forehead before cutting over to a wall thermometer showing how hot it is. Panning over, viewers get a closer look at the various people from the apartment across the street. The viewer sees a neighbor with shaving cream on...
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...The Power of Voyeurism in “Rear Window” Through the experience of a man named Hal Jeffries, “Rear Window”, depicts the different factors leading to voyeurism. The short story’s author, Cornell Woolrich, exposes Jeffries’ simple curiosity to spy on his neighbors from his bedroom window and “constructed a time table of their coming and going…” (Woolrich 67). However, it slowly progresses into an obsession, especially when he is convinced he witnessed a murder. Jefferies sets out to unveil the truth of his murderous neighbor and leads the readers in a mental process to convince them so. Different factors, such as isolation and curiosity, kindled voyeurism within Jefferies. However, Woolrich magnifies the empowerment Jeffries experiences through voyeurism, which mirrors McCarthyism that dominated late 1940’s through the 1950’s. McCartherism was a movement in which “political and cultural fears converged” of many...
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...Summary of the Rear Window (1954) The movie Rear Window is basically a story about an injured, yet dedicated journalist who is forced to stay in a apartment room until his recovery. Jeffries, the journalist, is always found near a rear window in his tiny apartment room, where he watches his neighbor and neighborhood every single day that he came to be accustom to it. He has a nanny, Stella, who comes daily to clean and look after him. Stella is none other than an observant, imaginative woman whom foreshadows “trouble” in the area. True enough, Jeffries witnesses fights between Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald in their apartment that leads to a suspicion that Mr. Thorwald has murder his wife, when suddenly, her existence in his rear window view is no longer seen. Jeffries seeks support from Thomas, a detective friend of his; however, Thomas is reluctant to help him, using all kinds of excuses to convince Jeffries that nothing particular actually happened. With the help of his nanny and girlfriend, Lisa, Jeffries fought to reveal the truth. Towards the end, Jeffries sends anonymous letter about Mrs. Thorwald saying, “I know what you did to her” to Mr. Thorwald to frighten him so that he would surrender; yet, it turns out that the action causes the discovery of Jeffries presence. Mr. Thorwald attempt to kill Jeffries by throwing him out of his rear window eventually result him in being recognized as a murderer and was arrested. James Steward – Jeffries Grace Kelly – Lisa Thelma Ritter...
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...m critics to a such extent that his carnality becomes more and more veiled by mystery and fairy tales. The naturalized term “Hitchcockian” as pointed out by Boyd and Palmer is widely spread among film critics and film lovers. This term might be a sufficient example of a fashionable detachment of Hitchcock’s flesh from Hitchcock’s concepts. High honor is given to Hitchcock himself, but on the other hand, it is slightly troubling for critics and film academicians. (as if Hitchcockian was the monster Kronos who ate all of his own children, in an effort not to be overthrown, but the problem lies in the fact that we are more interested in his children). Moreover, there are couple of other obstacles which keep us from approaching Hitchcock’s films more closely; In the first place, as Robin Wood claims, Hitchcock is not perceived as “a serious director” by many film academicians or critics since he was a part of Hollywood movie production whose commercials intentions were blatant. Hence, Hitchcock is suspected of “ being influenced by commercial interests and compromising his vision to accord to the mob’s taste .”|ustupky komercniho ohledu a na zasadni kompromisy s pokleslym lidovym vkusem |. (Wood 9) What is more, Hitchcock himself offered many murky comments or an absolute silence concerning his movies. William Rothman in “The Murderous Gaze” seems to be irritated by John Russell Taylor’s conclusion in an authorized biography of Alfred Hitchcock which claims that: “It seems...
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...Rear Window tells the story of L.B. Jefferies, a photographer. His daring lifestyle is put on hold when he is bound to a wheelchair after an accident. He uses his free time to watch his nabours out his rear window and soon gets caught up in a murder conflict. With the help of his girlfriend, Lisa, he begins to try and solve the case. One major theme of Rear Window is the perception of understanding others and how we make large assumptions based off of a small bit of information about people. Sometimes those assumptions are correct, as it was with the murder case, but other they are wrong, as shown through the end of the film when we learn of small facts about the najbours that changes our perception of them. We see this throughout Jeff and Lisa’s relationship. Their main conflict is that they come from “two different worlds.” Jeff is a photographs extreme danger,...
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...The scene in the film Rear Window was about the community and the protagonist named L.B. Jefferies. The scene started with the window. Next appeared a cat walking in the alley, from that moment, the audience can see the whole set of the neighborhood early in the morning and L.B. Jefferies sleeping when he was sweaty. Next, the viewer can see the thermometer, the composer shaving his beard, the couple sleeping outside their balcony, the dancing woman in a pink undergarment, the dog’s leash tied to the lamppost, and the woman with a pet bird. Then back to the L.B. Jefferies. At that moment, the viewer can see him taking a nap in his pajamas, in a wheelchair, his leg in a cast with his name on it, his broken camera, his black and white pictures, and a magazine of a woman. Overall, Alfred Hitchcock filmed this scene to deliver the audience the idea of what the neighborhood looks like, who are the people in the neighborhood, and what they do in the everyday life. Some of the character names themselves gives the viewer background on that person. For example, Miss Lonleyheart tells the viewer that she has never been married and is not in a relationship. He also wants to show what kind of a person L.B. Jefferies is and why he is the protagonist of the story. In general, Alfred Hitchcock delivered his beautiful art of mise-en-scene and cinematography to covey this scene. In terms of mise-en-scene, the most noticeable elements observed in the scene were the production design...
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... Taking place at 125 W. Ninth St., Jeffries a resident of the adjacent edifice, believed to have heard Thorwald yelling at his wife before her disappearance. Neighbours have issued complaints against Jeffries, regarding his voyeuristic tendencies, calling his actions as ‘socially wrong’. In spite of this, the actions of Jeffries violate no codified law, thus, elicit no response from the police. The culpability of Anna Thorwald’s death is yet to be decisively linked to her husband. Thorwald is placed as a likely figure that undertook the murder, though additional research will be conducted in the case. Moreover, charges will be exacted against Thorwald for his volitional endangerment off Jeffries. Free counselling will also be provided to provide solace to the victims affected if required. The following is Jeffries’ testimony, showcasing the supposed night of the murder: “I was quite somnolent, trying to get some shut-eye. It was really pouring outside, there was clear dissonance throughout the neighborhood, when suddenly, I heard a shrapnel of glass. There was a woman exclaiming from Thorwald’s apartment, ‘No, please!’ at around 2:40 AM. She was clearly hushed. Probably killed by that depraved man (Thorwald), I can tell. No further noise emanated from the apartment that I could hear of.” In regards to how Anna Thorwald’s body was discovered, Stella, (a private insurance personnel) and Lisa Carol, (a frequenter of Jeffries) uncovered the cadaver of Mrs. Thorwald. The body’s...
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...Film as Mirror in Hitchcock's Vertigo Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo is a master's class in subtle and effective filmmaking - its noirish tale of obsession and loss is considered one of his best works. This is due in no small part to the directors' use of the various elements of film as a mirror. Hitchcock intends to create a sense of repetition and a cyclical nature to the life of the characters in the film; following Scottie (James Stewart) through his descent and ascent into madness deals significantly with themes of duality and obsession. Furthermore, the use of film as a mirror onto ourselves is made very clear in the audience's relation to Scottie throughout Vertigo. In this paper, three instances of the film as mirror will be detailed in Vertigo, as well as how they inform the concept of film as mirror through their existence and varying properties. Metz describes film as a mirror in that "the cinema involves us in the imaginary: it drums up all perception, but to switch it immediately over into its own absence, which is nonetheless the only signifier present" (p. 250). The audience, like a child, sees themselves as an other; by identifying itself with its 'other' other, it can separate itself from that subject and look at the mirror objectively. In the case of Vertigo, the 'other' is Scottie, and look at his visage on the screen as a mirror unto itself. Thus, we can project our own feelings and insecurities onto Scottie, which helps us relate to his desperation and madness...
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...the 'Hitchcockian" genre appearing in Rear window include voyeurism, suspense, female roles, and use of theatrical elements. What makes these techniques "Hitchcockian" is that he uses them most consistently throughout his films. Examples of the techniques employed in rear window can also be clearly seen in his other films, for example vertigo can be made comparable to rear window. Psycho and rope also embed "Hitchcockian" themes into them. To enable us to understand what is "Hitchcockian" about rear window and the elements employed, we must consider comparisons to the other works of Hitchcock. Rear window has been described as one of Hitchcock's "Rear window is arguably one of Hitchcock's most "theatrical films"" a common Hitchcockian aspect presenting itself in Rear window is the use of theatrical as well as cinematic qualities. Rear window uses only one main setting, that being the view of neighbours houses through Jeff's back window, which has...
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...The opening scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window essentially acts as one long establishing shot — only rather than establishing just the location of a scene, it establishes the entire film in more ways than one. One particularly important shot in the scene, beginning 00:02:36 into the film, tells the audience much of what it will need to know about Rear Window’s setting, characters, and themes. The long take begins with an alarm clock waking up a couple, sleeping out on their balcony. As the camera moves from window to window around the courtyard, we see a few brief snippets of characters’ lives. And finally, the audience sees inside the apartment that has been its point of view all along. Mise-en-scene, framing, and cinematography all play a role in this shot. But while the first device reveals information about the film’s setting and some of its major characters, cinematography and framing are the dominant devices because they illustrate what truly lies at the center of Rear Window: its themes. An attentive viewer could gather troves of important information about the story and its characters from the mise-en-scene in this shot. In the audience’s brief tour around the courtyard, it sees a number of things that provide a set-up for the following narrative. The shot opens on a couple waking up to an alarm clock from a nap on their balcony. They are wearing sparse and light clothing, rubbing sweat off their foreheads, and have bright natural light from above shining on...
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...Analysis of the opening to Rear Window The opening scene starts by the camera looking out of a window whilst the credits are shown. Slowly, each blind is raised revealing a section of the courtyard at a time already linking to its title ‘Rear window’ indicating that this particular window will play a big part throughout the duration of the film. Much like the curtains in a theatre, the viewer feels as if they are watching a show or play when the blinds are lifted slowly creating an exciting opening and the sense that drama is to come. The symmetrical close up shot of the window provides the audience with ‘front row seats’ as the scene unfolds further. Outside, the neighbourhood seems peaceful and like any other normal community with people carrying out their everyday lives in their everyday houses. Despite its normality, the courtyard seems enclosed and claustrophobic representing restriction and tension which could possibly be mounting. Everything seems too peaceful to be true. After the opening credits, the camera zooms towards the bottom of the window until it is completely outside. It then cuts to show a cat in the courtyard walking up the stairs which could link to the normality and ‘city life’ feel which is being portrayed. The camera follows the cat’s steps from the bottom of the stairs to the top until it reaches a ladder and follows the ladder upwards as if we (the viewer) were voyeur and spying or following someone. As the camera approaches the top of the ladder...
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...rank of signalman, first class. In the engagement in which he gave his life, he played an important part, having been in charge of the original detachment of ten boats that had landed the Marines at the scene. Having landed them, and upon his return to the rally point he was told by the officer in charge that the conditions of the insertion point were not as exepected. The Marines were under attack from a large Japanese force and needed to be extracted. Munro volunteered to lead the boats back to the beach for the evacuation. He lead the boats in-shore under heavy enemy fire and proceeded to evacuate the marines still on the beach. Though the majority of the Marines had been loaded on the boats, but the remaining elements of the rear guard were having diffculty getting to the boats. He maneuvered himself and his boats into a postion to cover the last groups of men as they headed to the boat. In doing so he exposed himself to greater enemy fire and suffered a fatal wound. It is reported that his final words are "Did they get off"? For putting himself between the Marines and the enemy japenese forces, and by commiting to the ultimate sacrifice, his death, he was awarded the Medal of...
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