Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

Hitchcock utilizes sound, camera work, MacGuffins, and plot twists to tell the storylines of the movies. Hitchcock understood the importance of camera work and sound because he began his career making silent films.12 It is why he uses many close up shots so the audience can pay attention to specific details and the emotions on the character’s face. He does not rely on dialogue to tell the story. He uses sound to help convey the message of a scene.

“Rear Window” has caused a lot of controversy ever since the Hitchcock movie hit theaters back in 1954. Rear Window is actually based on the short story, “It Had to Be Murder,” that was written by Cornell Woolrich. Years later Woolrich decided to sell the rights of this particular story to a newly production company. That production company later would sell the rights to the story to Hitchock and Stewart. They would later produce the movie known as “Rear Window.”

Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock is a fillm full of symbolism and motifs that provides viewers with a bigger meaning. It shows these rhetorical appeals through Hitchcok’s eyes that would not be recognized if not analyzed. Through these appeals I have recognized the window as being a symbol and marriage and binoculars as motifs. After understanding much more than what the eye anitially sees when viewing this film there is a fine line between understanding what is going on in the film and observing what the protagonist Jeff is viewing.

As the women are being dragged out, and throughout the scene, the director uses low-key lighting to emphasize the shadows lurking in the darkened corners. This style of lighting contributes to the

Alfred Hitchcock 's Rear Window explores the lives of those who feel isolated within society. The 1954 film, set in the tenements of Grenwich village, depicts those who are incapable of fitting into society 's expectations, as well as those who feel isolated from common interaction with others. Moreover, Hitchcock displays how its human nature to seek comfort and deeper connection even with those who are surrounded by others. Despite depicting characters as lonely, the progression of the film illustrates how individuals can be freed from isolation. The director asserts the loneliness and struggle that comes from fitting into social mores.

Rear Window Argues that people should mind their own business. Do you agree? Rear Window, a 1954 romance/murder-mystery by the renowned golden age director Alfred Hitchcock, is a film that explores a multitude of themes and genres through the voyeuristic gaze of protagonist L.B. Jefferies. Jefferies, or ‘Jeff’ as he commonly known throughout the film, is a middle-aged bachelor recently hospitalised due to his high-risk career as a photojournalist. This hindered condition serves as an important foundation on which the movie is built upon as Jeff’s forced lifestyle being in a wheelchair causes an abrupt stop in his usual high intensity way of life and causes him to quench his boredom in other ways, predominantly watching the other residents in his apartment complex through the ‘rear window’ of his apartment.

Alfred Hitchcock present Rear Window, main character Jeff played by James Stewart. A professional photographer broke his leg while shooting an action auto race. His career is on hold while projects pass him by. Jeff is confined in his New York apartment where he spends most of time looking out the rear window observing the neighbors. He starts to suspect a man that lives across the patio may have something to do with murdering his wife.

Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene shot in long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool). The narrative throughout the film established a formalist film. Cinematography John F. Seitz used lighting and camera angles in such a way to create a loneliness and hopefulness atmosphere.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window has several themes. One major theme is relationships. The lead character, Jeff Jeffries, a photographer and committed bachelor, is involved in a relationship with Lisa Fremont, a model, although the relationship has some tension due to Jeff’s lack of commitment. When Jeff is confined to his apartment recovering from a broken leg, he begins spying through his rear window on his neighbors in a nearby apartment. Through her frequent visits, Lisa is drawn into this spying as well.

This essay will discuss the uses, strategies and the meanings that are generated by editing in cinema. The films that this essay will be focusing on are Psycho and Singin’ in the Rain. Both of these films are very different to each other and therefore use editing in varying ways in order to give the audience a different perception of the characters as well as the setting that these characters are involved in. Psycho focuses on building suspense for the audience throughout the film using editing, camera work and sound. This essay will be primarily focusing on editing with the discussion of camerawork where relevant.

The idea of similarities among all people, an underlying connection, is expressed by Hitchcock when Lisa in Rear Window argues with Jefferies, saying, “There can't be that much difference between people and the way they live! We all eat, talk, drink, laugh, sleep, wear clothes --“. When she says this, Lisa has a lamp light shining from the upper right side of the screen to indicate the truth of her argument. There is also an instance in Rear Window where the ability to understand a person sprouts empathy. Jefferies is sitting in the dark, after Lisa leaves angry, when the piano man comes home.

The entire room is dark without any lights in the room, and the ceiling skylight window is the only source of light that comes through the room. Jack also thinks that Room’s atmosphere and the actual Room are all that exists in the real world, and everything that he sees on television just exists on television and not in real life. Joy then lets Jack know that there is more to the real world than Room and its atmosphere. Together, they both get a glimpse of the outside world as they leave Room and head to the hospital and start over in a new home. The first half of the film takes place in the tiny shelter named Room, and this first half is filmed in low-key lighting.

In the film Rear Window, the director, Alfred Hitchcock uses a variety of techniques to create suspense and leave viewers on the edge of their seats throughout the film. Hitchcock uses a good assortment of tempo to create thoughts in the viewer's mind. He slows down the pace to create anticipation, and speeds it up to show a change in intensity. In the ending scene of Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock uses changes in pace and tempo, lighting, and a short term deadline to constitute an immense atmosphere of suspense in the viewer's mind.

Camera narration is crucial to the effect the movie has on its audience. It is noticed that the viewer rarely gets close to the apartments or characters across the courtyard. The viewpoint is mainly fixed to Jeff’s apartment, apart from a few occasions where the camera plunges out of the window. The fronts of the buildings facing the main street are never shown either; instead all of the action takes place within the mystery and secrecy of the backyard, hence the title name ‘Rear’ Window. Perhaps Hitchcock realised that many people would not behave the same way in their front facing windows.

The lighting shows Lacie’s dark mindset as she reflects on herself but in the midst of this, the camera focuses on dust falling from the sky which is illuminated by the light. This is a ray of hope for Lacie as she is able to take the time to see the small things in life that she never would have seen without her imprisonment. By seeing the dust, both the audience and Lacie are able to see that not everything has to be perfect, especially in jail where no one cares. This scene is used as commentary by Wright on how people can get so caught up in their virtual life they never make time to stop and perceive seemingly inconsequential