How Did Alfred Hitchcock Use Sound In Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is a true testament of the masterful skill possessed by one of cinema’s most influential directors. The film solidifies Hitchcock’s title as a genuine auteur as he guides the audience through an experience that leaves us on the edge of our seats, biting our nails in anticipation. For a film that incites such a reaction, it is surprising that the entire plot takes place in the protagonist’s apartment. L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) is a traveling photographer who recently broke his leg at an auto race, trying to capture the perfect photograph. The accident has left the rolling stone stuck in a wheelchair with his leg in a cast and the only way he keeps himself entertained is by staring out of the rear window of

By allowing the audience to know where the many sounds are coming from, Hitchcock gives us the opportunity to become more involved in the story because all of the sounds that we are hearing, Jefferies is hearing at the same time, which makes us feel on the same level as the main character; we do not know more than him, nor do we know any less. This clever use of sound and sound mixing creates an active environment among the audience. We do not sit and wait for information to be handed to us; we stay dynamic, constantly waiting for the next sound from across the street that will lead us to the next clue and one step closer in solving the mystery with Jefferies. Throughout the film, we can hear the voices and sounds coming from all the different apartments across the street, and Hitchcock attempts and succeeds in establishing the realism of the film through those sounds. The variety of voices and the hustle and bustle on the road are not perfectly clear-cut; however when Hitchcock decides that the dialogue of the neighbors is significant in making the environment more realistic and strengthening the plot, all conversations are sharp and comprehensible, like the time when Mr. Thorwald (Raymond Burr), the suspected murderer of his invalid wife, tells one of his neighbors to shut up, thus establishing the fact that the tenants

There are multiple shots that are frequently framed by different openings such as doorframes, windows, alleyways and hallways. These openings almost create short films within a film, by framing the different apartments as the audience peeks in on the lives of the tenants. Not only does Hitchcock’s cinematography sets the audience up as characters within the film, but also establishes Jefferies as an audience member in his own life, a passive individual as he is confined to his chair, looking on at his neighbors. Even when he believes he has witnessed a murder, he is unable to do anything about it, leaving the audience restless and quite desperate to see some action. Hitchcock’s choice to only show the audience the inside of Jefferies’ apartment, the windows that show the lives of the neighbors across the street, the courtyard of the building opposite Jefferies’ apartment and the small alleyway creates a sense of confinement and a feeling of entrapment that Jefferies’ feels as he spends the entire film in a wheelchair. Since Jefferies is trapped in this small space, the audience, who have become involved in the act of voyeurism along with Jefferies, also feel the claustrophobia. Due to the fact that Jefferies is limited to his wheelchair, the audience doesn’t really get all-encompassing shots that show the whole setting. The field