The Meaning Of Voyeurism In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

651 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rear window hitchcock essay

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Rear Window is truly a masterpiece, as it uses fascinating cinematic elements to carry the story and also convey the meaning of voyeurism. Throughout the film we are in one room, yet that does not limit the story. This causes the viewer to feel trapped, similar to the main character, while also adding suspense to the detective story. The opening scene itself, draws the viewer in. In just five minutes and 27 shots, the viewer is given an introduction to the main character, his lifestyle, his condition, and his neighborhood. The lighting, the costumes, and the set are all presented in a way to catch the viewers eye, compelling them to crave more. Combining vivid lighting, edgy cinematography, and unique set design, Rear Window, proves why Hitchcock is still remembered as one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time.
Rear Window tells so much of the story visually, using the camera as a narrative. Through a long crane shot, the camera movement introduces us to the neighborhood and the people who live there. Eventually, a man sleeping in the apartment from which we were looking, is shown with sweat covering his forehead, causing the viewer to assume it is hot. The camera then moves to the wall to show a thermometer that reads 92 degrees, proving this assumption correct. To go along with camera movement, Rear Window, strongly demonstrates the Kuleshov theory. This theory created by a Russian film theorist discusses how editing can affect a persons perception. The theorist noted that you could take a shot of an actor’s blank face and intercut it with an object, therefore changing what the audience believes to be the emotion the actor is expressing. Throughout this film Hitchcock shows us wh...

... middle of paper ...

...m plays a considerable role in this film. Jeffries, the films protagonist is bound to his apartment, so for entertainment he watches people through his window without them knowing. From the very beginning these characters seem to so interesting, so no wonder Jeffries decides to watch them. While watching the film, we become witnesses of their private lives, making us voyeurists too. In this film windows are not used in a traditional sense, they expose people, they symbolize confinement, and they allude to suspenseful plot devices. Hitchcock’s aesthetic configuration of the film manipulates the audience into questioning several aspects of the film and in life in general. Hitchcock’s originality in Rear Window was not only successful during the golden age of Hollywood, but it continues to be creatively adapted and consistently influential in today’s cinema as well.

Show More
Related

  • Pemberton's 'Do He Have Your Number, Mr. Jeffrey?'

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    This left Hitchcock films as some of her mother’s favorites. Pemberton, went to a Hitchcock festival as an adult, this time watching Rear Window, which she had not seen since she was a child with an objective examination, she found a scene that would shift both her and her mother’s perspective of this movie. As Jimmy Stewart’s character, Jefferies, realizes he is in danger, telephones his friend Wendell Corey, who was not at home, but he spoke with the baby-sitter who did not appear on screen, but was portrayed in a voice that would convey imagery of a “familiar black image.” Asking the inspiration for this essay “Do he have your number, Mr.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Rear Window

    1125 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the film Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a significant shift of power is portrayed. This shift occurs between the protagonist of the film, L.B Jeffries and his romantic partner, Lisa Freemont. This shift also aids in outlining the main theme of the film, which is marriage, as all aspects of marriage are observed and taken into account by Jeffries. The change of dominance within Lisa and Jeffries relationship can be broken down into three stages, which develop and change throughout the film. At the beginning of the film Jeffries is shown to have the power within the relationship as he dictates the parameters of the relationship, however he is also intimidated by Lisa 's social standing. Towards the middle of the film the possession

    Read More

  • Dynamic Characters In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock was an exceptional movie with a jaw- dropping 8.6 rating on IMDb’s website. The movie is about L. B. Jefferies (protagonist), who is a well-known photographer in a wheelchair.The lack of entertainment and extreme boredom caused Jeff (Jefferies) to stare out the rear window day and night. He eyed his neighbors through this window 24/7 and revolved his wheelchair season around their personal lives. As the movie goes on Jeff feels as if Lars Thorwald (antagonist) has murdered his sick wife. He knew they were an unhappy married couple already and had some unmistakable clues. In this series of events Jeff’s girlfriend who he thought to be too perfect for him and epicene turns out be a risk-taker and brave.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Disturbia And Rear Window

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    The women in both films gave the men something to look at. For example, in the opening scene of Rear Window, the audience sees Jefferies looking from his window over to Miss Torso who is dancing and stretching as she gets ready for her day. As in the film Disturbia, the audience sees Kale looking through

    Read More

  • Suspense And Murder In Cornell Woolrich's Rear Window

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cornell Woolrich in “Rear Window (originally titled ‘It Had to Be Murder’)” is a short story, full with suspense and murder. The short story and the film version take us into the life of a man who is force to live in a wheelchair due to his injured leg. According to Lawrence Howe author of the article “Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window”’ he emphasizes that “Rear window has been recognize for its thematic of watching, connecting the voyeurism of L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jeffries with spectator’s curiosity about the lives of those one watches on the screen” (Howe 16). The theme of voyeurism is present throughout the film. According to George E. Toles author of the article “Alfred Hitchcock’s

    Read More

  • Rashomon And Rear Window Essay

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Rashomon, the person who is narrating their side of the story would often be shown first. Through showing a shot of the narrator, the viewer can understand that the story will continue as their point of view. After showing a shot of the narrator, the film moves into the story being told. Point of view structures the plot by focusing on the structure of the narrators’ sides of the story. The film is dominated by the states of mind and endings are often left open-ended. It is up to the viewer to decide how one would want the film to end. In Rear Window, the viewer’s only point of view comes from Jeff, who is viewing his neighborhood through his window. The viewer tends to get shots of the neighborhood and within the frame are the people involved in the plot – the murderer, the old woman who almost commits suicide, etc. The only time the viewer gets a different point of view than Jeff is when the dog is killed and the film shows different angles and quick movement of the camera to distinguish that one would be viewing the chaos of the murder in the neighborhood. Point of view is structured by only giving the viewer Jeff’s perspective, which would guide the viewer to make the same assumptions and follow the clues that are thrown at

    Read More

  • Who Is The Hero In Hitchcock's Rear Window

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hitchcock’s film is presented to the viewer from the point-of-view of L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries the hero in “Rear Window” who is unable to move around much, because he is trapped in a wheelchair. It is through the hero’s limited movement that dictates what he sees that the moviegoers see the movie. Essentially, the film is about “a man who does on the screen what we do in the audience--look through a lens at the private lives of strangers” (Ebert). Jeff, the central character in “Rear Window” is a wheelchair bound photographer who has to live a life of relative isolation because of an accident. All he can do is look outside and witness the events unfolding outside his apartment complex. Much like the audience, Jeffries is more content to watch others, than to look inside himself. This would have been the perfect time, because Jeff is a very busy man whose work entails looking at others, what they are doing, and taking pictures. So it can be assumed that he has very little time to think

    Read More

  • Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

    1921 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rowe, Lawrence. "Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock's"Rear Window"." College Literature 35.1 (2008): 16-37.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Rear Window

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    In other words, the higher class creates the beliefs on how the rest of the lower classes should be seen or what ideals they should follow. The lower classes do this to themselves to reinsure their nature of national identity. Cinema is used as an ideological apparatus. Hollywood puts their ideals on the screen and renders them invisible. Such ideologies that are on the screen are heterosexual and it is embedded in almost every genre. Other ideals consist of social class of an individual, the gender of the individual and the age. There are two states of apparatus that are spread ideologically on screen. The first is repressive, discriminates other people to in oppressive state, such as laws that discriminate against certain groups. Second is, Ideological state apparatus, covertly spreads ideologies such as family, church and school. Hitchcock uses the reality effect in Rear Window to draw the audience more into the cinematic experience. He does so by making the protagonist look through the lens of his camera to view his neighbors and look inside their apartment and how they live their daily lives. By doing so, we see the world through Jefferies eyes and he himself becomes part of the audience. While viewing every apartment window we see how people live in their natural state and give the film a sense of realism. Each window shows what life was like, living in America in 1950. Each character represents different social classes. As Jefferies lens focuses on apartment complexes across the alley, it displays a capitalistic view of the tenants. On the top floor lives a hard working pianist in what appears to be apartment house suite with the great view and accompanied by other people that look well kept and pampered. His social standin...

    Read More

  • The Truman Show vs Rear Window

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stam, Robert & Pearson, Robertson., ‘Hitchcock’s Rear Window: Refluxivity and the Critique of Voyeurism’ in Deutelbaum, Marshall & Poague, Leland A. ed., A Hitchcock Reader (John Wiley & Sons: 2009).

    Read More

  • Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are four crucial scenes of this film in which Hitchcock shows a change in perspective and identity through the mise-en-scène. Hitchcock’s signature motifs, style, and themes are conveyed through the mise-en-scène.

    Read More

  • Comparing Two Great Directors: Roman Polanski and Pedro Almodovar

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    The director Roman Polanski likes to make a lot of scenes in his movies through doorways and windows, and the reason of that is simply because in that way, he creates a bigger sympathy with the audience, they get to see the films from the main characters o...

    Read More

  • Rear Window Sparknotes

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rear Window, a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock starts the opening scene by introducing professional photographer, L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries who broke his leg while trying to get a picture at an auto race. He is immobilized and passes time by observing his neighbors through the window of his New York City apartment. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. Jeff procures the help of his visiting nurse Stella and model girlfriend Lisa Fremont, whom the topic shall be concerning, to investigate Jeff’s suspicions about his neighbor. The information obtained from Rear Window about Lisa Fremont will be used to explain what is known about the character, what role she plays in the movie, how she might think, and how that conclusion was made.

    Read More

  • Rear Window Essay

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    The representation of women in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Rear Window” indicates he wants the women in his films to be seen negatively. In using the feminist criticism approach, it is evident that there is a contrast in the way the genders are portrayed throughout the movie. The character Lisa Fremont is a great example of the way women are depicted. Lisa is constantly trying to get Jeff to become more involved in their relationship. However, Jeff treats Lisa as a distraction, and during the film she is not treated in a positive way. The way this relationship is portrayed makes it seem as if Lisa is trying hard to get Jeff’s attention, yet he is the only one that has the power to define the relationship. From a feminist standpoint, Hitchcock’s

    Read More

  • Cinema Theory

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theories of the window and frame had its origins in the schools of formalism and realism. Both schools main objective was to amplify the prestige of film. During that era of film was an upstart sideshow attraction, high class form of entertainment was the theater and the visual art forms of paintings and statues. Both schools saw cinema as a way of looking a through an aperture but keeping the audience at a distance from the subject on the screen. Whether looking through at frame or looking through a window the audience would be viewing the subject matter but they would only be able to absorb it. That’s where the similarities end the formalist lead by theorist Sergei Eisenstein saw film as frame and would create shock in an attempt to provoke or raise consciousness. Sergei Eisenstein would create what he wanted to the audience to see in his films. For example in the Battleship Potemkin Eisenstein wanted to address the situation with Russia and he created the situation in his film to incite a revolution by creating chaos. The realism school lead by André Bazin saw cinema as window. To Bazin a spectator would be apart of the film as more of a witness more than just a spectator. In the movie Rear Window Jefferies was witness to his neighbor wife murder while looking through window because while looking through a window what one sees is real.

    Read More

More about The Meaning Of Voyeurism In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

Open Document