Alfred Hitchcock 's Rear Window

Major Actors: James Stewart (L.B. Jefferies), Grace Kelly (Lisa Fremont), Wendell Corey (Thomas Doyle), Thelma Ritter (Stella), Raymond Burr (Lars Thorwald), Judith Evelyn (Miss Lonelyhearts), Ross Bagdasarian (Songwriter), Georgine Darcy (Miss Torso), Sara Berner (Woman on Fire Escape), Frank Cady (Man on Fire Escape), Jesslyn Fax (Miss Hearing Aid), Rand Harper (Newlywed), Irene Winston (Mrs. Emma Thorwald), Havis Davenport (Newlywed)

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is a uniquely captivating film that is an exemplary style of cinematic craftsmanship. Reaching into the minds of the characters, as well as the audience, Alfred Hitchcock is the master at utilizing the juxtaposition of images to bring us into the minds of the characters. In Rear Window, the story is so distinctively executed that it allows us to relate to our own curiosities, question our identities, and ponder our closest relationships. What is happening on the screen is merely a projection of our own anxieties, our own existence, and our self-ambiguity as portrayed by the characters in this wonderful film.

Gender roles have been, and unfortunately still are, evident in our everyday lives for quite sometime. Women are often portrayed as sexual objects, or delicate individuals; a body with no brain or strength. These traits are easily found within many novels and movies- old and new. In Alfred Hitchcock’s films, Rear Window and Strangers on a Train, Hitchcock begins his films representing women with the same characteristics as stated above. They are very stylish, attractive and presented as second-class individuals to males. But after examining these two films, Hitchcock does something that many directors in his time would not have dared to do. By making the women the heroine and arguably the protagonist of the storyline, Hitchcock proves to

Sitting alone, trapped inside my home watching my neighbors movements day by day. This setting is a description a scenes in the plot of the films, Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock (1954) and Disturbia by D.J Carusso(2007).These two films contain many similar themes which are a part of the movie’s plot but are slightly different. The two films, both contain a vast amount of voyeurism presented in different ways. In both films women are treated rude, disrespectfully and are victims of violence. Both films also share the theme of isolationism which contributes to the plot, tone and development of the films. The films are very similar and show strong representation of these themes throughout the films while showing slight differences in how the themes are presented

Gender ideologies are apparent in all areas of life. Whether it be online, in TV shows, movies or in person, this idea of a specific role for each gender is almost inescapable. The stereotypes of both what women and men should aspire to be and follow are ever changing in today’s current society. However, in 1954, gender roles were very specific and it is shown throughout the film, Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Through this film, gender ideologies are challenged but ultimately remain unshattered. The film produces an obvious view of women as the caretakers, and fragile in comparison to men who are the main providers. As the plot of Rear Window develops, characters continue to maintain the time periods gender ideologies despite the challenges they overcome.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window is a representation of the attitudes towards men and women in the 1950's. Through this film Lisa Freemont and L.B Jeffries experience a power shift in their relationship due to each individual's capabilities and ideas regarding the suspected murder case. Lisa and Jeffries' relationship progresses through the film and their relationship experiences a power shift.

The film reflects the attitudes of society at the time, conventional to crime fiction. The film however does not include a femme fatale a convention of film noir, who is a devious and scheming woman who works for the protagonists downfall and her own advantage. Instead Lisa is a dutiful, reliable women, who serves to assist the protagonist in his detection. She acts as a physical extension for Jefferies. Lisa's personality is juxtaposed with her actions when she employs acts of sleuthing by bravely acquiring key evidence such as the wedding ring, while disregarding her safety. Hitchcock reflects on the First Wave Feminism movement in the 1950's, by placing women in more active and dominant roles when solving crimes, highlighting growing roles of women in society (Gender.cawater-info.net, n.d.). Woolrich in his story, It Had to murder, replaces both Lisa and Stella with a male character Sam. This delineating adherence to traditional gender roles, disregarding the value of female intuition. Whilst Rear Window addresses the gender roles of women in the media during the fifties, It Had to be Murder does not, reflecting resistance to female rights in society. (summarise

In her essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, British film maker Laura Mulvey attempts to demystify how pleasure can be fulfilled in film. Contending that a pleasure in looking (scopohilia) and a pleasure in possessing the female as what to be looked at (voyeurism) fufills the audience’s desires, Mulvey suggests how filmmakers use this knowledge to create film that panders to our innate desires. In “Meshes of the Afternoon” by Maya Deren and “Vertigo” by Alfred Hitchcock, it is seen that Mulvey’s argument—the desire to look, the hunting, seeking, and watching, and harnessing of the female form is natural human desire. Deren and Hitchcock will use

Rear Window is odd in how it is filmed. Focusing on the idea of voyeurism and watching others. You see this is the first scene instead of seeing the main character or even side characters, you see the building the many apartments and the courtyard and then you meet Jeff. Jeff you can see is a broken man, he laying down sweating, unsleep on a chair. But you only see Jeff a glance like he is not important instead the film focus the people in the apartments nearby in the rest of film he will watch out his window. Through this film you see this evolution of the characters through the lense of this beautiful shot film made by the sets and background characters. Without the sets this film would not be what it is. This story is told through it’s images, music and background characters as much if more than it’s leads. This is a movie about watching movies and as audience member your watching Jeff watch his neighbors. Hitchcock is bluntly telling us we are watching a film. Most of film is at night like the dark theater this is shown in, Hitchcock shows the audience ourselves through Jeff .

When people hear the word “Vertigo” the first thing which comes in mind is the disease but here this word refers to a movie “Vertigo” which is directed by the famous Alfred Hitchcock. This movie hooked the audiences ‘attention from it’s opening credit to the very shocking end. Vertigo is mixture of desire for love, rage, obsession, madness etc. It is based on a French novel D'entre les morts (From Among the Dead) written by Boileau Narcejac. Hitchcock’s Vertigo got mixed review when it was released but by the time it’s popularity increased and today it is viewed as Hitchcock’s most deeply felt work. The famous character in the movie Scottie which was played by John Stewart, he played the role of detective who was afraid of heights, acrophobia, after an unfortunate incident due to which Scottie retires from his job. Later in the movie, Scottie falls in love with Madeline (Kim Novak) who he was spying because his friend Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) believed that his wife was possessed with her late great-grandmother. Scottie goes through many phases in the movie like curiosity, obsessed, phobic, mental illness etc. In this essay I want to focus on “Dolly zoom technique” which triggered Scottie’s acrophobia, the Ernie scene from Scottie’s point of view and the immersive videos also known as 360-degree camera movement when Judy Barton’s retransformed herself as Madeline

Rear Window has unique filmography. Emphasising the idea of voyeurism and watching others. Observing the first scene instead of beholding the main character or even side characters, you recognize the building of the various apartments and the courtyard and then you meet Jeff. Jeff is a broken man, he lays down sweating, asleep on a chair. But you only catch a glimpse of Jeff, he is not important instead the film focuses on the people in the apartments nearby in the rest of the film he will watch out his window. Through this film, you observe this evolution of the characters through the lens of this beautifully shot film made by the sets and background characters. Without sets, this film would not be exactly what it is. This story is told through its images, music and background characters as much if more than its lead. This is a movie about watching movies and as an audience member, you're watching Jeff watches his neighbors. Hitchcock bluntly tells us we are watching a film. An enormous amount of the film is at night similar to a dark theater this is shown in. Hitchcock shows the audience us through Jeff.

Rear Window is odd in how it is filmed. Emphasising the idea of voyeurism and watching others. You see, this is the first scene instead of seeing the main character or even side characters, you see the building of the many apartments and the courtyard and then you meet Jeff. Jeff you can see is a broken man, he lays down sweating, a sleep on a chair. But you only see Jeff a glance like he is not important instead the film focusses on the people in the apartments nearby in the rest of the film he will watch out his window. Through this film you see this evolution of the characters through the lens of this beautifully shot film made by the sets and background characters. Without sets this film would not be what it is. This story is told through its images, music and background characters as much if more than its lead. This is a movie about watching movies and as an audience member, you're watching Jeff watches his neighbors. Hitchcock bluntly tells us we are watching a film. An emourous amount of the film is at night like the dark theater this is shown in. Hitchcock shows the audience ourselves through Jeff.

The film 1958 film Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock centers around Scottie Ferguson who recently left the police force because of his crippling fear of heights. Scottie is then hired by a former friend from college, Gavin Elster, to follow his wife Madeline Elster, since he fears she is being possessed by the ghost of a family member. Scottie then becomes obsessed with Madeline. When she takes her own life Scottie is grief stricken, so much so that when he meets Judy Barton, who bares a striking resemblance to Madeline, he becomes just as infatuated with her and even forces her to change her appearance and attitude so that she could be an exact replica of Madeline. There is a lot more that happens in the story, including a major plot twist however for the sake of this essay we will only be focusing on Scottie's infatuation with the women. The film, which we discussed in class allows for the discussion of two of two gender theory/gender studies terms that will be important throughout this essay, the male gaze and male domination. The male gaze is evident in many forms of pop culture, it is the idea that women are being looked at by the eyes of men. Meaning, we only see women in the media through the eyes of a heterosexual man, so women are looked at as secondary characters and as sexual beings instead of being strong and independent. Male domination comes into play a lot of the time when women are not following the rules of the male gaze. When women are not doing, or acting in

Laura Mulvey is a British feminist film theorist who is best known for her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. In this essay, she claimed that men and women are positioned differently by cinema: men are the subjects who drive the story’s plot, while women are objects solely for male desire. Her theories were heavily influenced by Jacques Lacan and Sigmund Freud, while also including psychoanalysis and feminism. Mulvey used Lacanian psychoanalysis to support her account of gendered subjectivity, visual pleasure, and desire. She is also widely known for her theory of sexual objectification of women in the media, or more commonly known as “The Male Gaze” theory. As one of the most recognized theorists in the world, Mulvey’s ideas and proof of misogyny in film opened eyes around the world and female objectification was finally questioned.

From an issue that was discussed in class, we discussed about the gaze. In Laura Mulvey’s “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” she discusses about scopophilia, which is the pleasure in looking which also incorporates exhibitionism (pleasure in being looked at). This term also applies to cinema. She focuses on the idea of the “male gaze” in cinema, where films are created in favor of the male audience. Thus the action of cinema compromises of “women as image, man are bearer of the look”. Mulveys states that women in the film industry are catogarized on two levels, where woman are seen as erotic objects for the characters within the film and also erotic objects for the spectators of the film. She then moves on to criticize famed director Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rear Window for how he portrayed woman in the film. Alfred Hitchcock’s movie correlates to Mulvey’s ideas which support her theories of scopophilia and voyeurism in cinema, she believed that the film exploits the male gaze and how it antagonises woman in an anti-feminism manner. In the film, the main actor is restricted in his apartment due to his broken leg from his latest assigned project. He spends most of his time watching his neighbours from his window and later comes to suspect one of his neighbour murdering his bed ridden wife when we suddenly disappears from sight. Hitchcock successfully implies voyeurism through main actor James Stewart’s character in the film, L.B. JeffriesThe start of the film opens with a