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Rear window cinematography analysis
Rear window film opening scene analysis
Rear window film opening scene analysis
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In 2009, The Blind Side took hold of both the big screen and the hearts of American families. Since its debut, the movie has won 7 awards, as well as an Oscar. This inspirational movie fits into multiple categories: drama, comedy, sports, but most importantly biography. Since the movie fits into a variety of categories, it is truly a movie for everyone to enjoy. Throughout the movie there are powerful life lessons, but director John Lee Hancock did not need much help creating a plot since the movie is based off of a true story.
Rear window Alfred Hitchcock quoted in the film's rear window, “Maybe one day she’ll find her happiness.” (stella) “ yeah and some man will lose his.” (Jeff). The characters in the rear window reflect a realistic view on marriage.
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.
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.
In the movie Rear Window, the binoculars and camera Jeff used in the film are his own perspective of his fears and desires he has with Lisa. When he sees Thorwald and his wife through the binoculars, it represents Jeff’s greatest fear of a marriage gone wrong leading to the murder of a significant other. As he spies on Thorwald covering up the murder of his wife the audience sees through the binoculars lenses what Jeff fears the most if he starts a meaningful relationship with Lisa. These lenses not only show the perspective of Jeff but they also gives an insight look of what his life could turn out to be. Alfred Hitchcock’s use of props help elaborate more on the surrounding idea of our two main protagonists Jeff and Lisa.
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.
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.
The stereotype/racism that this film showed were many. For example, Men were seen as a strong figure and was important to have a man in the house. The birth order was an important factor to decide who was going to be in charge of taking care of the mom. Gestrudis was loved by her mom more than Tita. Gestrudis being the oldest daughter was allowed to married pedro and create a family.
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.
Around the 1950’s Hitchcock released one of his greatest thriller films, Strangers on a Train (1951). This film was essentially based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel. Even though the film incorporates many aspects of the novel, Hitchcock decided to change many parts of the novels plot. Some of his major changes were seen within the characters. First of all, in the novel Guy was not a tennis player, instead he was an architect.
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.
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.
In “Aesthetic of Astonishment” essay, Gunning argues how people first saw cinema, and how they are amazed with the moving picture for the first time, and were not only amazed by the technological aspect, but also the experience of how the introduction of movies have changed the way people perceive the reality in a completely different way. Gunning states that “The astonishment derives from a magical metamorphosis rather than a seamless reproduction of reality”(118). He uses the myth of how the sacred audience run out the theater in terror when they first saw the Lumiere Brother Arrival of the train. However, Gunning does not really care how hysterical their reaction is, even saying that he have doubts on what actually happened that day, as for him it the significance lied on the incidence--that is, the triggering of the audience’s reaction and its subsequence results, and not the actual reactions and their extent. It is this incident, due to the confusion of the audience’s cognition caused by new technology, that serves as a significant milestone in film history which triggered in the industry and the fascination with film, which to this day allows cinema to manipulate and
Cornell Woolrich’s short story, “It Had to Be Murder” recounts the events of a temporarily disabled man and his journey involving isolation and voyeurism. In the beginning of the narrative, the main character is described as displaying the characteristics of a “peeping tom”. Because of his injury and inability to be amused by anything else, he begins to habitually watch the personal and intimate details of other people through their windows. This habitual watching then leads him to the main conflict of the story. Though the narrator’s voyeurism may be seen as obsessive and somewhat delusional it evidently bought closure and justice to another person’s life.
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.
