Analysis Of Rear Window By Alfred Hitchcock

Throughout history, women have been held to certain stereotypes that place societal expectations upon them. These expectations can be viewed through various outlets of media, a major one being movies. In the movie Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, women are portrayed as dependent on men. Through the portrayal of Lisa and Jeff’s relationship and the showcasing of Miss Lonelyheart’s isolation, Hitchcock conveys the perception of a patriarchal society by utilizing various cinematic elements and film techniques. Lisa and Jeff’s relationship consists of Lisa constantly vying for Jeff’s attention and Jeff constantly dismissing Lisa, demonstrating the inferiority of women not only in personal relationships, but also in society. In one scene,

Every time Miss Lonelyheart is shown, the camera is at a high angle. Not only does this suggest that the scene is from Jeff’s point of view, but it also suggests that Miss Lonelyheart is lesser or weaker than Jeff. At the end of the movie, Miss Lonelyheart is with the musician and is then shot from a low angle, which is used to portray strength. This indicates that since Miss Lonelyheart now has a man, she has more value than she did when she was alone. Also in the film, Miss Lonelyheart begins to commit suicide because she is not happy. In this scene, minimal lighting is used to capture the gloom of the situation. Once she finally finds love, the lighting is very bright to illustrate the happiness she feels. Using these two contrasting lightings in the given situations present the concept that women obtain happiness through loving a man. One way Miss Lonelyheart breaks the mold of the stereotypical is by rejecting the man that made advances on her even though she wanted love. Although she did reject him, she was still driven to suicide because she did not have the love she wanted. This could also demonstrate that she feels unworthy of love because of this man’s actions. Ultimately, this demonstrates her dependence on men for happiness. Miss Lonelyheart demonstrates a male dominated society by presenting the idea that women need men for

He does so by presenting Miss Lonelyheart and Lisa and Jeff’s relationship. It was relatively common at the time to present women in this light in various types of media when Hitchcock directed this film. As time has progressed, women have been portrayed slightly different. Women in today’s media are more sexualized but appear less dependent on men. The difference in portrayals of women reflect the time period the media was created in. In the future, media should begin portray women in a more reasonable light in order to create an equal playing field for all