ipl-logo

Film Techniques In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

516 Words3 Pages

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window takes advantage of interesting film techniques in order to further the narrative using only one simple set. This set is used to convey a sense of demobilization which is felt by Jeffries who broke his leg and is in a cast. The point of view is limited to within Jeffrie’s apartment living room and the apartment building across a courtyard which can be viewed from Jeffrie’s window. The film uses frequent camera masks for iris shots when Jeffries needs a closer look and uses binoculars and his camera’s zoom lens. The camera also does a couple of establishing tracking shots which pans left while tilting up and down between floors in the apartment building. This is shot at the angle which would be from Jeffrie’s window …show more content…

Most, if not all, sound in the film could be categorized as diegetic meaning that it originates in the world of the film. I found this to be one of the most spectacular aspects of the film. The sounds of children playing, city sirens, and the reoccurring music coming from the composer’s apartment and other unseen sources all add a sense of environment and realness to the theatrical stage-like set. Also as Fawell described, much of the sound in the film is asynchronous and comes from off screen action, often either contrasting or complimenting what is being shown in frame. For instance, the sound coming from the composer’s apartment is used as “Lisa’s theme” and often plays during intimate or romantic sequences in the film, highlighting Lisa’s desires and romantic intuitions. One example of contrasting sound is when jazzy upbeat music is playing as Ms. Lonelyheart contemplates taking her own life, but the film reminds us that the music is diegetic by allowing the upbeat music to uplift Ms. Lonelyheart causing her to change her mind. It was interesting how Hitchcock “opened and closed”the sound of the courtyard, as referred to by Chion, during more intimate or focused scenes which I completely missed while watching the film because they are so naturally incorporated in the film that it’s hard to notice. The whole film

Show More
Related
727 Words | 3 Pages

There isn't as much soundtrack music compared to other thrillers so the film relied more heavily on the sounds that seem to come from both inside and outside of the shelter. Michelle often uses sounds to convey where she is and deduct whether or not it truly is safe to go outside. The sounds of the film are heightened in order to give to film a more unsettling and tense feeling. Invisible sounds help to create these feelings such as the creaking of the stairs, opening and closing of locks, moaning pipes, and when Michelle believes that she has heard a car above her room. The sounds are used to tell the inner story and convey Michelle’s emotions as she struggles to deal with her current situation.

Read More
222 Words | 1 Pages

Hitchcock utilizes sound, camera work, MacGuffins, and plot twists to tell the storylines of the movies. Hitchcock understood the importance of camera work and sound because he began his career making silent films.12 It is why he uses many close up shots so the audience can pay attention to specific details and the emotions on the character’s face. He does not rely on dialogue to tell the story. He uses sound to help convey the message of a scene.

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
296 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
179 Words | 1 Pages

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous movie scene is the ‘crop duster’ scene from North By Northwest. This scene demonstrates how the score and music of a film is incredibly important to build up tension in a classic thriller. The film’s music and scores were written by Bernard Herrmann, a well-known Hollywood composer (hitchcock.tv). In the infamous crop duster scene, Herrmann and Hitchcock used diegetic sounds to build suspense and uncertainty. The diegetic or natural sounds emphasized the distance of objects from the protagonist.

Read More
494 Words | 2 Pages

Sound is very important in this film because of lot of sound is edited to fit in certain spots including music. During the activist movement, we can clearly hear the hurt in these people voices. Riots, shouting and clapping were all heard in most of the shots along with a voice in the background explaining exactly what is going on. Music was edited into some of the scenes to help give more of a scary or haunted approach. There was also sounds that were in scenes which sounded like someone or something huge is about to take place.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

In Sidney Gottlieb’s article on “Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Pleasure and Dangers of Looking”, they thoroughly explain how Hitchcocks direction of the movie such as filming angles lures the audience in being about the same position as the characters, by looking at the movie of people looking at people looking. They go into detail how looking can be both good and bad, with a bit of focus on the bad towards the end which correlates to the unwrapping of the crime in the movie and the onlocker as well as the audience being caught looking. They relate this danger to the abyss such as when you look into the abyss, the abyss is looking into you as well. Which I believe is as well as when you look into the abyss anything can happen because you cant see who or what can be looking back at you, therefore their can always be something looking at you. Like the curiosity or fear of the unknown, which

Read More
672 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1431 Words | 6 Pages

With Rear Window (1954), Alfred Hitchcock proved himself to be one of the best directors of suspense thrillers filled with mystery and humour. He himself called the film his most cinematic one because it was told only in visual terms (Morrow), but it was also a challenging “editing experiment” as the entire film was shot from one place, Jeff’s apartment that overlooked his backyard. The Film follows L.B. Jeffries “Jeff” (James Stewart), a photographer confined to a wheelchair in his apartment after breaking his leg at work. He spends his days watching his neighbours and eventually suspects that one of them killed his wife. His caretaker, his girlfriend Lisa and his detective friend, at first unconvinced of his suspicion, eventually join him in his voyeurism and help him to solve the crime.

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

The bird’s eye view shots in North by Northwest created true “cliffhanging” suspense, like the Mt. Rushmore chase scene. The use of wide-angle shots gave the audience a feeling of helplessness that feeds into the suspense. Also, the camera would cut quickly between actors to give a sense of urgency and fear. By comparison, Rear Window’s cinematography seems less rushed and urgent, but that does not mean it is any less suspenseful. The film was shot mainly from Jeff’s perspective, in his apartment looking across the courtyard into his neighbors’ windows.

Read More
148 Words | 1 Pages

To be able to lean back in a chair and peek in another’s life with no consequence is a guilty pleasure everyone shares; the power and intrigue makes it possible to almost feel like a god (admittedly a very limited one). The window into another’ life is the foundation of many art forms, including literature and especially cinema. In cinema, the audience derives the same voyeuristic pleasure of being glued to their seats and being forced to view a series of events unfold with no control over any of the events. This aspect of cinema makes Rear Window (Albert Hitchcock, 1954) a movie about watching movies through the usage of two layers to comment on what it means to be a member of the audience. The two layers are the “movie” L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries

Read More
1591 Words | 7 Pages

This meant the guilt of a burning secret kept within the main antagonist became known to that of the main protagonist. This created a deeper connection between the two characters, and the audience could also feel the overwhelming guilt of the main antagonist. as well as a sense of triumph for the main character. This is evident in Hitchcock's film "Rear Window" (1964). The transference of guilt is made crystal clear when Jeff starts to resort to what could be considered to be almost drastic measures such as peeping with a telescope and having Lisa and Stella assist in leaving the safety of the apartment to scout certain areas where they had suspicions on such as the flower bed in order to bring the murderer Thorwald to justice.

Read More
2552 Words | 11 Pages

As the camera reaches the center of Jane’s bedroom the two jolt up looking at what the audience could perceive as Jane’s bedroom door. Sound: The sound in this shot is minimal with the gunshot being the only diegetic sound in the shot. There are a few more non-diegetic sounds such as the music, Lester’s narration towards the end of the shot, as well as the slight rustling of trees which overlays into the next shot.

Read More
531 Words | 3 Pages

When the inventor died in Edward Scissorhands there was music that projected a sad mood. This helps the audience connect with the movie more and intrigues the audience more. As Edward and Kim were talking there was angelic, happy music that becomes louder as Edward and Kim hug. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when Charlie finds the money on the ground, Burton uses happy music to project an exciting and magical feeling to the audience. In Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Edward Scissorhands Burton uses camera movements, camera angles, and non-diegetic music to set a certain mood that the audience should feel.

Read More

More about Film Techniques In Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

Related Topics

Open Document